
By nigella.com
Lasagne of Love
This is what I make for my children’s birthday celebrations, for farewell suppers to send them off before they go away, and for the dinners to welcome them back when they come home again. It’s our family take on a traditional lasagne, though I’m not sure Italians would exactly welcome my deviations from the classical recipe. For one thing, I don’t make my own lasagne sheets; while I have in the past, I now routinely use dried ones out of a packet and, what’s more, I don’t boil them first. In order, then, to ensure they soften properly, I make a slightly more liquid meat sauce than is customary and, rather than have a covering of béchamel at the end, I finish with a layer of meat sauce, topped with chopped mozzarella on top. None of this is proper from a North Italian perspective, but the lasagne it yields is pleasure-giving and gratifyingly popular. I can’t say that this is exactly faff-free to make: but it is time-consuming rather than difficult. I adore pottering about the kitchen making it. What’s more, you can layer it up (bar the mozzarella topping) in advance (see notes) and bake when needed. And I make this even if there isn’t a whole tableful of people to eat it; I freeze leftovers in individual portions, to make for most superior ready-meals at a later date.
Updated at: Fri, 28 Mar 2025 02:31:42 GMT
Nutrition balance score
Unbalanced
Glycemic Index
45
Low
Glycemic Load
12
Moderate
Nutrition per serving
Calories768 kcal (38%)
Total Fat45.6 g (65%)
Carbs48.9 g (19%)
Sugars11.8 g (13%)
Protein35.4 g (71%)
Sodium1434.3 mg (72%)
Fiber2.7 g (10%)
% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet
Ingredients
9 servings

2onions
large-ish, approx. 350g / 2 3/4 cups chopped

3 x 15mlolive oil

125 millilitresfull fat milk

4 x 15mltomato puree

250gcarrots

1 stickcelery

4 clovesgarlic
fat

150 gramspancetta
rindless, or bacon

20gflatleaf parsley

1 x 15mlfresh thyme leaves
tablespoon, or 1 teaspoon dried thyme

⅛ teaspoondried chilli flakes

350 gramsminced beef

350 gramsminced pork

250 millilitresred wine
good enough to drink, or red vermouth

500 millilitresbeef stock

2 x 400 gramstins of chopped tomatoes

2 teaspoonssea salt flakes
spo

3fresh bay leaves

1 litrefull fat milk
plus more as needed

1 teaspoonsea salt flakes
or 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

white pepper
grinding

2fresh bay leaves

100 gramsunsalted butter

100 gramsplain flour

3 x 15mlParmesan
freshly grated

18dried lasagne sheets

1 ballmozzarella
not bufala

5 x 15mlParmesan
freshly grated
Instructions
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Notes
6 liked
1 disliked
Delicious
Special occasion
Go-to
Makes leftovers
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