I’m sure you’ve eaten plenty of lasagna in your life. Maybe your mum made it when you were young, or it’s your go-to dish at your favorite Italian restaurant. You might even have tried making it at home — but somehow, it just didn’t hit the spot like that one time you had it in Italy.
Hi friend. I’m Alessia, the creator behind Italy with an Italian.
I get it — you’re looking for an authentic Italian lasagna recipe that’s easy to make and doesn’t take all day. Most importantly, you want it to taste like an Italian nonna made it right in your kitchen.
That’s exactly what my recipe delivers. While I love cooking, I don’t want to spend the entire day on a single dish (unless I’m batching!). So I always aim for recipes that are both delicious and practical.
If that sounds like the kind of recipe you are after, let’s make it together.
PS: This homemade Italian lasagna includes beef and bechamel sauce, but I’ll also share some tasty alternatives if you’re not a fan of bechamel.
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Table of Contents
Italian Lasagna Types & Regional Variations
Did you know that lasagna originated in the region of Emilia Romagna, a region famous for its fresh pasta and the best family style food? There’s even written proof dating back to the 1200s and connected to the city of Bologna!
No wonder the most famous lasagna in Italy and in the world is the Lasagna alla Bolognese, the one you likely know and love, featuring the fresh egg pasta sheets, the Bolognese meat sauce, bechamel and lots of grated parmesan.
Well, in Bologna there’s even a more popular variation than the original Italian lasagna! It’s the same recipe I just described, but it’s made with fresh green lasagna sheets that are full of spinach. Even if you don’t love spinach, I still suggest you try it when you get the chance, because if done right you won’t even taste the spinach, yet the green pasta makes the dish even more special. The dish is called Lasagne Verdi alla Bolognese.
If you are just starting out with lasagna, trying those two variations is more than enough. But if you are a connoisseur, or want to become one, I suggest you get to know the other 10 popular regional variations. There are surely more than 10, but these are the most unique that stand apart from the traditional recipe.
Top 10 Regional Lasagna Variations
Lasagne Napoletane – richer than the traditional ones, in Naples they’re made with ragù, small meatballs, ricotta, provola, and hard-boiled eggs.
Lasagne alla Ligure with Pesto – a light and aromatic Ligurian version with pesto, potatoes, and green beans instead of ragù. These are vegetarian but should you be interested I have a recipe that features beef. Let me know if you want me to make that next!
Lasagne Marchigiane from Marche – rustic and delicate, made with white meat sauce (like duck or chicken), béchamel, and vegetables.
Vincisgrassi – an elaborate Marche specialty with mixed meat ragù, chicken giblets, spices, and thick béchamel, usually served on special occasions.
Lasagne alla Piemontese from Piedmont – rich and hearty, made with veal, Alpine cheeses like Castelmagno or Toma, and sometimes truffle.
Lasagne alla Sarda – Sardinian-style lasagna with pecorino, sausage, and courgettes and eggplants, sometimes made with the local flat bread pane carasau instead of pasta sheets.
Lasagne with Artichokes from Rome – a Roman winter favorite with sautéed artichokes, béchamel, and Pecorino Romano.
Lasagne with Oxtail Sauce – a Roman twist made with oxtail sauce (coda alla vaccinara), béchamel, and Parmigiano.
Lasagne with Pumpkin and Amaretti – from Lombardy, combining pumpkin, crushed amaretti cookies, and cheese for a sweet-salty flavor.
Lasagne alla Calabrese – bold and spicy, made with Calabrian ’nduja, ricotta, and pecorino.
Lasagne Siciliane – a hearty southern version layered with ragù and peas, meatballs, hard-boiled eggs, semi-hard cheeses, cooked ham, and sometimes fried eggplant; in some cases, ricotta replaces the béchamel.
I wonder which one of these has got you drooling!!
With those regional recipes in mind, I’d like to let you in on a secret. The variations of lasagna are infinite because not only every region has its favorite recipe, but many cities and areas might have even more variations, and most importantly every family has its own way of making it, one that has been passed on from generation to generation, and it’s not always the regional one!
For example, let’s say a Sicilian woman marries into a Roman family, she might end up testing a variation of the two recipes. Even in Sicily, not all of us make the Sicilian lasagne listed above. My mum made a regular Italian meat lasagna – similar to the one I am sharing today, with the addition of peas and sometimes hard boiled eggs.
Authentic Italian Lasagna Ingredients
Now that you know all of the Italian lasagna recipes you could be making, we can focus on the traditional recipe we are making today. Let me share the ingredients you will need.
Carrots, onions and celery – the three soffritto staples that make the base for our ragù, which is the name of the Italian meat and tomato sauce for lasagna.
Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil – we couldn’t do a proper soffritto without this, and it’s essential to give the final sauce that classic Italian flavor. I love cooking with Carapelli Oro Verde EVOO.
Red Wine – this is the classic option, but I have used white wine before and loved the result. I suggest you choose a good quality wine, as opposed to a cheap packed cooking option, because it can make or break your lasagne. A Chianti is perfect.
Tomato Passata – we could have a classic tomato beef sauce without it. Again, the quality of this ingredient, like every other one, matters a lot. I love using Mutti Tomato Passata.
Minced Beef – The thinner and tender the beef mince, the softer and tastier the lasagna will be. Of course, if you like to taste the beef chunks, you can also go for a coarser option. However, the classic Italian lasagna I ate throughout Emilia Romagna (where lasagna originated) had such a tender meat that you couldn’t even feel the texture. That’s how I personally like it, but it’s not always easy to get that texture at home.
Vegetable Stock – I like to use this organic option. You could also try beef stock, but vegetable stock is the classic ingredient.
Water – To melt the stock. Of course, you can also use homemade vegetable stock. If so, I suggest you prepare that in advance.
Salt and pepper – Essential for the ragù and the bechamel sauce.
Bay Leaves – I use two leaves and remove them at the end, as it gives the meat sauce extra flavor, but this is not always part of the traditional recipe. My Sicilian grandma used it, and so does my mum.
Milk – I use dairy free, but you can use regular milk. This will be the base for our homemade bechamel sauce.
Butter – Again, I use dairy free. My favorite is Alpro Vegan Butter, but you can use your favorite one, preferably not a very salted one.
Flour – Needed to make the roux and create the white bechamel sauce. I use 00 flour.
Nutmeg – Just a pinch to flavor the bechamel.
Lasagna Sheets – The star of the dish. I love both fresh lasagna sheets, you can find at your local supermarket, packed. Or if you have an Italian pasta shop near you, they will surely have these for sale. The best part is that one lasagna sheet will usually cover the entire lasagna dish. Most of the time, I use dry lasagne sheets because they are convenient; my favorite ones are the Barilla Lasagne.
Grated Parmesan Cheese – This is the only cheese you need to make the authentic Italian lasagna recipe. I suggest you go for the real Parmigiano Reggiano as opposed to a Grana Padano cheese, or a mix of grated cheeses, because that would mess up your traditional lasagna flavor.
You will find the exact quantities further down.
Equipment needed:
Other than those ingredients, these are the tools you will need:
- One very large pot to make your ragù
- Two medium sized pots to make your bechamel sauce
- Multiple cooking spatulas and tablespoons
- A ladle
- A whisk
- Measuring cups or kitchen scales
- An extra clean large pot for boiling the lasagna sheets (if you choose to)
- Two medium lasagna dishes (like these ones)
- Kitchen foil
- A knife and a serving spatula
How To Make An Authentic Italian Lasagna At Home
Before you go to the supermarket and start shopping for the ingredients, I suggest you take a look at the overall process for making this lasagna, so you can plan ahead and decide the best time to make each part of this recipe.
I will share the overall steps, my habits, and a few useful tips to achieve the best result with the least amount of effort. You’ll get the exact quantities and steps in the next section. You’re welcome!
Main recipe steps:
- Make sure you’ve got all the ingredients for each part of the recipe.
- Make the meat ragù and let it cool down
- Make the bechamel sauce
- Assemble the lasagna
- Bake the lasagna
If you’re short on time or you don’t like spending multiple hours in the kitchen, then you can divide the steps above in two days. On day 1, make the Bolognese sauce, let it cool, and store it in the fridge. On day 2, make the bechamel sauce, assemble the lasagna and bake it.
If you don’t mind doing it all in one day, it should take you a maximum of 4 hours, but you can go about your day while your sauce simmers, and while your lasagna bakes. So, in reality it will be around 2 hours of kitchen prep and cooking, plus washing the dishes, and even less if you use a dishwasher.
I have done it both ways, and it works equally fine.
Here are some useful tips to keep in mind:
- If you’re going to refrigerate the meat sauce overnight, you want to use more tomato sauce and vegetable stock, because the sauce will reduce further as it sits in the fridge. I suggest making a double batch, and then you can either make an extra dish of lasagna, or store the meat sauce in the freezer to make Bolognese pasta.
If you’d like a budget option on how to double the meat sauce quantity I will share that inside my newsletter. You are welcome to join by signing up via one of the sign up boxes in this post. - I prefer making my sauce in the morning and then assembling the lasagna in the early afternoon. That way the sauce has enough time to rest before preparing the layers, and the same holds for resting the lasagna before baking it.
- Don’t worry if you don’t get a perfectly smooth bechamel sauce. I often don’t. I am not sure whether that has to do with using vegan ingredients, but ultimately it’s the taste that matters. You also often add to mix in more milk as it cools down and gets ticker.
- If your meat sauce turns out too runny (it shouldn’t), put it in the fridge for a couple of hours or overnight, and that should fix it. Then, you can proceed to making your lasagna layers. If it’s a little runny, it shouldn’t be a problem, especially if you’re using dry lasagna sheets. Just use slightly less for each layer and make a thicker bechamel sauce.
- Don’t forget to let the wine evaporate when you are making the sauce. That’s not only important to balance the flavors, but it also avoids the final ragù from being too runny.
- If I am using dry lasagna sheets, I like to boil them, so that the lasagna takes less time to cook, and the final result has a smoother, softer texture, which is how I like it. You should be able to achieve this same result with fresh lasagna sheets. Those don’t need to be pre-cooked. The lasagna sheets I linked above don’t need to be pre-cooked.
- If you decide to pre-cook your lasagna sheets, only do so for 2 to 3 minutes per sheet. This is how I do it: I boil the water in a very large pot, I season it with salt, and I add 3 sheets of lasagna to boil, mixing from time to time, and then I lift each one onto a clean empty plate, using kitchen tongs or a big spatula. I repeat the process with more sheets of pasta, and while those cook I go about assembling my lasagna layer.
- I cook my lasagna in the lower level of my oven, with foil for the first 15 to 20 minutes. Towards the end of the cooking, usually during the last 10 minutes, I remove the foil and continue cooking the lasagna at the bottom. If your lasagna is a little too runny, don’t use the foil, start with cooking it at the bottom of the oven, and then move it to the top. You can also do the latter if you like a crispy top. I don’t!
- If you happen to dislike chunky sauces, you can blend your ragu, and make your lasagna as per usual. That’s also a great idea if the sauce is too runny. That will make it denser.
- I suggest you let your lasagna rest for at least 15 minutes after you take it out of the oven and before serving it.
My Easy Italian Lasagna Recipe + Video
This recipe makes two medium dishes, serving about 8 medium portions of lasagna.
Bolognese Sauce Ingredients
1 carrot
1 onion
1 celery stick
Italian EVOO
500 gr beef mince
200 ml red wine
700 ml Passata
Salt and pepper
700 ml water
2 vegetable stock cubes
2 or 3 bay leaves
PS: I figured out a trick to get a delicious meat sauce while using less meat. If you’d like a family budget friendly option, or just don’t like to eat a lot of meat, join the newsletter. I will talk about this trick and much more there.
How To Make It
- Start by chopping into tiny pieces your soffritto ingredients – the carrot, the onion and the celery. Add to your large pot with two generous drizzles of EVOO and let it sauté.
- Once the onions start looking translucent, after about 15 minutes, add the minced meat. Leave to cook for at least 10 minutes.
- After that time, you can add the wine. Mix and leave to evaporate for another 10 minutes.
- In the meantime, prepare your vegetable stock and water in a small bowl. I like to heat the water in the microwave, and give it a good mix, so it starts dissolving.
- If you are using homemade stock, just preheat it in a separate pot.
- You can set the stock aside, and add your passata to the vegetables and beef. Season with salt and pepper.
- Then, add half the vegetable stock you’ve prepared, mix well, and add the bay leaves.
- Cover your pot with a lid using a stopper so it’s not fully closed, lower the heat to low, and let it simmer for an hour.
- After the first hour has passed, come back and add the rest of the vegetable stock, mix well, and let it simmer for the final hour.
- Once ready, let the sauce cool before assembling the lasagna, or refrigerate overnight.
- Don’t forget to remove the bay leaves before you start layering the sauce.
Bechamel Sauce Ingredients
- 1 litre milk (I use vegan) or 4.2 cups
- 100 gr butter (I use vegan) or 3/4 cup
- 100 gr flour
- Pinch of nutmeg
- Salt and pepper to taste
How To Make It
- Take the two medium sized posts. In one pour the milk, season with salt and pepper, and add a pinch of nutmeg. Put it over your stove to heat up.
- In the second pot, melt the butter. Once the butter has melted, add the flour, and mix rigorously to form a roux (sort of a thick paste).
- Make sure you attend to both pots simultaneously, and don’t let your milk boil.
- Add the warmed up milk to the roux, little by little, while you continue mixing. Keep stirring for 5 minutes.
- After those 5 minutes, your bechamel sauce should have thickened, and hopefully be somewhat lump free, especially if you kept mixing.
PS: The bechamel sauce thickens further as it cools down. If yours thickens too much, just add more milk and mix until you obtain your desired consistency.
Bechamel Sauce Alternatives
I make my bechamel sauce completely vegan and it’s delicious, so if you are either vegan or vegetarian, or just dairy intolerant, you too can make bechamel sauce.
If you’re gluten intolerant or coeliac, try replacing the same amount of flour for an all purpose gluten free alternative.
And if, for some reason, you don’t like the taste of bechamel, listen up. First of all, I promise you that homemade bechamel is much lighter than storebought, especially the vegan version. So I suggest you give it a try.
Also, you might want to finish your lasagna with the ragu layer rather than the bechamel so you can taste it less, because it’s not the first thing you bite into. You can also use less of it per layer.
If you are set on not using bechamel sauce, these are common alternatives:
- Fresh ricotta
- Your favorite cream cheese
- Cooking cream (it’s lighter than bechamel sauce; don’t forget the nutmeg).
- Just skip the bechamel sauce and add a little more meat sauce and parmesan.
- Greek yogurt (some say they love replacing it with yogurt).
Extra Ingredients
- Lasagna sheets (best to have two packs)
- 300 grs Grated Parmesan (real Parmigiano Reggiano)
How To Make The Lasagna Layers
- Take out your lasagna dishes, gather the meat sauce, the bechamel sauce, and the extra ingredients above and let’s start putting together your authentic Italian lasagna.
- If you’d like to boil your lasagna sheets, now is the time to do so. Limit yourself to 3 minutes maximum.
- Start layering the Bolognese sauce at the bottom of your dish/es. Be generous.
PS: If you prefer, you can start with the bechamel sauce first, then the lasagna sheets and the meat sauce. It doesn’t really matter, as the flavors are all there. - Proceed by adding the lasagna sheets, as many as needed to cover the entire dish.
- Add some more meat sauce, enough to nicely coat the lasagna pasta evenly.
- Then, add the bechamel sauce. I like to add mine into dollops over the tomato sauce, but I don’t cover all of the surface.
- Add a generous amount of grated parmesan cheese.
- And repeat all the layers starting from the pasta, in this order – pasta, meat sauce, bechamel sauce, and parmesan.
- Repeat at least one more layer, finishing off with the bechamel and grated parmesan on top.
- I think three lasagna layers are the minimum, but the more the better.
- Bake for 40 minutes at 180°C or 350°F – on the lower level of your oven, covered with foil for the first 20 minutes covered, and then the rest without it.
How to Serve & Store Your Lasagna
I don’t like to freeze lasagna, but feel free to try. My favorite method of storing is leaving any leftovers in the same dish I cooked the lasagna and covering with a clean piece of foil. I then refrigerate and consume the lasagna within two to three days from cooking it. Whenever I need to eat some, I reheat it in the oven, but you can also do it in the microwave.
As to how to serve your lasagna, in Italy we enjoy the lasagna on its own, without any side dishes. If you want to truly savor it every bite and all its flavors, I suggest you do it that way.
Lasagna can be enjoyed as the main and only dish of the meal, or as the pasta course preceding a main course, usually part of a Sunday or festive meal.
If you just made this, I hope it turned out to be the best lasagna you’ve ever made. Let me know how everyone likes it.
Now, go dig in!
Italian Lasagna FAQ
If you happen to have other questions about lasagna I haven’t answered so far, you should find them answered in this section. If you’ve got more, feel free to come ask them inside my newsletter – Buona Settimana. You can join the list for free via one of the sign up boxes in this post. I hope to see you there!
What is in a traditional Italian lasagna?
Fresh pasta sheets layered with ragù (meat sauce), béchamel, and Parmigiano Reggiano.
What is the difference between Italian lasagna and American lasagna?
Italian lasagna uses béchamel and Parmigiano, while American versions often use ricotta, mozzarella, and more tomato-heavy sauces. Italians focus on using a few high quality ingredients with great taste, and that’s the secret for all our cooking!
What is the secret to a good lasagna?
Using a few high-quality ingredients and following the traditional recipe that never fails.
Do Italians put meat in their lasagna?
Yes, the classic version from Bologna includes a slow-cooked meat ragù.
What are common lasagna mistakes?
A sauce that’s too runny or too thick, not enough sauce or Parmesan, undercooked pasta, sauce that’s not simmered enough, or low-quality ingredients.
How many layers does an authentic lasagna recipe have?
Usually around three layers of pasta, but the more the merrier.
Do Italians put nutmeg in lasagna?
Yes, just a pinch in the béchamel for flavor.
Does lasagna use ricotta or cottage cheese?
Some Southern Italian versions use ricotta, but it’s not part of the original Bolognese recipe.
Does traditional lasagna have béchamel sauce?
Yes, it’s one of the key ingredients.
Should lasagna be baked covered or uncovered?
Yes, you should cover it for the first part to retain moisture and prevent the top from drying out or burning.
What’s the secret to a flavorful lasagna sauce?
High-quality ingredients, balanced proportions, and proper simmering time.
What is the white sauce for lasagna in Italy?
We use homemade béchamel sauce.
What is the last layer of lasagna supposed to be?
Béchamel topped with plenty of grated Parmigiano Reggiano.
What’s the best pan for baking lasagna?
Glass, ceramic or stainless steel baking dishes distribute heat evenly and preserve moisture.
What kind of cheese is best for lasagna?
Authentic Parmigiano Reggiano — freshly grated.
Do Italians put carrots in lasagna?
Yes, carrots are part of the soffritto base used to make the ragù.
What temperature should I bake lasagna at?
Around 180°C (350°F).
What goes in a traditional lasagna?
Pasta sheets, Bolognese sauce, béchamel, and grated Parmesan.
How long should lasagna rest before cutting?
About 15 minutes to allow the layers to set.
Is béchamel sauce necessary for lasagne?
Yes, it’s essential for a creamy, balanced, authentic Italian lasagna.
Why put foil on lasagna?
It helps it cook evenly and prevents the top from burning or drying out.
More Authentic Italian Recipes
If you loved this recipe please give it a heart and share it with a friend or two.
Don’t forget you can get weekly recipes in my Italian newsletter – Buona Settimana. I send one email every Sunday, and it’s a friendly chat about Italian life, food, culture, fashion, but most importantly a way to connect directly with you. I’d love you to join.
In the meantime, you can find more delicious and traditional Italian recipes below:
Italian Sausage Pasta Soup
Italian Ricotta Cookies
My Favorite Italian Bread Recipe
Artisan Italian Focaccia Pizza – 2 Flavors
Happy cooking.
A presto,
Alessia
