Lasagne

From the kitchen of Carly

Italian-American Sunday dinner with a shortcut: creme fraiche stands in for the slow-simmered bechamel, so you skip a whole step without losing the creamy top. Slow ragu, mozzarella melt, parmesan crust. Feeds six and reheats beautifully. Build it the night before, refrigerate, and bake from cold. Add 15 minutes to the bake time. Tastes even better.

Lasagne

Bacon in the ragu is the move. It adds a salty backbone that makes the beef sing without tasting meaty or heavy. Layering with creme fraiche instead of béchamel keeps things lighter and faster, while fresh mozzarella and parmesan melt into every creamy, saucy bite. Sixty-five minutes in the oven and you've got dinner that feeds six without days of labor.

Prep
25 min
Cook
1 hr
Total
1 hr 25 min
Servings
6
Difficulty
medium

Ingredients

6 servings

  • 1 tbspolive oil
  • 2 rashersthick-cut bacon, chopped
  • 1yellow onion, finely chopped
  • 1celery stalk, finely diced
  • 1 mediumcarrot, finely diced
  • 2 clovesgarlic, minced
  • 1 1/8 lb(500 g)ground beef
  • 1 tbsptomato puree
  • 1 3/4 lb(800 g)canned chopped tomatoes
  • 1 tbsphoney
  • 12 sheets (about 250g)lasagne sheets
  • 1 3/4 cups(400 ml)creme fraiche
  • 4 oz(125 g)fresh mozzarella, torn
  • 2 oz(50 g)parmesan, finely grated
  • 1 small handfulfresh basil leaves (optional)

Instructions

  1. Heat the olive oil in a wide pan over medium heat. Snip or chop the bacon into small pieces and cook until just starting to color, 3 minutes.

  2. Add the onion, celery, and carrot. Cook 5 minutes, stirring, until softened.

  3. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute. Tip in the ground beef. Break it apart with a wooden spoon and cook 6 to 8 minutes until evenly browned.

  4. Stir in the tomato puree and cook 1 minute to deepen the color.

  5. Pour in the chopped tomatoes. Half-fill the can with water and add that too. Stir in the honey and a generous pinch of salt and pepper.

  6. Simmer gently, partially covered, for 25 minutes. The sauce should thicken to a spoon-coats consistency.

  7. While the sauce simmers, heat the oven to 400°F (200°C).

  8. Whisk the creme fraiche with 2 tbsp water in a small bowl to make a pourable cream.

  9. Assemble: spoon a thin layer of ragu across the bottom of a deep baking dish. Lay 3 sheets of lasagne to cover (overlap as needed). Add a third of the remaining ragu. Repeat lasagne, ragu, lasagne, ragu, ending with a layer of pasta on top.

  10. Pour the creme fraiche evenly over the top sheets. Scatter the torn mozzarella, then sprinkle the parmesan.

  11. Bake 25 to 30 minutes until golden and bubbling at the edges.

  12. Rest 10 minutes before slicing. Scatter with basil if you have it.

Tips from the kitchen

  • Simmer the ragu uncovered for the last few minutes if it's still loose after 25 minutes, the pasta sheets need sauce with body to absorb without turning mushy.
  • Don't skip resting the lasagne for 10 minutes after it comes out of the oven, it sets the layers so they actually hold together when you cut and serve.
  • Whisk creme fraiche with water to thin it, thick cream won't spread evenly and you'll end up with dry patches and overly rich ones.

Variations

  • No creme fraiche: Use 400 ml whole milk whisked into 3 tbsp butter and 3 tbsp flour, cooked into a loose béchamel.
  • Skip the honey if you prefer, but a tablespoon rounds out acidity and adds depth without any perceptible sweetness.
  • Fresh peas stirred into the warm ragu just before layering add a bright, tender note that breaks up the richness.
  • Swap ground beef for ground pork or a mix of both, the cooking time and technique stay the same.

Make ahead and storage

Keeps in the fridge for up to 4 days in a covered dish. Freeze well for up to 3 months, thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating gently at 325°F for 20 to 25 minutes covered with foil.

Substitutions
  • creme fraiche to full-fat sour cream or a quick bechamel. Sour cream is the easy swap; bechamel (4 tbsp butter, 4 tbsp flour, 2 cups milk) is the traditional move.
  • ground beef to half beef, half Italian sausage. Adds fennel and pepper notes. Or use all sausage for a punchier ragu.
  • lasagne sheets to no-boil lasagne sheets. Skip the pre-cook; add 1/2 cup extra water to the sauce so the noodles hydrate as they bake.

Pairs well with: Caesar salad or a simple arugula salad with lemon, A warm crusty loaf for soaking up any leftover sauce, Chianti, Barbera, or any medium-bodied Italian red