Lasagna alla Bolognese

• Finely dice vegetables to around 3 mm; this helps them soften properly and integrate into the sauce without leaving excess moisture or texture.
• Let the meat cook until moisture has fully evaporated before adding wine; if it’s still wet, it will boil instead of reduce and dilute flavour.
• Reduce the wine until the pan is nearly dry and the smell is no longer sharp or alcoholic. Under-reduced wine will leave a harsh note in the finished sauce.
• Remove excess fat if it starts to pool, otherwise the final ragù can be greasy and split.
• Add the milk in stages and allow it to reduce each time; this stabilises the sauce and softens acidity rather than just making it creamy.
• The finished ragù should be thick and cohesive, with no visible liquid pooling.
• The béchamel should coat the back of a spoon but still flow. If it thickens too much, adjust with milk off the heat.
• Roll the fresh pasta to ~1 mm; thicker sheets absorb too much moisture and make the lasagna dense rather than layered.
• Keep layers thin and evenly distributed as overly thick layers will trap moisture and prevent the lasagna from setting cleanly, resulting in a loose structure.
• Rest at least 10–15 minutes as internal steam needs to settle or the layers will collapse and leak when cut.

• White wine gives a lighter, cleaner flavour whereas red wine adds depth. Both work well and are up to personal preference.
• If omitting the wine, replace with an equal amount of stock.
• Chopped tomatoes can be used instead of passata; however, it will introduce more water and require longer to reduce.
• Dried pasta sheets can be used instead of making fresh pasta; however, I find the texture can be a bit lacking but are fine if needed. Either par-boil the dried pasta or allow to cook while baking - just try to avoid overcooking the pasta.

Cool completely before refrigerating; trapping heat creates condensation that can affect the texture.

Refrigeration: Baked lasagna can store covered for 3–4 days. Assembled (unbaked) lasagna can be refrigerated for up to 24 hours.

Freezer: Freeze either baked or unbaked in individual portions to improve reheating consistency.

From frozen, thawing first gives better results but it can be reheated from frozen in the oven.

Oven: Preheat the oven to 180°C (or 160°C if frozen) and bake the lasagna covered until heated through - about 20-25 minutes (or 35 minutes if frozen). Then uncover and bake until the cheese is golden.

Microwave: Best for reheating single portions but softens layers.