Last Updated on 25 March, 2026 by Elby | The Tasteful Pantry
The best classic lasagne recipe? Absolutely! I know, it’s hard to believe, but you’ve found it. 😊
A wonderfully comforting classic Italian dish full of layers of rich meaty ragù, creamy béchamel sauce, and perfectly cooked pasta, all baked until golden and bubbling.
With roots tracing back to Italy, the classic lasagne is known and loved throughout the world, and is a dish that has taken on a life of its own in Aussie households. It’s become one of those beloved staples – perfect for sharing, perfect for leftovers, and always a crowd-pleaser. I’m not sure about you, but lasagne is repeatedly requested in our house.
While many households have their own version of the ‘best’ classic lasagne or bolognese sauce, this recipe is definitely a must-try for lasagne lovers. The milk makes the ragù so rich and hearty there will be no going back!
What Makes This The Best Lasagne Recipe?
This isn’t just another lasagne recipe. It’s the best classic lasagne recipe you will find! The kind you’ll want to keep in your regular rotation. Bold call, I know – but I speak nothing but the truth!
It’s brilliant for making ahead (even better the next day). If you’re short on time you can prepare the components ahead or even a full lasagne and throw it in the freezer for a busy night – just take it out the day before and let it thaw in the fridge. Then cook following the instructions below.
Plus, it’s endlessly adaptable depending on what you’ve got in the fridge. Throw in extra veggies to use those nearing their ‘end’ or to bulk it up or swap veggies for what you have on hand. I’ve also swapped the pork mince for all beef and it’s still delicious.
There are no gimmicks or tricky techniques with this dish, just good ingredients and a bit of time to let the flavours shine. But the true hero in this dish is the milk!
Classic Lasagne Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to get started – it might look like a long list, but you possibly already have a lot of the ingredients on hand. And lets face it, to create the best lasagne recipe the flavour needs to be rich and intense.
Rich Meaty Ragù
- Olive oil
- Brown onion
- Carrots
- Celery stalks
- Pancetta or bacon
- Cloves of garlic
- Beef mince – I use lean mince, a 90/10 ratio of meat to fat
- Pork mince – as with the beef, I opt for a lean version pork mince
- Dry red wine – shiraz, merlot, cabernet sauvignon are all good choices
- Canned tomatoes, crushed or diced
- Passata
- Beef stock – or vegetable if you don’t have beef on hand
- Bay leaves
- Dried oregano
- Milk – full cream
- Fresh basil
- Salt and pepper
- Sugar – this is optional. I only add if the sauce is a little tart
Creamy Béchamel Sauce
- Unsalted butter
- Plain / all purpose flour
- Milk – full cream
- Nutmeg
- Salt
- Pepper
- Grated cheddar cheese
Pasta and Topping
- Fresh or homemade lasagne sheets – fresh sheets can be found in the fridge section of the supermarket (dried work well too, but check if they need to be pre-cooked and follow packet instructions – otherwise it may take longer to cook in the oven). But seriously, if you have time fresh homemade pasta is fun and so delicious!
- Fresh parmesan cheese, grated
- Fresh mozzarella cheese, grated
The Method
Rich Meaty Ragù:
- In a large pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions, carrots and celery. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Stir in the pancetta and garlic and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes. Add both minces and cook, stirring and breaking the mince down with a wooden spoon, until browned all over.
- Stir in the wine and simmer for 1 minute or until almost all absorbed, before adding the tomatoes, passata, stock, bay leaves and oregano. It will be very runny.
- Simmer on low, uncovered for approximately 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
- Once the sauce has reduced and thickened, stir in the milk and simmer for a further 45 minutes, or until it has reached a nice thick, meaty consistency. You will want this to be a thick consistency to hold the classic lasagne form.
- Add the basil and salt and pepper to taste. Only add the sugar if you think it needs it – if the tomato flavour is too sharp.
Creamy Béchamel Sauce
- Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat.
- Add the flour and whisk for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and gradually whisk in the milk, whisking until the mixture is smooth and all the milk has been incorporated.
- Return to the heat and whisk until the mixture thickens. Add the nutmeg, salt, pepper and cheese.
- Remove from heat.
- If you are not assembling the lasagne straight away, the white sauce will form a skin over the top. You can simply whisk it up when ready to use. Alternatively, once cool enough, lightly spray a piece of baking paper or plastic wrap with oil and lie directly on the sauce.
Assembly
- Preheat the oven to 200°C | 180°C fan forced and lightly spray the sides of a large, deep baking dish (approx. 25x35cm) with oil.
- Spread a light layer of the ragù on the base, this will stop the pasta sheets from sticking. Cover the sauce with a layer of the pasta sheets, followed by a thick layer of ragù, spread with a ¼ of béchamel sauce and a light sprinkle of mozzarella (roughly 20 grams).
- Repeat the layers of pasta, ragù, béchamel and mozzarella two more times. Add a fourth layer and finish with the parmesan and remaining mozzarella. The number of layers will vary if your baking dish is a different size or you have added or reduced ingredients.
- Bake the lasagne for 30 minutes or until the pasta is cooked through, the layers heated through and the cheese melted and golden. Remove from the oven and leave for 10 minutes before serving.
Tip: If the top is browning too quickly, spray a piece of aluminium foil with oil and cover the dish. The oil is only to stop the cheesy top from sticking to the foil if it touches.
How Can I Stop My Homemade Lasagne From Being Watery?
A common issue, but one that can be easily fixed! The key is to let the meat sauce simmer long enough so the liquid reduces properly. If you’ve added or swapped some of the veggies, they might increase the moisture content and therefore require more time to simmer and reduce – mushrooms and zucchinis are major contributors of excess moisture.
Letting the lasagne sit for 10-15 minutes after baking also helps it firm up a little before slicing. But lets face it, watery or not, it’s still going to taste so good!
Side Options
While delicious on its own, complete your homemade lasagne meal by serving with one or some (or all 😉) of the below side dishes:
- Classic Italian Salad or a simple garden salad – add some freshness to break up the richness of the homemade lasagne
- Crisp Garlic Bread – perfect for mopping up all those classic lasagne sauces
- Crispy Semolina Potatoes – add some crunchy texture to the mix; these potatoes are crisp on the outside and light and fluffy on the inside
Other Popular Classics
Craving more cosy, crowd-pleasing dinners? You might also enjoy:
- bolognese sauce – a classic and the best version of arguably the most famous Italian pasta sauce
- classic Italian arancini – crunchy balls of cheesy risotto in a rich tomato sauce
- slow-cooked beef stroganoff – chunks of beef slow-cooked to a tender, fall apart texture in a rich and cream sauce
- creamy potato bake – sliced potatoes, layered with a creamy sauce and topped with golden, melted cheese
- chunky beef and mash pie – a rich meaty pie filling with a mashed potato base and puff pastry lid
- maple lamb shanks with mash – a savoury, sweet, rich sauce with slow-cooked, tender lamb shanks atop of a bed of mashed potato; a must-try!
Calories and Nutritional Information
The figures used in the recipe are estimates only and should be taken with a grain of salt – pardon the pun. If you require precise figures, please check the numbers yourself as they will vary with different food brands, oil content, fat absorption, etc. If there are optional extras or serving suggestions, these may not have been included in the nutrition and calorie figures.
Feedback and More
Have you given the best classic lasagne recipe a go? I’d really love to know how it was. Select a star rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ or leave a comment below to share your thoughts. Cheers, Elby!
If you enjoyed this recipe, you might also like some of my other Italian dishes or more dinner ideas. Come join me on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest for more tasty ideas and new recipes from The Tasteful Pantry.
Classic Lasagne Recipe
*Note: Adjusting servings will not adjust the ‘light grey’ quantities
Ingredients
Ragù (Bolognese Sauce)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large onion - finely diced
- 2 carrots - peeled and finely diced
- 2 celery stalks - finely diced
- 100 grams pancetta - or bacon, diced
- 2 cloves garlic - minced or finely diced
- 500 grams beef mince - lean
- 500 grams pork mince - lean
- 120 ml dry red wine - eg. shiraz, merlot, cab sauv
- 400 grams tinned tomatoes - crushed or diced
- 700 grams passata
- 750 ml beef stock - or vegetable
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 tsp oregano
- 240 ml milk - full cream
- 1 tbsp fresh basil - shredded
- salt and pepper - to taste
- 1 tsp sugar - optional
Béchamel (White Sauce)
- 50 grams unsalted butter
- 50 grams flour - plain, all purpose
- 500 ml milk
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
- ½ tsp salt
- pepper to taste
- ½ cup cheese - grated
Assembly
- 300 grams fresh lasagne sheets - approximately (dried works well too, but make sure to pre-cook if necessary)
- 120 grams fresh mozzarella - grated (half for layers, half for the top)
- 50 grams fresh parmesan - grated
Instructions
Ragù
- In a large pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions, carrots and celery. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Stir in the pancetta and garlic and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes. Add both minces and cook, stirring and breaking the mince down with a wooden spoon, until browned all over.
- Stir in the wine and simmer for 1 minute or until almost all absorbed, before adding the tomatoes, passata, stock, bay leaves and oregano. It will be very runny.
- Simmer on low, uncovered for approximately 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
- Once the sauce has reduced and thickened, stir in the milk and simmer for a further 45 minutes, or until it has reached a nice thick, meaty consistency.
- Add the basil and salt and pepper to taste. Only add the sugar if you think it needs it – if the tomato flavour is too sharp.
Béchamel
- Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat.
- Add the flour and whisk for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and gradually whisk in the milk, whisking until the mixture is smooth and all the milk has been incorporated.
- Return to the heat and whisk until the mixture thickens. Add the nutmeg, salt, pepper and cheese. Remove from heat. If you are not assembling straight away, the sauce will form a skin over the top. You can simply whisk the sauce when ready to use. Alternatively, once cool enough, lightly spray a piece of baking paper or plastic wrap with oil and lie directly on the sauce.
Assembly
- Preheat the oven to 200°C | 180°C fan forced and lightly spray the sides of a large, deep baking dish (approx. 25x35cm) with oil.
- Spread a light layer of the ragù on the base and cover with a layer of the pasta sheets, followed by a thick layer of ragù, spread with a ¼ of béchamel and a light sprinkle of mozzarella (roughly 20 grams). Repeat the layers of pasta, ragù, béchamel and mozzarella two more times (see notes). Add a fourth layer and finish with the parmesan and remaining mozzarella.
- Bake for 30 minutes or until the pasta is cooked, the layers heated through and the cheese melted and golden. Remove from the oven and leave for 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
*Nutrition and calorie figures are estimates only.
I have never used milk in bolognaise before and it is definitely a game changer! Loved this lasagne and will be making again
Best ever! Kids loved it, folks loved it – absolute winner. Will definitely be cooking again.
This is one of my faves! So glad you liked it :)