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Freshly baked lasagne in a ceramic baking dish with golden melted cheese on top.

Lasagne Verdi Recipe

Layers of spinach pasta, rich meat sauce, béchamel, and Parmigiano create a classic Lasagne Verdi with authentic flavour and soft, creamy layers.

Course: Main
Cuisine: Italian
Prep Time: 1 hour
Cook Time: 2 hours
Total Time: 3 hours
Servings: 6
Author: Manuela Zangara

Ingredients

Sauce

  • 1 kg – 2.2 lbs beef mince
  • 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 80 ml – 2.7 fl oz red wine
  • 1 carrot – finely diced
  • 1 onion – finely diced
  • 1 celery stalk – finely diced
  • 800 g – 28 oz diced tomatoes
  • 300 ml – 10 fl oz tomato purée
  • 140 g – 5 oz tomato concentrate
  • 1 bay leaf
  • ½ tbsp rosemary
  • ¼ tbsp fennel seeds
  • salt and pepper

Layers

  • egg pasta sheets – made with 1 dose of green egg pasta dough
  • 1 litre – 33.8 fl oz béchamel sauce
  • 250 g – 8.8 oz fresh mozzarella – sliced
  • 120 g – 4.2 oz Parmigiano Reggiano – finely grated

Instructions

Sauce

  1. Put the extra virgin olive oil, celery, carrot, and onion in a pot and sauté for a few minutes, until the vegetables are soft.
  2. Add the mince, stir well, and break up all the lumps with a wooden spoon.
  3. When the meat is nicely browned, add the wine and cook off the alcohol by increasing the heat.
  4. Add all the tomatoes, herbs, salt, and pepper, then fill the pot with water almost to the brim. Lower the heat to medium-low, cover, and let the sauce cook for at least 1 hour, or until thick. Set aside.

Preparing the Pasta Sheets

  1. Put a large pot of salted water on the heat and bring it to a boil.
  2. Cook the sheets of pasta for 1 minute in batches. Use a shallow, wide pot and cook the sheets in a single layer to prevent them from sticking together.
  3. Remove the pasta sheets with a slotted spoon and place them on a clean tea towel over your work surface to cool down.

Assembling the Lasagne

  1. Spread a layer of meat sauce on the bottom of an ovenproof dish. Add a single layer of cooled pasta, making sure the layers of pasta don’t overlap.

  2. Add more meat sauce, some béchamel sauce, sliced mozzarella, and grated Parmigiano Reggiano. Repeat for 5 to 6 layers.

    Note: Don’t add mozzarella to the top layer, or it may burn and taste bitter.

  3. Bake the lasagne in a preheated oven at 180°C – 355°F for 20 minutes, then grill for 5 to 10 minutes, until the top is golden brown. Serve warm.

Recipe Notes

  • You can make the meat sauce the day before assembling the lasagne. The lasagne can also be assembled a day ahead and stored in the refrigerator.
  • Take the lasagne out of the refrigerator a few hours before baking to bring it back to room temperature. This helps the centre heat through more evenly during baking.