Homemade Lasagne Recipe

A classic dinner idea that I utterly adore; a homemade lasagne is always a comfort meal, and I adore it. This deliciously moreish recipe is comfort in a bowl, and I know you are all going to love it as much as I do. 

This one is a proper homemade lasagne, with a rich bolognese sauce, a creamy homemade cheese sauce, and pasta, layered until golden and bubbly. I use standard dried lasagne sheets and I don’t soak them first, so there’s no faffing about, you just layer everything up and bake. It’s my purposefully simple version, and honestly you really can’t go wrong with it.

Dinner ideas

So, lasagne has been something that I have eaten and made countless times over the years, and I am sure that many of you guys have as well. It’s such a classic weeknight and weekend meal idea, and I am always here for it. It’s comfort in a meal in my opinion, and if I can always eat that sort of food, I will. 

My sausage pasta bake and my macaroni cheese are just a couple of my other savoury favourites, and I honestly LOVE them too. They are easy, cosy, moreish meals, exactly like this one.

I love posting my savoury recipes and as much as it’s new to some of you, those who love them keep asking for more and more. And even thought lasagne is something that pretty much most people have made or eaten at some point, I had countless requests for how I simply make it, so here is the recipe for you. 

Here’s what you’ll be doing, start to finish:

• Simmer a rich meat bolognese (your ragu)
• Make a quick homemade cheese sauce
• Layer it all up with lasagne sheets
• Bake until golden and bubbling

That’s it. Four simple stages and dinner is done.

Homemade Lasagne

So lasagne (or lasagna) is a classic – there are probably hundreds if not thousands of variations on this classic dish across books and the internet, but I am still just going to put my version up anyway as I know lots of you want it anyway. 

To dumb down the description of what it is, it’s pasta sheets, with a filling, and a cheese sauce. It’s a dish that goes back years and years and years and it’s so iconic, and definitely a classic recipe. The famous nature of it makes it even better in my eyes as we all know and appreciate it. 

You’ll see it written both ways, lasagne and lasagna, and people do ask which is right. Lasagne, with an e, is the usual British spelling and it technically refers to the pasta sheets themselves, whilst lasagna, with an a, is the American spelling more often used for the finished baked dish. They’re the same lovely thing though, so honestly don’t overthink it.

This recipe use a tomato and meat bolognese filling, with a homemade cheese sauce, and the large flat pasta sheets. This is traditionally how I ate it growing up, and how I have also made it. It’s a purposefully simple recipe, and even though the ingredients list seems quite long it’s as simple as I can make it, whilst also being incredibly delicious still. 

What makes mine a little different is that it’s deliberately simple and weeknight friendly, with a couple of cheeky flavour boosters in the ragu, soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce, that give it a proper savoury depth without any extra effort.

Making a bolognese sauce

The bolognese sauce is an easy sauce to whack into a large pot or frying pan and simmer whilst you carry on with the cheese sauce later on. It has more in it compared to some recipes, but I am not mad about it. 

• Oil – I always love using olive oil in my savoury dishes, but it can be replaced with other oils easily, or a spray 
• Veg – I use a base mixture of onion, carrot and celery. I really finely shop them down, as small as possible, as I don’t want the texture to be overwhelming. 
• Mince – I like a mix of beef and pork, but you can use a mixture or any other.
• Flavours – garlic, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, mixed herbs, and of course salt and pepper. 
• Tomatoes – I use the basic tinned chopped tomatoes – but if you want less texture you can use passata 

The one thing that really matters with the bolognese is letting it simmer and reduce so it isn’t watery, because a loose ragu makes for a sloppy lasagne. I let mine bubble away gently whilst I make the cheese sauce, giving it a stir now and then. You’re looking for:

• A thick, glossy sauce that holds its shape when you drag a spoon through it
• Very little loose liquid pooling at the edges of the pan
• A rich, deep colour

If it still looks watery, just keep it simmering with the lid off. Fifteen to twenty minutes of gentle simmering does the job nicely, but longer is never a bad thing with a good ragu, it only gets more delicious.

Cheese sauce

The cheese sauce is very similar to my macaroni cheese sauce because I love it – there are slight differences, even in the volume of the ingredients because of how much cheese sauce I want in this recipe.  It’s a homemade roux, and then cheese added in to make the cheese sauce

• Butter – I use a block butter as the base, unsalted or salted works well 
• Flour – Plain flour is best 
• Milk – you can use whole milk, or semi skimmed, but the whole milk is definitely more luxurious 
• Cheese – I use a mix of a mature cheddar cheese and parmesan 
• Seasoning – salt and pepper, as always. 

It’s basically the same base as my macaroni cheese, which is exactly why I trust it, it works every single time. A couple of pointers so yours comes out lovely and silky:

• Add the milk gradually and keep stirring or whisking, that’s the real trick to keeping it lump free
• If it does go a bit lumpy, whisk it hard or give it a quick blitz and it’ll come back together
• You want it thick enough to coat the back of a spoon but still pourable, not stodgy
• Too thick? Loosen with a splash more milk. Too thin? Simmer it a touch longer.

How to layer lasagne

There’s always a bit of debate about the exact order to build a lasagne, and honestly you do it however you fancy. I obviously have to write how I do it, but it’s up for interpretation. I start with sauce on the bottom so the sheets don’t stick to the dish.

From the bottom up, my layer order is:

1. A third of the bolognese, spread over the base of the dish
2. A layer of lasagne sheets (I don’t soak mine first, more on that below)
3. A third of the cheese sauce
4. Repeat twice more, so you build up three full layers
5. Finish with a healthy sprinkle of grated cheddar on top, because more the merrier, of course

Starting with a layer of bolognese stops the bottom sheets catching on the dish, and finishing with cheese gives you that golden, bubbly top everyone fights over. I bake it until it’s golden, bubbly and delicious, and it’s 100% one of my favourite things to eat and make.

How many layers should lasagne have?

My method gives you three pasta layers, which is the sweet spot for a homemade lasagne in a medium to large dish. If you like really neat, sliceable squares, stick to three layers and let it rest for about 10 minutes before cutting so it holds together. If you’re more about a saucy, indulgent scoop, add a little extra sauce between the layers and worry less about clean edges. Either way it’ll be absolutely delicious.

Fresh vs dried lasagne sheets

I get asked about this a lot, so here’s the honest answer. I use standard dried lasagne sheets, the flat ones you’ll find in any supermarket, and I do not pre-cook or soak them first. There’s plenty of moisture in the bolognese and the cheese sauce to soften them perfectly as everything bakes, so it’s simply one less job to do.

If you’d rather use fresh pasta sheets, you absolutely can, and they’ll bake a little quicker and softer. If you happen to be using a brand that specifically tells you to pre-boil, give the sheets a quick dip in boiling water for a minute or two first, but most standard dried sheets genuinely don’t need it. Just make sure your sauces aren’t too dry and you’ll be golden.

Make ahead, storing, freezing and reheating

This is such a brilliant make ahead meal, which is honestly half the reason I love it so much.

Reheating: reheat in the oven at 180ºC fan, covered with foil so it doesn’t dry out, for around 25 to 30 minutes until piping hot in the middle. Individual portions can be reheated in the microwave until steaming.

Make ahead: assemble the whole thing, cover it, and keep it in the fridge for up to 24 hours before baking. Bake it from chilled, adding an extra 10 minutes or so to the time.

Storing: once baked, let any leftovers cool, then cover and keep in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Freezing: you can freeze it baked or unbaked for up to 3 months. Wrap it really well, or freeze it in portions. Defrost fully in the fridge overnight before baking or reheating.

Tips & Tricks

A few quick pointers to get the very best out of it:

Make ahead and freezing: this one preps, stores and freezes brilliantly. See the full make ahead and freezing section just above for exact times and temperatures.

Serving: it’s delightful straight from the oven with garlic bread, a green salad, or both. Let it rest for about 10 minutes before slicing if you want neat portions.

Dish size: I use a medium to large baking dish, roughly 20x30cm, which fits three full layers beautifully.

Cheese on top: don’t skimp on the grated cheddar over the top, it’s what gives you that gorgeous golden, bubbling finish.