How to make perfect lasagna at home: use a secret ingredient

For some people, the thought of making lasagna can be a little intimidating, but it doesn't have to be. The recipe for this dish is not complicated, but its steps can take a lot of your time.

To make "the best lasagna," chef Ben Lippet of Mob recommends adding one ingredient from your fridge that you wouldn't even think of, Express writes.

According to him, this "secret ingredient" is milk, as it softens the meat. So, it's worth soaking the beef in it before grinding it into minced meat for this dish.

Ingredients (for eight servings)

For the stew:

• 800 g of ground beef
• Two onions
• Two carrots
• Two sticks of celery
• 25 g of rosemary
• One clove of garlic
• 25 g of thyme
• Five bay leaves
• 250 ml of red wine
• One liter of chicken broth
• 400 g of tinned tomatoes
• 300 ml of milk
• Olive oil
• Salt
• Pepper

For the bechamel

• 100 g of butter
• 100 g of plain flour
• One liter of milk
• One teaspoon of ground nutmeg
• Parmesan cheese
• Salt
• Pepper

For the lasagna:

• 600 g fresh lasagna sheets
• 250 g of mozzarella cheese
• 25 g of parsley
• 30 g of parmesan cheese.

Method of preparation

1. Start by turning on the oven to 150°C and preheat a large ovenproof saucepan over high heat until hot, then add one to two tablespoons of olive oil and add the ground beef.

2. While the beef is frying, add the onion, carrot, and celery to a food processor and blend into a finely chopped paste. Grate the garlic. Tie the herbs into a small bunch and set aside.

3. When the beef is browned, remove it from the pan and add the vegetable mixture. Season with salt and cook for 13-15 minutes over medium heat. Now add the beef back to the skillet and add the wine.

4. Then add the herbs and pour in the chicken broth, canned tomatoes and milk. Bring to a boil, cover and put in the oven for two and a half to three hours.

5. Meanwhile, prepare the bechamel. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat and add the flour. Whisk together and cook for one to two minutes until it starts to smell like cookies. Now gradually whisk in the milk. Once all the milk is added, bring to a boil and season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Remove from the heat and whisk in the grated Parmesan cheese. Cover and set aside.

6. Remove the stew from the oven and season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside for now.

7. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and blanch the lasagna sheets for one minute before adding them to the ice water. Coarsely grate the mozzarella, finely chop the parsley and finely grate the Parmesan.

8. Increase the oven temperature to 200C. Take a lasagna dish and start laying out the layers. Start with a thin layer of ragù, then pasta, then bechamel, sprinkled with grated mozzarella, parsley and parmesan, then pasta, then ragù. Repeat until all ingredients are used.

9. Finish the top layer with the remaining bechamel, mozzarella, and parmesan and put it back in the oven for 35-40 minutes. Then let rest for at least 15 minutes before slicing and serving.

Subscribe to OBOZ.UA's Telegram and Viber channels to keep up with the latest developments.