Can you help me improve my lasagna

[Autviaminveniamautfaciam]

I've been making this lasagna, with a few tweets, for over 25 years. Everyone likes it, but I think it can be improved. It is a staple in my house as I have hungry boys and when I make it, I do it in a massive dish and am able to freeze it.

My current recipe:

Diced onion
2 x diced garlic cloves
1kg of mince
button mushrooms, sliced
250ml of chicken stock
2-3 tins of chopped tomatoes
1 small pot of tomato puree
Seasoning, basil, oregano and marjoram
(all sautéed then left for 40 mins to simmer)

Topping

2 tbsps of butter and plain flour
1.5 litres of milk, boiled then added to above paste
salt
add beaten egg

sauce, then dried lasagna, sauce then dried lasagna, then pour over sauce, grate parmesan on top, let cook in oven for 45 mins with no tin foil.

So, my Lasagna gets a welcoming but I want to change it up by making it really really lovely. I once went round to an acquaintances house and her DH was Italian and she made a Lasagna with his Granny's recipe and it was beautiful. Unfortunately she wouldn't give me any tips or share the beloved recipe, which I don't blame her.

My own feedback is - I think there is too much meat. I think the tomatoes are too processed. The Italian lasagna I had was made with less meat and fresh tomatoes.

I don't want to start adding carrot or other things but want to make a very traditional lasagna. I think it is OK, but an Italian would probably turn their noses up at it.

Tips please for a traditional lasagna, but one that would put a smile on a nonna.

Diced celery and a little chilli.

Chicken livers

Fusspot husband will detect the celery and barf, but love the chilli idea. A lasagna with a kick. Love it.

i always add chilli flakes to ours

The ragu's I always had cooked by italians are half beef and half pork and taste much better. Also cook it for a long time - 4 hours on low.

A slug of wine in place of some of the stock?
Grated carrot in with the veg.
I use pasatta rather than tinned tomatoes.
Simmer for longer.
Cheese in the white sauce.

Add extra layer. So mince, pasta, sauce, mince, pasta, sauce, mince, pasta, sauce, parmesan

Many Italian recipes begin with soffrito - finely chopped onion, carrot and celery. This adds a lovely base flavour.

Italians wouldn’t usually include mushrooms, but mushrooms can add a nice umami flavour. I would add red wine and swap the chicken stock for beef stock instead, to give a richer flavour. I don’t add chopped tomatoes to my ragu, I dissolve a little purée in the stock instead, but then I prefer a rich and meaty base.

Dh makes it with carrots onions and celery which is traditionally Italian. He adds cheese to the bechamel sauce which also goes in the layers as well as on the top. He uses fresh pasta sheets. Uses beef stock pots rather than chicken

Adding pork really softens the meat

How about adding chopped peppers which I put in my bolognese along with lea &perrins and mushroom ketchup.

Grated cheese (mature cheddar) in the white sauce, and layer it in between every layer.

and you don't taste the celery which is good as I don't like it. Dh blitzes the celery, carrot, onion before use

I've started adding a jar of red pesto to mine. I know this isn't correct but it makes it so rich!

Unfortunately she wouldn't give me any tips or share the beloved recipe, which I don't blame her. well I find that strange behaviour! Everyone here is willing to share their tips, why wouldn’t she!!?

Honestly, why would a friend not share a recipe What does she think you’re going to do with it, patent it and market it?!

My tip is add a couple of
Table spoons of blitzed up sundried tomatoes.

Yy to carrots, onions and celery base. You can whizz them up with a hand blender for vegetable-phobes. Also pancetta after browning the mince.

I think it cooks better if you leave it to stand (in the fridge obviously) for 24 hours.

Make sure the meat has a decent fat content.

Add cheese to the white sauce for flavour.

Add half a cup of wine to meat

My secret family ingredient is a teaspoon of Branson pickle!! Very inauthentic though. Can be substituted with Worcestershire sauce, ketchup or cranberry sauce. Anything with a bit of sweetness to offset the acidic tomatoes.

traditional italian recipe is pancetta, onions, garlic, grated celery, carrot, mince, chicken livers, oregano, beef stock around 450mls, tomato puree and cook for 2 hrs, then add cream for last 15 mins. Cool and add an egg - thats your base...one of our family favourites

I would change the chicken stock for beef stock and add a red wine stock as well it's so lovely! I also put a bit of chilli in mine for a little kick!

Glass of red wine (instead of stock I suppose) and cook the meat long and low (2 or 3 hours). Grating of nutmeg in the white sauce. I always make my own pasta so it's really thin, so lots of layers (5 or 6) of meat and white sauce and pasta. Topped off with white sauce and grated parmesan. Mine is probably more liquid than yours, particularly without the egg. But it firms up if you leave it to cool for a while before serving.

It's a faff so I don't do it too often. But I bloody love homemade lasagne. Yours sounds good as it is BTW 😊

Roast the mince first at 160° / Gas 5 for 40 mins, breaking it up a bit every 10 mins. Really adds depth of flavour.

There is a gorgeous Jamie Oliver recipe. Half beef half pork mince, butternut squash.

Creme fraiche for the white sauce and lots of mozarella and Parmesan.

Takes a few hours to cook.

More garlic for that amount of meat. I prefer pasatta over chopped tomatoes. Let your ragu cook in the slow cooker all day on low, or even better, do it the day before.

You need cheese in your sauce! White sauce is always better with cheese.

when doing the layers with white sauce you sprinkle mozzarella on the mince layer , pasta then sauce and sprinkle of parmesan and repeat