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.

You need some grated nutmeg in the white sauce, and plenty of salt & pepper.

Absolute no to cheese in the sauce, traditional lasagne doesn't have it. Just parmesan on top.

A real lasagne has chicken livers and pancetta in with the meat. I leave out the livers, but the pancetta adds extra flavour.

Make it up the day before you plan to cook it and leave it 24 hours in the fridge before you cook it in the oven. Always tastes a million times better. As a minimum I make mine up in the morning and cook it that evening.

Use really good quality meat.
Start with a 'soffrito'....

Carluccio had a recipe for a v fancy lasagna....

I like lots of veg: courgette, diced carrot and leek in lasagna (or whichever I have at the time). I'd usually have 500-700g mince in a lasagna. I put smoked paprika in for extra flavour. But then I put paprika in pretty much every red sauce!

i always add breadcrumbs on to the top of my lasagna to make a crispy top and it tastes fab! not necessarily traditional, but delicious.

A coupe of teaspoons of sugar really brings out the flavour of tomato. Makes a huge difference to the overall flavour.

Sorry but that sounds horrid. Why put in slimy veg?

Ive never put an egg in the white sauce - thats moussaka?

For classic dishes I often check out the Guardian's 'how to cook the perfect...' set of articles. They make several chefs' recipes and take the best elements of all of them to create the 'perfect' recipe.

For lasagne as others have said it's sofrito, chicken livers, red wine, nutmeg, no cheese in the bechamel and three layers of pasta:

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2011/nov/24/how-to-cook-perfect-lasagne?CMP=ShareiOSAppp_Other

Delia ragu

I’ve recently discovered Henderson’s relish and put some in my lasagne, it was bloody lovely

Yes I agree my white sauce is from a moussaka recipe, years ago.

I'm drooling at these tips and going to make it at the weekend.

I used to make Hugh Fearnley-whittingstall lasagne from the guardian website it took hours to cook and I used a mixture of pork and beef Mince. It has milk and white wine (I used vermouth instead).

It was fantastic and I miss it since turning vegetarian!

www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2008/nov/29/hugh-fearnley-whittingstall-pasta-sauces

@Autviaminveniamautfaciam I use this one from Jamie Oliver and only ever get people raving about it. And it doesn’t involve making a white sauce - it’s so delicious

www.mydish.co.uk/recipe/9141/jamie-olivers-hot-lasagne

I agree to the hendersons relish!

I agree with @cosycatsocks - Delia's ragu is great - it freezes well in batches.

I know you said you don't want to be adding carrot etc but a sofrito base is key I think. Pancetta, red wine and milk crucial too.

Start with the soffritto. Make a day ahead. A touch of balsamic in the ragu. Lots of thyme and bay leaves. Nutmeg in the bechamel. This is making me hungry.

Start with the soffritto. Make a day ahead. A touch of balsamic in the ragu. Lots of thyme and bay leaves. Nutmeg in the bechamel. This is making me hungry.

Has anybody mentioned adding wine yet?

And take out the mushrooms, they don't belong in a lasagne imho

Also secret ingredient: onion powder. It's amazing stuff.

And Worcestershire sauce. And miso paste.

@thisstooshallpass

I know you said you don't want to be adding carrot etc but a sofrito base is key I think. Pancetta, red wine and milk crucial too.

I mean milk in the ragu.

I started to sprinkle the ragu layers with finely chopped chorizo. That definitely added to the richness.
Agree with PP about putting cheese in the white sauce and layering this throughout.

If I have it in the fridge I stir plain greek yogurt into the remaining white sauce for the topping - lovely!

I will never be a good Italian will I?

Grease the base of the pan with good layer of butter and start with a layer of pasta - this mean it serves easily and comes clean off the bottom.

Passata instead of tomatoes, meat stock instead of chicken, add in also some tomato puree, marmite and a dash of worcester sauce. The sauce needs cheese and also grated cheese on top (put it on halfway through cooking).

Much more garlic; celery and carrot fried up first with onion; half and half beefs and pork mince (or bacon/pancetta) fried on its own (google Maillard reaction); a glass of good strong red wine; beef stock cube straight in dry; a teaspoon of sugar; swap chopped tomatoes for whole tinned ones (and the more expensive variety, it honestly makes a difference, especially for the sake of 40p) but don't put in the liquid; let it all bubble away until it's not too wet.

Then a bayleaf, a couple of slices of onion (both to be fished out before assembly) and about a quarter of a teaspoon of colemans mustard powder in the bechamel; and finally sliced mozarella balls below the top layer of pasta to make a really thick oozy stringy cheese layer.