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Traditional Lasagne

A layered pasta dish with Bolognese sauce, béchamel, and cheese baked until golden.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 19 ingredients
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Why it works: Carrot and celery match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 10,173 recipes. Both carry myristicin, which smells spice, warm. The science ↓

Traditional Lasagne

Oven375–400 °F (190–200 °C)
Time30–45 minutes

Ingredients

Directions

Make the Bolognese

  1. Chop all the vegetables and garlic before cooking.

  2. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat and add carrots, celery, onion, garlic, and rosemary.

  3. Stir and cook for 1–2 minutes, ensuring the garlic does not burn.

  4. Add the ground beef, stir well, and cook until the meat is browned, then add the mushrooms.

  5. Stir to combine all ingredients.

  6. Pour in the tomatoes (and a splash of water if using canned) and season with salt, pepper, oregano, basil, and a pinch of sugar.

  7. Simmer for 20–30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Make the béchamel

  1. While the Bolognese simmers, prepare the béchamel sauce: melt butter over low heat in a thick‑bottomed pot.

  2. When the butter foam disappears, add flour and stir, cooking 5–6 minutes without browning the butter.

  3. Gradually whisk in the milk in thirds, stirring until fully incorporated.

  4. Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg, then bring to a gentle simmer and cook 10 minutes.

Assemble and bake

  1. Preheat the oven to 375–400 °F (190–200 °C).

  2. In a casserole, spread a thin layer of Bolognese sauce, then a layer of lasagne sheets, then more Bolognese and a drizzle of béchamel. Repeat layers until the dish is filled.

  3. Top with mozzarella cheese (and optional Parmesan).

  4. Bake for 30–45 minutes, covering with foil if the cheese starts to brown.

  5. Check doneness with a toothpick.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

1360Calories
60 gProtein
58 gFat
151 gCarbs

Counts 20 of 21 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 20 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Flour1 cup (125g) all-purpose455
Beef100g cooked250
Milk1 cup (244ml) whole149
Olive Oil1 tbsp (14g)119
Butter1 tbsp (14g)102
Mozzarella Cheese1 oz (28g)85
Sugar1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated49
Onion1 medium (110g)44
Carrot1 medium (61g)25
Tomato1 medium (123g)22
Mushroom1/2 cup sliced (35g)15
Nutmeg1 tsp ground (2.2g)12
Clove1 tsp ground (2g)7
Celery1 stalk (40g)6
Black Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Oregano1 tsp dried (1.8g)5
Garlic1 clove (3g)4
Rosemary1 tsp dried (1.2g)4
Basil5 leaves fresh (2.5g)1
Salt1 tsp (6g)0
Saucenot in our table0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Carrot + celerytop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together10,173 recipes

    Shared aroma: myristicin (spice, warm).

  2. Onion + garlictop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together29,058 recipes

    Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).

  3. Olive + garlictop 2% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together25,665 recipes

    Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).

  4. Olive + rosemarytop 3% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together2,590 recipes

    Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).

  5. Clove + rosemarytop 3% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together519 recipes

    Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Ground beef
Provides the meaty body and savory browned flavor of the sauce.
Flour
Thickens the butter into a roux that gives the béchamel its smooth body.
Milk
Forms the liquid base of the béchamel, which sets creamy as it simmers.
Tomatoes
Supply the liquid, acidity and body that make up the Bolognese sauce.
Mozzarella cheese
Melts and browns on top, adding stretch and a golden crust.
Mushrooms
Add moisture and savory depth to the meat sauce as they cook down.

The step that matters

Cooking the flour in the butter. Cooking the roux for 5–6 minutes without browning removes raw flour taste and lets the flour thicken the milk smoothly. Browning the butter changes the flavor and weakens the thickening.

Swap the clove

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sauce, olive, carrot, celery, onion, garlic, rosemary):

  1. Thymefits better
  2. Parsleyfits better
  3. Cuminfits better
  4. Clovethe original

Fit is the average pairing score against sauce, olive, carrot, celery, onion, garlic, rosemary. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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