Lasagne evolution
Item 1 of 1
- medium
- 4
- 1 hour 30 minutes
Lasagne is a classic comfort food. Luigi Sartini shares his nostalgic beef lasagne recipe layered with sheets of spinach pasta interwoven with a hearty meat ragù and rich pecorino cheese sauce. The chef finishes this 'evolution' pasta dish with a generous helping of Parmesan cheese, which he then grills to molten, crisp perfection.
First published in 2016
Ingredients
Metric
Imperial
Pasta dough
Beef ragù
- 250g of beef, cut into small cubes
- 1 tbsp of shallots, chopped
- 175ml of red wine
- 1 tbsp of tomato paste
- 100g of passata
- 150g of veal stock
- 300g of beef stock
- 150g of cream
- 100g of Pecorino di Fossa, grated
- 20g of parmesan, grated
- olive oil
- salt
- pepper
SAVE RECIPE
Equipment
- Pasta machine
Method
1
To make the pasta dough, start by blanching the spinach in a pan of boiling salted water for 30 seconds, then drain and squeeze out any excess water
- 150g of spinach
- salt
2
Transfer the spinach to the bowl of a food processor and add the flour and 2 of the eggs. Process together to form even crumbs – add a little more flour if too wet or beat the third egg and add a little at a time if too dry
- 300g of pasta flour
- 2 eggs, plus 1 extra egg if needed
3
Dust a clean work surface with flour and tip out the crumbs. Knead together to create a smooth, firm dough. Form into a ball, wrap in cling film and leave to rest in the fridge for 10–15 minutes
4
Roll out the dough through a pasta machine, gradually decreasing the width setting to create 2mm thick sheets of green pasta. Cut into 10cm squares and leave to dry out until ready to cook (these can be hung on a pasta drying rack or over a coat hanger)
5
Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4
6
For the ragù, add a drizzle of olive oil to a pan and place over a medium heat. Add the shallots and sauté for a few minutes until softened. Stir in the beef cubes and season with salt and pepper
- 1 tbsp of shallots, chopped
- 250g of beef, cut into small cubes
- olive oil
- salt
- pepper
7
Pour in the red wine to deglaze the pan, then add the tomato paste, passata, veal stock and 100g of the beef stock. Continue cooking over a medium heat for 25–30 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened
- 175ml of red wine
- 1 tbsp of tomato paste
- 100g of passata
- 150g of veal stock
- 100g of beef stock
8
In a separate pan, pour in the remaining 200g of the beef stock and mix in the cream. Place over a medium heat and allow to reduce by half – about 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the pecorino until melted, cover and keep warm
- 200g of beef stock
- 150g of cream
- 100g of Pecorino di Fossa, grated
9
Bring a pan of salted water to the boil over a medium-high heat and add the pasta squares. Cook for 2–3 minutes, checking the pasta is cooked through before draining
10
To assemble each individual lasagne, place a layer of pasta on an ovenproof plate or dish, followed by a layer of the ragù and a layer of the cheese sauce
11
Preheat a grill to high. Sprinkle each lasagne with the grated Parmesan and place under the hot grill to melt briefly. Serve immediately
- 20g of parmesan, grated
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