Known in Italy as lasagne al forno, this classic lasagna recipe has five layers of fresh pasta sheets, slow-simmered ragu, and a creamy bechamel sauce.
The secret to the best Italian lasagna is a rich meat sauce made with passata (strained blended tomatoes), onion, garlic, chopped olives, carrots, and celery.
Add olive oil to a stovetop pot. Add the diced onion, carrots, celery, and crushed garlic. Cook until they soften, then add the ground beef.
Cook the ground beef continuing to break up the clumps as the meat cooks through.
Add the blended tomatoes, bay leaf, and salt. Bring the ragu sauce to a simmer covered on low heat.
Simmer the ragu sauce for 2 hours while preparing the pasta sheets and bechamel sauce.
Melt the butter on medium-high heat. Whisk in the flour for about 30 seconds until the butter and flour combine.
Add the milk continuing to whisk until the bechamel thickens enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon. Add the ground nutmeg and a pinch of salt.
Prepare the pasta sheets per the box. If using oven-ready pasta sheets. I recommend boiling them for 1 minute. Add the ragu sauce first, then a sheet of pasta, then ragu sauce again.
Continue layering the lasagna with this sequence: ragu, bechamel, grated Parmigiana Reggiano, pasta sheet. Add five layers of pasta with the final layer being cheese.
Bake for 40 minutes in a 350 ℉ (175 ℃) oven.