Gordon Ramsey’s lasagna al forno recipe (al forno meaning basically “baked in an oven”) is traditional to what is familiar about his style. Namely, taking a time-honored classic, and modernizing it just enough to differentiate it from the original, while still honoring tradition.
This is a Ramsey-inspired lasagna al forno recipe that is similar to Gordon’s through and through, including the addition of cheddar cheese in the base bechamel that acts as the sauce between layers of the lasagna dish. Stacked high, this is a savory Italian classic that provides room for inspired innovation. You can do innumberable things with this recipe, including making a “keto” version by replacing the lasagna with thin sheets of zucchini.
Enjoy!
Ingredients
2 tbsp olive oil
½ large onion, grated
1 large carrot, grated
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 pinches, dried oregano
16-20 oz. ground beef
2 tbsp tomato puree
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 bay leaf
2 tbsp red wine
1 16 oz can tomatoes
2-3 oz milk
Salt and freshly ground pepper
For the sauce (bechamel)
1 oz butter
1 oz flour
10-12 oz milk
Pinch of ground nutmeg
2 oz Cheddar cheese, grated
1 oz Parmesan cheese, grated
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 375 Fahrenheit.
Heat the oil in a large, heavy saucepan over a medium heat; cook the onion, carrot and garlic (called the mire poix), adding the bay leaf, a pinch of oregano, the Worcestershire sauce and a little salt and pepper along the way. Don’t over-season the dish early, as you can always add a little (to taste) as you progress.
Continue cooking this mixture until the onion is softened. You just want everything to get a good “sweat” in the pan without burning, and for your vegetables to start to soften.
Add the ground beef and mix thoroughly with the vegetables and seasonings that are already in the pan. Let the beef start to render 3-4 minutes before adding anything else.
After the beef has rendered a bit, add tomato puree and cook until the meat is browned, which should take 10-15 minutes in the sauce and vegetables mixture.
Now add the wine, and let cook 15 minutes, or long enough to burn off the alcohol. Then add the tomatoes, and simmer for a few minutes.
Add milk, stir thoroughly, and remove temporarily from the heat.
For the “cheese sauce”, which is a proper bechamel sauce with the addition of cheddar cheese, melt butter in a saucepan. Then add flour to the butter to create a roux (combination of fat and flour to create a sauce base). Stir to form a paste, which is the roux base.
Over low heat, add 1/3 of the milk, constantly whisking to keep from lumps forming. Slowly add the rest of the milk without ceasing the whisking action. As the sauce thickens, add a touch of salt, pepper, and ground nutmeg to taste.
Finish the sauce with cheddar cheese, and let cook for a minute or two, or until the sauce coats the back of a spoon.
Spoon half your meat sauce onto the bottom of a baking dish and place pasta sheets on top. Cover that evenly with half your cheese. Repeat one more layer with the meat, pasta sheet, and finally the rest of the cheese.
Top with grated parmesan and a touch more oregano – to taste. Bake in the oven (al forno) for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown.
