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My go-to dinner for feeding the family, Pesto Bolognese Lasagna. Slow cooked Italian style Bolognese sauce with a mix of beef, peppers, sweet tomatoes, and herbs. All layered with basil pesto ricotta, provolone cheese, and no-boil lasagna noodles. This is the classic lasagna updated with an easier method and so much more flavor. Serve this topped with a generous amount of parmesan cheese for a comforting lasagna that everyone will love. This is a great make ahead dinner to serve to family or use for your next holiday dinner party.
We’re officially just one week from Christmas Eve, and two weeks from New Year’s Eve. I’m hoping that soon everyone will be settling into a much slower holiday mode, and preparing to spend some time with family and friends over the next couple of weeks.
For me, I have a few more busy days ahead. But I’m really looking forward to at least a couple of days off. I’ll be spending time with my parents, siblings, and cousins who will all be with us this Christmas. And little miss Asher and I have a Christmas afternoon planned later this week. It’s truly my favorite time of year. I love that no matter how busy or crazy things are with work and life, everything slows for a couple of days, the snow falls (hopefully), and we all just take a minute to breath.
All of my siblings are already here except Brendan and Lyndsie, but the rest of the family arrives this Friday. Before the chaos that comes with eighteen people arrives, I’m attempting to get ahead by prepping a few dinners. It’s much easier said than done, but as said, lasagna are my go-to when it comes to feeding the masses.
I make one white lasagna, and one or two more classic lasagna. Last week I shared my favorite white pesto lasagna. This week it’s time for the more classic, Bolognese style, lasagna.
This is without a doubt everyone’s favorite dish. The boys of the house look forward to this lasagna ever single year. I’ve yet to meet anyone who doesn’t love it. Unless you are vegetarian in which case you should definitely check out my white lasagna.
The secret is all in the sauce. A slow cooked Bolognese sauce is what makes for the best, classic lasagna. I like to make mine with a mix of vegetables, spicy Italian sausage, lean ground beef, sweet tomatoes, and milk (for richness). It’s basically my slow cooker Bolognese pasta, but instead of serving over pasta, we’re layering it into a lasagna.
You can cook the sauce in as little as thirty minutes. But I will not lie, it’s so much better if you can simmer the sauce over a low heat for a couple of hours. Even better? Simmer the sauce all day and then let chill overnight in the fridge. The added sitting time really allows for the flavors to mend and become mouth wateringly delicious. Obviously do what you have time for, either way this will be delicious. But if you can plan ahead, I would recommend doing so. Just make the sauce a day or two ahead of assembling the lasagna.
When you have the sauce all ready to go, it’s time to assemble.
The second secret to my lasagna is all in the cheese. Instead of just using ricotta, which in my opinion can sometimes be on the bland side if not seasoned properly, I like to mix a little basil pesto into the ricotta for extra flavor. You all know how much I love pesto. So I always have either some homemade or store-bought on hand to create quick dinners. It’s my go-to pantry ingredient that adds so much flavor.
I swirled a good amount of pesto into the ricotta. Then I layered with the Bolognese sauce, provolone cheese, and no-boil lasagna noodles.
If you wanted to add even another layer of flavor, a lot of times I’ll top my lasagna with pepperoni. I highly recommend this if you’re feeding a crowd that loves pizza. The pepperoni are always a hit.
I like to serve my lasagna with a wintry salad, the family’s favorite bread, and my spicy pomegranate mule for the ultimate welcoming holiday dinner.
What’s great about serving up a dish like lasagna is that I can make them completely ahead of time and have them baking when everyone shows up for dinner.
The best part though?
The smell, oh my goodness, it’s good. And trust me, this lasagna tastes just as good too.
If you make this lasagna, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to also tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Pesto Bolognese Lasagna
Servings: 8 6
Calories Per Serving: 1264 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced or grated
- 3/4 pound ground spicy Italian sausage
- 1/2 pound lean ground beef
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 1 (28 ounce) can chopped tomatoes
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 cup whole milk
- 2 cups shredded provolone cheese
- 2 cups whole milk ricotta cheese
- 1/2 cup basil pesto, homemade or store bought
- 6 ounces fresh mozzarella, torn
- 1 box no-boil lasagna noodles
- grated parmesan and fresh basil, for serving
Instructions
- 1. Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. When the oil shimmers, add the onion and season with salt and pepper. Cook 5 minutes or until the onion is fragrant and beginning to caramelize. Add the bell pepper, garlic, sausage, and beef, brown all over, breaking up the meat as you go, about 10 minutes.2. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, oregano, bay leaves, milk, and 1 cup of water. Season with salt and pepper. Stir to combine. Cook over medium for 30 minutes, until the sauce has thickened slightly. Or cook, covered, for up to 3 hours over low heat, stirring occasionally. The longer you can cook, the more flavorful. Remove the bay leaves and discard. If your sauce seems thick, add 1/2 cup additional water to thin.4. In a medium bowl combine the ricotta and pesto.5. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a 9x13 inch pan. Spread 1/4 of the Bolognese sauce onto the bottom of the dish. Top with 3-4 lasagna sheets. Spread with 1/2 the ricotta cheese mixture, another 1/4 of the Bolognese sauce, and half of the provolone. Place another 3-4 lasagna noodles on top. Then top with the remaining ricotta cheese mixture, another 1/4 of the Bolognese sauce, and the remaining provolone. Add the remaining lasagna noodles and pour the remaining Bolognese sauce over top. Top with mozzarella and parmesan cheese. Bake uncovered for 45 minutes or until the top has bubbled up and browned a bit. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
This post was originally published on December 17, 2018
Made this for our Christmas dinner and it was amazing! Everyone loved it… would not change a thing. This will be a new Christmas tradition for sure.
I am so glad you loved this Mary Beth! Thank you!!
Made this exactly how the recipe states and it turned out great for our Christmas Eve dinner along with the Brussel sprout salad! I assembled two days earlier and then just popped it into the oven when we got home from church Christmas Eve night. A big hit with the big fam! Crossing my fingers that I’ll find your book under my tree this year!
YES! I hope you do! I am so glad you liked this, Lauren! Thank you!
This was fabulous! Made it for Christmas Eve dinner. Prepared ahead of time and the cooked once guests arrived. Had just the right amount of heat from the sausage and tons of flavor. I will absolutely be making this again! (P.S. making your eggnog brioche cinnamon rolls for Christmas morning tomorrow and I am now even more excited about them!)
Thank you so much Corynne!
This lasagna was a total hit and a complete classic. The only thing is that the store-brand oven-ready noodles had a strange almost gummy consistency — so I prefer noodles you have to boil, even though it’s more work! The family loves your recipes and I often pull out your cookbook.
I am so glad everyone loved this, Julie! Thank you so much!
The sauce is cooking now smells amazing! It seems very liquidity though. Will this become thicker as it simmers several hours?
HI! The sauce will be come thicker as it simmers. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you loved this recipe and had a great Christmas! Thanks so much and happy Holidays!! xTieghan ?
Making this for our big family Xmas party this Sunday! Looks GREAT! I’m planning on making two of them.
I doubled everything and have had the meat mixture on the stove most of the day. It has thickened, but definitely still has some “juice” to it… worried it’s going to make lasagna runny. Would you recommend straining the filling for when I put on noodles, in dish?
I can DM you a pic if that helps!
Smells sooo good!
Hey Megan! I am sure the sauce is totally fine to use as is. it will thicken as it coos with the noodles and since the noodles are no boil they should not come out soggy. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe. Thanks so much and happy Holidays!! xTieghan ?
What temperature does the oven need to be for baking this lasagna?
Hey Abbey! I bake this at 375. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe. Thanks so much!! xTieghan ?
Can you assemble the whole dish ahead of time and just refrigerate until the day you intend to bake it?
HI! Yes, that will be just great! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe. Thanks so much!! xTieghan ?
you had me at lasagna…
Haha I am so glad you like this Ruth!
I always love your posts…..but girlfriend….get a handle on the proofreading. There are so many grammatical and spelling errors.
it’s distracting and if you are actually attracting big corporate names to your blog this oversight is really a faux pas!!! I want you to succeed but honestly the ongoing grammatical and spelling errors really detract from your message as you continue to branch out with corporate sponsorship . And the errors have been glaring lately…c’mon now!!!!
Hi Tiffany! I will work harder to correct those.. sometimes with my own writing, I miss correcting the errors. I hope you still love my blog and enjoy the recipes! Thank you!
Hi! Making this for Christmas Eve, but have some guests who don’t love chunks of tomatoes—any options or ideas?
Thanks!
HI! You can use finely crushed tomatoes or tomato sauce. Honestly though if you use diced tomatoes they will break down and you should not have chunks. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe. Thanks so much!! xTieghan ?
This recipe sounds wonderful. Have you frozen this recipe prior to baking.? What would you suggest regarding baking time. Thank you, and happy holidays!
HI! Yes, you can freeze. Just thaw overnight in the fridge and then bake as directed. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe. Thanks so much!! xTieghan ?
This is positively our Christmas Eve dinner. I will probably use traditional lasagna that requires boiling because I haven’t had much luck with the no – boil noodles (always seem to be overcooked).
Thank you for all of your wonderful recipes and ideas! Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas to you, Bonnie! I hope you love this lasagna!
I’d like to make your white lasagna and this one over the holidays. I’ve always soaked my no-boil lasagna sheets in hot water before layering and noticed that you don’t mention doing that. Can I assume you don’t find that extra step necessary? Although I find soaking far preferable to boiling, I certainly wouldn’t mind eliminating a step. 🙂 Thanks!!
Hey Karen! I never soak mine and don’t think it is a step you need to do before assembling either lasagna. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe. Thanks so much!! xTieghan ?
I love making lasagne for the family! This one looks fantastic!
Rebecca | http://www.peppermintdolly.com
Thank you! Lasagna is definitely a favorite!