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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
Growing up I didn’t like lasagna but in my older adult years I’ve grown to like it. I love to cook and this is the first lasagna I’ve ever made. It was so good and my brother-n-law and niece loved it too. Says a lot coming from brother since he’s loves homemade lasagna. Will be making it again!
Thank you so much Monica! I am so happy to hear that! xTieghan
Would I have to change the cook time or anything if I use fresh homemade pasta instead of the no-boil lasagna noodles? Can’t wait to try this!
Hi Ursula! No need to change the cook time. Just skip boiling the pasta in water and then layer in the fresh pasta and bake as directed. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
Hi there !! I cant wait to make this recipie !!! I am cooking it in advance for a large group (making it x2) .. I am thinking of precooking them the day before should I do 20 minutes and the next day again 20? …thank you so much for your help !
Hi Karen! I would do 20 and then maybe 25 minutes the following day to be sure it’s warm throughout. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
I used my family bolo recipe but did everything else the same and it was amazing!!!! Can’t wait to make it again 🙂 your recipes are my fav
I am so happy to hear that! Thank you for making this, Claire! xTieghan
Made this for Christmas and it was excellent. Making again for Supper Club with friends this weekend.
Question: If you make the sauce ahead of time and let chill overnight in the fridge, do you need to rewarm before layering the lasagna and baking?
HI! No need to rewarm the sauce. Just layer right into the lasagna. Please let me know if you have any other questions. So glad you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
my sauce looks like soup. is it supposed to be 1 cup milk and 2 cups water? my sauce looks nothing like your picture.
Hi! Yes, these are the correct measurements. The sauce is not meant to be too thick as the noodles will cook in the sauce, soaking up the excess liquid. I am sure the sauce is just dine as is! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
I made this recipe exactly as directed and it was delicious. But it was rather liquidy. I made the sauce the day before and although it definitely thickened up overnight in the fridge, the final result had some liquid pooled in the backing dish and in people’s bowls. Didn’t detract from the taste though. (oh, and my sauce didn’t look like your picture at all….it wasn’t nearly as thick/dark)
I am so glad you liked this Amanda! Thank you so much!
This may be a silly question, but do you drain the grease from the meat before you continue on with the recipe? Or does it add to the flavor? This looks amazing, and I can’t wait to make it!
Hey Hannah! If there is a lot of grease I would drain off most of it. I don’t tend to have too much though! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe. Thanks so much!! xTieghan
I only have regular lasagna noodles on hand, would it be possible to make this recipe with those instead? Thinking I could just leave out the 2 cups of water, but wanted to see if you had any advice first. Love all of your recipes!
HI! Yes, boil the noodles and only use 1/2 cup water.Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe. Thanks so much!! xTieghan
Can I make this ahead of time and freeze it?
Hey Kelly, Yes, this freezes really well! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe. Thanks so much!! xTieghan
Wowww made this last night and loved it! I don’t normally eat pork but knew it needed pork to be tender and yummmm haha I loved it! I just found your Instagram and am SO excited to try some of these out. I love cooking and love following others that do it so well!
I am so glad you loved this, Hope! Thank you!
I’m using oven ready gluten free lasagna noodles – any tips to watch our for ?
I was also going to assemble tonight and cook tomorrow. Does the time change since it would be cooking from cold ?
Hi Nicky,
You can follow the recipe as is and same with the bake time:) Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love the recipe! xTieghan
I made this for to serve tomorrow for new years eve. The flavor is delicious but very runny. Too runny for lasagan.
I used 1/2 cup less water and another heaping spoon of paste. I did not use chopped tomatoes. i used 28 oz whole peeled and chopped up the tomatoes. Any suggesions or ideas how to thinken.
thank you,
Karen
I just made the sauce and the flavor is amazing but it is very thin. I even put 1/2 cup less water. I feel like it is too runny for lasagna. Any ideas or suggestions? I am serving tomorrow for new years.
Thank you,
Karen
Hey Karen! I would not worry about it too much. The sauce will thicken as the lasagna cooks. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe. Thanks so much!! xTieghan
This is the most perfect lasagna, I love the pesto!
Thank you Laura!
I made this for my family for Christmas dinner. Everyone LOVED it and went for seconds. I followed the recipe exactly. I was worried about the sauce being too liquidy but it turned out perfectly! Thanks for the great recipe!
That is so amazing to hear! Thank you Anna!