Gordon Ramsay’s lasagne al forno is rich and savoury, with layers of seasoned beef mince, silky béchamel and melted Cheddar, baked golden in 55 minutes. This isn’t a weekend project. 300g of mince, six lasagne sheets and a simple cheese sauce is all you need.
Ramsay demonstrates this recipe in Episode 5 of his Midweek Meals series on YouTube, building the whole dish from scratch in under an hour. The béchamel follows the same technique he teaches in the Ultimate Cookery Course: “add the liquid very gradually, especially at the beginning, and whisk it in completely after each addition.”
The step that sets this apart is grating the vegetables, not chopping them. Ramsay grates the carrot and onion so they dissolve completely into the ragu as it simmers. All the flavour, none of the chunks, which means a smoother sauce that clings to every layer of pasta.
Gordon Ramsay Lasagne Al Forno
Course: DinnerCuisine: British, ItalianDifficulty: Intermediate4
servings15
minutes35
minutes520
kcal55
minutesA proper midweek lasagne from Ramsay’s YouTube Midweek Meals series. 300g beef mince, a Cheddar and Parmesan bechamel, six sheets of pasta. No pork, no ricotta, no fuss. 55 minutes start to finish.
Ingredients
- For the meat sauce:
1 tbsp olive oil
1 large carrot, grated
½ large onion, grated
2 garlic cloves, crushed
300g (10.5 oz) beef mince
2 pinches dried oregano
1 tbsp tomato puree
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 bay leaf
2 tsp red wine
1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
50ml (3.5 tbsp) milk
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- For the cheese sauce:
25g (1 oz) butter
25g (1 oz) plain flour
300ml (1¼ cups) milk
1 pinch ground nutmeg
60g (2 oz) Cheddar, grated
30g (1 oz) Parmesan, grated
- To assemble:
6 dried lasagne sheets (non pre-cook)
Extra Parmesan for topping
Dried oregano for sprinkling
- For the salad:
1 round lettuce head, rinsed and dried
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
Drizzle of olive oil
Directions
- Soften the vegetables: Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the grated carrot, grated onion and crushed garlic. Fry until soft, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
- Brown the mince: Add the beef mince to the centre of the pan. Season with dried oregano and fry for 30 seconds, then break up and brown the meat for 4-5 minutes until well coloured.
- Build the ragu: Stir in the tomato puree and Worcestershire sauce. Add the bay leaf and pour in the red wine. Add the chopped tomatoes and milk, stir well. Simmer gently for 15-20 minutes until thickened. Set aside.
- Start the bechamel: Melt the butter in a separate saucepan. Pour in the flour and stir into a smooth paste. Cook for 1 minute.
- Add milk in thirds: Pour in one-third of the milk and whisk until smooth. Add the second third, whisk again. Add the final third and keep whisking until the sauce thickens. Season with salt, pepper and a pinch of nutmeg. Cook for another minute.
- Finish the cheese sauce: Remove from the heat. Stir in the grated Cheddar and Parmesan until melted and smooth.
- Layer the lasagne: Preheat the oven to 200C (400F/Gas 6). Spoon half the meat sauce into a baking dish. Lay lasagne sheets on top. Pour just under half the cheese sauce over the pasta. Spoon in the remaining meat sauce. Add another layer of lasagne sheets. Pour the rest of the cheese sauce over the top.
- Bake: Scatter extra grated Parmesan over the top, sprinkle with dried oregano and season. Bake for 30-35 minutes until golden brown and bubbling.
- Make the salad: Whisk the Dijon mustard with white wine vinegar and a drizzle of olive oil. Toss through the lettuce leaves.
- Rest and serve: Let the lasagne rest for 10 minutes before cutting. Serve with the dressed salad alongside.
FAQs
Why only 2 teaspoons of red wine?
Most lasagne recipes call for a full glass. Ramsay uses 2 teaspoons, barely a splash. Just enough to deglaze the pan and lift the browned meat flavour without needing hours of simmering to cook out the harshness.
That restraint is what keeps this at 55 minutes. Too much wine and you need a 2-3 hour simmer to mellow it out, which defeats the whole point of a midweek dinner.
Why add milk to the meat sauce?
He stirs 50ml of milk into the ragu before simmering. The milk proteins break down the meat fibres during cooking, so the mince stays tender instead of turning grainy and tight.
This is actually traditional in Bologna, where the original ragù has always included milk. The lactose also rounds out the acidity from tinned tomatoes, so you don’t need sugar like some recipes suggest.
Why Cheddar in an Italian lasagne?
The béchamel has 60g Cheddar and 30g Parmesan, which would horrify Italian purists. But Cheddar melts smoother than Parmesan alone, creating a velvety cheese sauce without any graininess.
It makes sense because this is British home cooking, not a restaurant plate. He designed it for midweek using what’s already in your fridge. Most British kitchens have Cheddar. Not all of them have 100g of Parmesan sitting around.
How does this compare to Jamie Oliver’s lasagne?
Jamie’s version is more complex: pancetta, fresh rosemary and thyme, nutmeg in the ragu, and parboiled fresh pasta sheets. It takes over 2 hours and the result is deeper and richer. A weekend dish.
Ramsay strips it right back. Just mince, grated veg, dried oregano and store-cupboard staples. No pancetta, no fresh herbs in the sauce, no pre-cooking the pasta sheets. Fast, simple, midweek.
Why serve this with a mustard vinaigrette salad?
The recipe includes a side salad: round lettuce dressed with Dijon mustard and white wine vinegar. Every other site suggests garlic bread, which just piles more starch onto an already rich dish.
The sharp dressing cuts straight through the cheese and meat, the same thinking behind Ramsay’s classic vinaigrette. If you want something with more bite, a peppery rocket salad with lemon and Parmesan shavings works just as well alongside.
