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As I sit and take a bite of this mouth-watering 8, well maybe 4-layer homemade lasagne, I shut my eyes and can’t even believe how good the flavours taste together in this lasagne. I am over-joyed with the outcome of this recipe and I instantly feel that I need to write a letter to Martha Stewart telling her how delicious this lasagne really is. I believe its its the Meaty Ragu that deserves first prize here! A robust and meaty Ragu, a velvety béchamel, sprinkles of parmesan and mozzarella cheese, oh my, need I say more…

It was, without a doubt, the most exquisite lasagne I have ever tasted—decadent, satisfying, and worth every moment spent in the kitchen to make it. Within my family circle, I’ve earned quite the reputation for my homemade lasagne—so believe me when I say that this version is seriously impressive! If you are interested in different lasagne ideas check out my Best Ever Lasagne Recipe, or if you are vegetarian, you must try my Homemade Vegetarian Lasagne Recipe. It will also knock your socks off! For a different spin on lasagne I also have a recipe for a Mexican Tortilla Lasagne that is extremely tasty!

I just love Martha Stewart Cooking videos. She is the absolute perfectionist in the kitchen and a great teacher! I just love her confidence and her sense of calmness while cooking. I came across her video on Martha Teaches you How To Cook Italian Food | Martha Stewart Cooking School S4E10 “Italian Classics”. Her recipe for this lasagne is no doubt time-consuming as she makes her own homemade lasagne noodle, I must admit that I cut some corners and I really honed in on using her cooking techniques on the sauce! I just loved how she builds flavours to maximize the taste and outcome of the lasagne. I encourage you to watch the video and make your own variation as it appeals to you!

For my variation for Martha’s recipe, I used ground beef and Italian pork sausage (casings removed) instead of ground pork shoulder, and my measurements may have been slightly different than Martha’s recommendation. I didn’t make my own lasagne noodles, however I used very good lasagne noodles from Italy. I made mine 4-layers and not 8 layers of lasagne noodles. I made one big lasagne instead of single serving individual ramekins.

Martha's Technique For The Sauce

So here’s what I really liked about this recipe and it all lies in the Ragu. The process of building flavour begins by sautéing prosciutto first, then a mirepoix of onions, carrots and celery are added into the sauce pot and cooked down for 30 MINUTES! Yes, I know time consuming but sooo worth it! During this time, in a separate pan, Martha suggests browning the meat. I used a ground beef and an Italian pork sausage (casings removed). Once browned I drained the meat and set it aside. In that same pan, Martha suggests deglazing the pan with Madeira Wine (you can also use white or red wine). Using a wooden spoon, scrape the bottom brown bits that are packed with meaty flavours, oh my gosh so good. That gets put into the pot with the mirapoix. I then use the same pan that we browned the meat in and added the cremini mushrooms to saute them in a little butter. Another note to mention is that I bought a small package of dried porcini mushrooms and added water to them and allowed them to sit and get happy. Martha suggests pouring that flavourful mushroomy liquid into the sauce pot. Martha also suggests to use a homemade Brown Stock. I didn’t have homemade brown stock so I used Better Than Bouillon Beef Stock and a spoonful of Trio Gravy Mix to make my stock. I find the combination of those two create a delicious rich beefy tasting stock made in seconds.

So now we have Martha’s tips and tricks for making a rich and delicious stock, let’s get to the recipe!

Martha Stewart-Inspired 8-layer Lasagne

Here is the altered recipe for Martha’s 8-Layer Lasagne. If you want Martha’s version of the lasagne may I suggest following her video link noted above. For now, here is how I made her most delicious recipe using a few alternatives.

Ingredients:

1 pkg. Ground beef
1 pkg of Italian sausage, pork and beef flavoured: casings removed
1 onion, diced fine
3/4 cup carrots, finely diced
3/4 cup celery, finely diced (3 stalks)
2-3 cloves garlic minced
Bouquet Garni: fresh thyme, rosemary and basil
2 tbsp. Tomato paste
3-4 slices prosciutto, finely diced
1-2 tbsp. Olive oil
1 pkg. Cremini mushrooms
1 pkg. Dried porcini mushrooms, soaked (30 min) and reserve the liquid
3 cups Madeira wine
4 cups beef or brown stock
1 batch homemade bechamel sauce: 2 cups milk 3 tbsp. Flour 3 tbsp. Butter Parmesan Mozzarella cheese. Whisked until thickened

Instructions:

Place porcini mushrooms in a bowl and cover with the hot water. Let soak 25–30 minutes until soft. Remove mushrooms, squeeze out liquid, and finely chop. Reserve the soaking liquid
In a large heavy pot, heat butter and olive oil over medium. Add pancetta and cook until brown (5 min), add onion, carrot, and celery. Cook for 30 minutes stirring often. So much flavour is created here so try to take this time for this step.
In a separate pan, brown your meat. Drain and set the meat aside. Place the pan back on the stove.
Add the Madeira wine to the pan, and scrape the little brown bits from the browned meat and stir. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 5 minutes. Add this to the large sauce pot.
To that same pan, add 1 tbsp. butter and saute the mushrooms until their juices have released, approximately 5 minutes.
Now we add everything to the large sauce pot.
Add in the browned meat, the simmered wine, 2 tbsp. of tomato paste, the cooked mushrooms, the chopped porcini mushrooms including the liquid, 2 cloves of garlic and the beef stock. Add salt and pepper to taste. Now we need to simmer the sauce for 2 hours, stirring every 10-15 minutes until the sauce thickens and the flavours of this delicious sauce come together.
Prepare your Bechemel sauce by adding equal amounts of butter and flour to a small saucepan. Whisk for 2 minutes. Now add in 2 cups of milk, whisking away until the sauce has thickened. I like to season my milk with nutmeg, and ground mustard, pepper and seasoned salt.
For the assembly of this lasagne I will only do 4 layers and not 8. I use good lasagne noodles made in Italy and boil them for a few minutes. You can also use oven-ready noodles as they work great also. To assemble the lasagne we first add a layer of sauce on the bottom, then noodles, add the Béchamel sauce, then a layer of meat sauce over top. Now sprinkle some parmesan cheese, and a tiny bit of shredded mozzarella. Repeat.
Bake covered at 400 degrees for 25 minutes. Remove the tin foil and continue baking for another 15 minutes. Broil at the end for 3 minutes, carefully watching so that you don’t burn the top. Allow the lasagne to cool and serve. The lasagne will even taste better the next day if you decide to make it ahead of time! Enjoy

simplywanderfull

Martha Stewart Inspired Meaty Ragu Lasagne With Porcini Mushrooms

This most delicious lasagne is robust, and velvety and packed with delicious flavours. Made with a meaty ragu, and a velvety bechemel sauce. It really is unforgettable.

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Ingredients Method

Ingredients

1 pkg. Ground beef
1 pkg of Italian sausage pork and beef flavoured: casings removed
1 onion diced fine
3/4 cup carrots finely diced
3/4 cup celery finely diced (3 stalks)
2-3 cloves garlic minced
Bouquet Garni: fresh thyme rosemary and basil
2 tbsp. Tomato paste
3-4 slices prosciutto finely diced
1-2 tbsp. Olive oil
1 pkg. Cremini mushrooms
1 pkg. Dried porcini mushrooms soaked (30 min) and reserve the liquid
3 cups Madeira wine
4 cups beef or brown stock
1 batch homemade bechamel sauce: 2 cups milk 3 tbsp. Flour 3 tbsp. Butter Parmesan Mozzarella cheese. Whisked until thickened

Method

Place porcini mushrooms in a bowl and cover with the hot water. Let soak 25–30 minutes until soft. Remove mushrooms, squeeze out liquid, and finely chop. Reserve the soaking liquid
In a large heavy pot, heat butter and olive oil over medium. Add pancetta and cook until brown (5 min), add onion, carrot, and celery. Cook for 30 minutes stirring often. So much flavour is created here so try to take this time for this step.
In a separate pan, brown your meat. Drain and set the meat aside. Place the pan back on the stove.
Add the Madeira wine to the pan, and scrape the little brown bits from the browned meat and stir. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 5 minutes. Add this to the large sauce pot.
To that same pan, add 1 tbsp. butter and saute the mushrooms until their juices have released, approximately 5 minutes.
Now we add everything to the large sauce pot.
Add in the browned meat, the simmered wine, 2 tbsp. of tomato paste, the cooked mushrooms, the chopped porcini mushrooms including the liquid, 2 cloves of garlic and the beef stock. Add salt and pepper to taste. Now we need to simmer the sauce for 2 hours, stirring every 10-15 minutes until the sauce thickens and the flavours of this delicious sauce come together.
Prepare your Bechemel sauce by adding equal amounts of butter and flour to a small saucepan. Whisk for 2 minutes. Now add in 2 cups of milk, whisking away until the sauce has thickened. I like to season my milk with nutmeg, and ground mustard, pepper and seasoned salt.
For the assembly of this lasagne I will only do 4 layers and not 8. I use good lasagne noodles made in Italy and boil them for a few minutes. You can also use oven-ready noodles as they work great also. To assemble the lasagne we first add a layer of sauce on the bottom, then noodles, add the Béchamel sauce, then a layer of meat sauce over top. Now sprinkle some parmesan cheese, and a tiny bit of shredded mozzarella. Repeat.
Bake covered at 400 degrees for 25 minutes. Remove the tin foil and continue baking for another 15 minutes. Broil at the end for 3 minutes, carefully watching so that you don't burn the top. Allow the lasagne to cool and serve. The lasagne will even taste better the next day if you decide to make it ahead of time! Enjoy

Thank You Martha!

I have to say thanks to Martha for this wonderful recipe that I will add to my favourite recipes! I hope this recipes brings you inspiration and happiness to your family as it did mine! Thank you for taking the time to read my blog and if you have any questions or comments send them my way! Happy Cooking my friend!