Lasagne Pie

by Kate | Jul 10, 2020 | 0 comments

The BEST lasagne recipe baked into a buttery flaky pastry? This is the most delicious way to upgrade the leftovers!   

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Being married to an Italian means that lasagne and bolognese sauce (not ‘bolognaise’) is taken really seriously in our house. My husband’s lasagne is so famous that we’ve had friends who’ve had babies JUST to get a tray of the Allegra family lasagne in their freezer. True story! When I made it on my Instastories last week, I got loads of requests for the recipe so today I’m sharing our family recipe but also sharing a way to use up the leftovers. My husband Antonino (probably like most Italians) is incapable of making a ‘normal’ sized lasagne! He always makes enough to feed a small country and we end up eating lasagne for DAYS so this is a fun way of baking it into something new and interesting!

First, let’s get to the perfect lasagne and a few tips on how to make the most delicious bolognese sauce. 

Step 1: Use a blend of beef and pork (or veal) mince. It has a milder taste which balances the sauce beautifully. 

Step 2: Brown the mince in small batches in a pot over high heat, moving it only every now and then, so it browns and caramelizes. This is the secret to a rich flavoured sauce!

Step 3: Then add two jars of Barilla Bolognese sauce – it has all the traditional ingredients for a bolognese sauce in the jar; made with 100% Italian tomatoes, onions, carrots, garlic and herbs so no chopping required (which is my absolute best)! 

Step 4: In the meantime, prepare a white sauce. I make mine with extra virgin olive oil instead of butter. And make sure to brown the flour slightly when stirring it over the heat. This gives a nutty flavour to the sauce which really adds so much flavour! The white sauce is seasoned with bay leaves, nutmeg, white pepper and salt. The white sauce should be the consistency of thickened cream so it really soaks into the pasta! 

Step 5: Layer the lasagne. Start with a layer of the bolognese sauce to stop the pasta sticking to the bottom. Then layer Barilla lasagne sheets, white sauce and bolognese. You don’t need to pre-cook the lasagne sheets as they can be baked as-is which means they soak up so much more flavour during baking. Finish the lasagne with a layer of white sauce, toasted breadcrumbs, grated Parmigiano cheese and a drizzle of olive oil then bake until bubbly, golden and delicious! 

Now you can totally eat the lasagne as-is! I love to let mine stand for a while to let the sauces settle before serving it. BUT I’m going to show you how you can level it up or use the leftovers – by covering it in flaky pastry. The recipe for this pastry is SO GOOD and is so easy to make! 

TIP Leave the pastry hanging over the edges – I then trim it off with a sharp knife after it’s baked. That way, if it shrinks, no one will know!

Once you’ve lined your tin with the pastry, slice the cooled lasagne into strips and lay them inside the lined dish. 

I got fancy and made a lattice for my pie (because I loved the frilly layers too much to cover them up), grated some more Parmigiano over and then egg washed it to give a beautiful golden colour. Bake the pie again for 20 minutes and then devour it while still hot!