I’m not going to lie, this beef ragu lasagna takes some time. However good things come to those who wait/slow cook right? We’re taking slow-cooked, melt-in-your-mouth beef and tomato ragu with layers of pasta, creamy bechamel sauce and a cheesy mozzarella top. Don’t forget to pour a glass of wine, you deserve it!

Close up of a lasagna in a white dish, sitting next to a bunch of red tomatoes with fresh bay leaves in the corner.

What you are going to love about this slow-cooked lasagna recipe

It’s a great one to make a day ahead. Slow-cooked stews always taste better the next day anyway so it’s a win-win as far as I’m concerned! I also like to have batches of this ragu in the freezer for any impromptu lasagna dinner requests or easy Sunday dinner!

We are talking about 8+ serves. This is a big batch, so you can easily split it into two smaller dishes and freeze for another day or feed a crowd with one big lasagna.

It’s a family-friendly winner! Even the non-lasagna lovers in our family love this one.

Here’s what you’ll need to get started

Brown onions, garlic cloves.
Fresh Herbs – thyme, bay leaves.
Chuck Steak – or any other slow-cooking beef cut of meat. I cut my beef up for slow cooking quite large (4cm cubed) compared to what you find in our butcher. Either ask your butcher to cut some up just for you, or buy chuck steaks and cut them up yourself.
Beef Stock
Fresh Pasta Sheets. You could also use dried instant pasta sheets as well. Both will work perfectly. Be sure to follow the packet directions before use. I tend to favor pasta noodles that don’t require any prior cooking. By not having to boil lasagna noodles, its a small way to reduce the cooking time.
Dairy – unsalted butter, full cream milk, vintage cheddar cheese, parmesan cheese, mozzarella. I use either grated or whole mozzarella simply sliced or torn up to melt on top of the lasagna.
Pantry staples – olive oil, tomato paste, canned tomatoes, sea salt, freshly ground black pepper

Equipment you will need

When it comes to what to cook a traditional stew in, nothing beats a cast iron French oven (or Dutch oven). Enamel cast iron cookware is the bomb for slow cooking. However, it just hates high heat so to render that fat, good, and proper in the recipe, either use a frypan that is suitable for medium-high heat or heat your French oven on low heat with oil covering the base for a couple of minutes until it’s hot enough to cook in.

You’ll also need a large lasagna dish for assembling and cooking the lasagna in, as well as cooking utensils like a stirring spoon, whisk, cheese grater, and measuring spoons/cups. My lasagna dish measures 34cm x 25cm. A heavy-bottomed saucepan is ideal for making the bechamel sauce.

The nitty gritty

Slow-cooked beef ragu meat sauce

Preheat the oven to 150°c.
In a large Dutch oven over medium-low heat & combine the olive oil and onion. Cook on the stovetop till softened (about 10 minutes). Add the garlic cloves. Cook for 1 minute and stir through. Remove the onion from the pan and set aside.
Add the chuck steak in batches to the pot. Seal all sides of the meat until lightly brown (usually about 1-2 minutes on each side). Don’t overcrowd the pan as the meat will just stew. We’re sealing in all the goodness and rendering any fat on the outside!
Add the sauteed onion & garlic back into the pot along with the beef stock, red wine, canned tomato, tomato paste, bay, and thyme. Give a good stir to release any browned bits stuck on the bottom of the pan from cooking the beef. Bring the tomato sauce to a simmer point over medium heat on top of the stove stirring occasionally, then pop in the oven (lid on) for 3 hours.
Remove from oven. Taste test and adjust seasoning (if needed)with salt and pepper.
Using a flat-edge spatula, break up any chunky bits of the meaty sauce so you are left with a shredded beef consistency. Set aside.

A cream enamel cast iron pot of onions being sauteed with olive oil.

Browned chunks of beef and sauteed onion mixed together in the pot.

Bechamel Sauce

To save time start preparing the bechamel sauce during the last hour of slow cooking the ragu in the oven.

On a low heat, melt the butter in the Dutch oven. Add the flour and stir to combine into a paste. Cook, stirring continuously, on low heat for 5 minutes. This is needed to cook out the flour.
Add 1 cup of milk continually stirring to allow the milk to incorporate into the flour mixture (or roux). At this stage, change from using your wooden spoon to stir to a whisk. It will make it much easier to get a smooth, creamy sauce. Gradually add the remaining milk a little at a time, stirring continuously until the mixture resembles a thick, creamy sauce. A bechamel sauce can take a lot of liquid, so don’t be afraid if it looks really runny. Cooking the sauce will cause the sauce to thicken. If it thickens too much, just add more milk.
Add the grated cheeses and stir through to melt them into the sauce.
Season with sea salt flakes and freshly ground pepper.

Butter melted in a cream colored enamel cast iron casserole.

Plain flour is added to the pot of melted butter.

To Assemble

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celcius.
Cover the base of your lasagna baking dish with a single layer of lasagna sheets.
Add a layer of ragu using approximately half of the slow-cooked beef sauce.
Cover the ragu with a layer of lasagna sheets.
Add a layer of bechamel sauce using half of the sauce.
Cover the bechamel sauce with a layer of lasagna sheets.
Repeat steps 3 through 5 using the remaining ragu and bechamel sauce.
Dot slices of mozzarella (or sprinkle grated mozzarella) all over the top of the final layer of bechamel sauce.
Bake for 30 minutes or until golden on top!

Lasagna pasta sheets line a white roasting pan. One corner has a little ragu on top of the pasta.

The completed ragu layer has covered the pasta sheet layer in the roasting pan.

Cook’s Notes

Ragu – If you make ahead of time you may need a couple of tablespoons of water added to the pot and stirred through to reheat on top of the stove. It will easily add sauciness to a ragu that has absorbed too much liquid in the cooking/freezing process.

Cheesy White Sauce – Don’t be tempted to step away from the stove while you are making the white sauce. It needs to be stirred quite constantly to avoid sticking/burning. A burnt sauce cannot be revived so take the time and stir, stir, stir!

Assembly – Before assembly, check the packet instructions for the lasagne sheets you are using. Do they need to be steamed in the microwave first or just used as is? Follow the instructions before using it in the lasagne.

A whole golden, cheesy lasagna just out of the oven in a white roasting dish. It has been scattered with fresh herbs. Fresh baby tomatoes and a small knife sit beside.

How to serve up Ragu Lasagna

Served simply with a garden salad is my go-to. If I’m feeding a crowd I’ll also add some homemade garlic bread into the mix.

Have leftovers?

Keep this lasagne in the fridge for up to three days in an airtight container or covered with cling wrap.

Can I freeze it for another time?

You definitely can! Before topping the pasta with mozzarella, leave everything to cool and cover securely with aluminum foil and then cling film. Freeze for up to six weeks. To defrost, remove the cling film and leave overnight in the fridge. Top the bechamel sauce with mozzarella and bake until cooked through and golden on top. I tend to leave the foil on when baking for the first 20 minutes to help the lasagna reheat evenly and then remove the foil to brown the cheesy mozzarella topping.

Slow Cooked Beef Ragu Lasagna

What you are going to love about this slow-cooked lasagna recipe

Here’s what you’ll need to get started

Equipment you will need