Lighter Lasagna Bolognese skips the heaviness but keeps the flavor with lean beef and vegetables. A rich homemade sauce and three cheeses make every bite comforting without overloading your plate!
This lasagna, you guys. Oh, this lasagna.
It’s “last meal” worthy. It’s “fancy weekend date night at home” worthy. It’s “comfort food on a Wednesday” worthy. It’s “dinner party with old friends or new acquaintances you need to impress” worthy. And you don’t even need to bust out your fat pants for it.
Lighter lasagna bolognese, you guys. That’s where the pasta party is at, and you want to go to there.
So let’s talk about that sauce, shall we? A classic bolognese sauce includes a combination of onions, celery and carrots, as well as garlic and white wine. For meat, I’ve seen beef, veal and/or pancetta used, and there is almost always a component of heavy cream or bechamel sauce. You layer the meaty sauce between lots and lots of sheets of pasta (and cheese), and bake it all to a golden brown perfection. It’s time-consuming, it’s not healthy, and while yes, it’s DELICIOUS, it’s just not as realistic of a recipe for a family of three to make on a random weeknight as it is for an Italian grandmother to make for a crowd for Sunday dinner. (Though if anyone has an Italian grandmother willing to do this, I’d love to be part of said crowd.)
So for me, I needed to find a route that was not only achievable, but lighter on my wallet, my time and the elastic waistband of my yoga pants. But it also needed to still be delicious (and still include all the cheese), most obviously.
I know. I KNOW. I’m rendered speechless from all that glorious cheese, too.
So my friends, whether it’s a fancy date night dinner you’re looking for or a comforting weeknight meal for the fam, give this lighter lasagna recipe a try. Or ask your Italian grandmother to make it for you. I’ll bet she’ll even appreciate spending a little less time in the kitchen.
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Lighter Lasagna Bolognese
Ingredients
- 9 lasagna noodles
- 1 cup yellow onion, 6 ounces, coarsely chopped
- ¾ cup celery, 4 ounces, coarsely chopped
- ½ cup carrots, 3.25 ounces, coarsely chopped
- 4 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 ounces pancetta, diced
- 1 pound lean ground beef, 90% lean
- ¼ cup white wine
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 cup 1% milk
- ½ cup fresh basil, chopped
- 28 ounces no-salt-added crushed tomatoes, undrained
- 15 ounces part-skim ricotta cheese
- 2 ½ cups mozzarella cheese, 10 ounces shredded, divided
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese, 4 ounces grated, divided
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- fresh basil, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F.
- Cook pasta according to package directions.
- Meanwhile, add onion, celery, carrots and garlic to bowl of food processor; pulse until finely chopped; set aside.
- Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat until hot. Add tomato paste and pancetta; cook 1 minute, stirring frequently. Add ground beef; cook about 6 to 8 minutes or until beef is browned and cooked through, stirring occasionally, breaking beef into crumbles. Add wine; cook and stir 2 minutes, scraping up any browned bits stuck to bottom of skillet. Add onion-carrot-celery mixture to skillet along with salt, red pepper flakes, oregano and pepper. Cook 3 minutes or until onions are softened, stirring occasionally. Add milk and basil; cook 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in crushed tomatoes. Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- In medium bowl, whisk together ricotta, 1 1/2 cups of the mozzarella, 1/2 cup of the Parmesan and the egg; set aside.
- To assemble lasagna, spray 9X13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Spread 1 cup sauce in bottom of prepared baking dish. Top with 3 lasagna noodles. Top with 1/3 of remaining sauce and 1/3 ricotta mixture. Repeat layers twice, ending with ricotta mixture. Sprinkle with remaining 1 cup mozzarella and 1/2 cup Parmesan.
- Bake uncovered 35 to 40 minutes until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbling. If desired, heat broiler (with lasagna still in oven) and boil just until cheese on top is golden brown. Let lasagna sit 10 to 15 minutes. Sprinkle with fresh basil.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this recipe? Rate & comment below!
I followed the recipe and it was done in 23 minutes not 30 to 40 minutes as per your recipe called for
It came out beyond golden but still tasted very good.
I just would recommend checking on it every ten minutes or else anymore time it would be burnt up!
Hi Richard! Thanks so much for sharing this, that’s super helpful! Oven temps can vary, so it’s always smart to check early. Going by visual cues is best! So glad it still tasted great, and I love your tip to check sooner! ~gvd team
The pancetta and tomato paste combo added way more flavor than I expected this lightened version to have. I served it with a bitter green salad and it balanced out beautifully, it felt like an actual meal, not a compromise.
Mmmm, this looks sooo good! And the fact that it’s lighter has completely sealed the deal.
My stomach’s growling looking at this! So delicious!
Be still my heart, this lasagna needs to be Sunday night dinner!