This is a comforting and delicious four-cheese Lasagna Alla Bolognese featuring an easy, homemade marinara based meat sauce, and it is absolute dinnertime perfection.

While Lasagna Alla Bolognese may not be the quickest dinner to assemble, it is well worth the time and effort. It features a homemade tomato sauce, aromatic basil, flavorful Italian sausage, creamy Ricotta alongside melty Mozzarella and Fontina cheeses. You'll have no regrets devoting a little extra time in the kitchen to this masterpiece.

Lasagna Alla Bolognese Ingredients

Italian Sausage - Mild and sweet Italian sausage does not contain any red pepper flakes so it is not spicy.
Lasagna Noodles
Eggs
Green Bell Pepper
Onion - When choosing the perfect onion at the store look for a heavy, unbruised yellow onion.
Garlic
Crushed Tomatoes - I prefer San Marzano tomatoes because they truly taste the best when it comes to canned tomatoes.
Canola Oil
Salt and Pepper
Sugar
Water
Fresh Basil - Fresh basil is always best but if you don't have any on hand dried will also work.
Cheeses - You will need ricotta, freshly grated parmesan and fontina cheeses and hand-shredded bocconcini for this recipe.

How to Make Lasagna Alla Bolognese

Get Everything Ready - Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. While waiting for the water to boil go ahead and grease your casserole dish. After that heat 1 ½ tbsp of canola oil in a large saute pan or dutch oven.
Cook the Sausage - When the oil is heated add the Italian Sausage to the pan and cook until cooked and set aside.
Make the Sauce - Add the remaining oil and saute the onions and peppers. After the vegetables are soft add the garlic and add the remaining sauce ingredients to the pan and simmer for 15 minutes.
Combine the Ingredients - Add the basil and sausage to the sauce, remove from the heat and set aside.
Mix the Ricotta Mixture Together - Stir the ricotta, parmesan, fontina, eggs, salt, and basil together until well mixed and set aside until ready to use.
Cook the Noodles - Have ready a large sheet of wax or parchment paper. Add the noodles to the boiling water and only cook them half of the time the instructions on the box say. Remove the noodles from the pot and transfer to the wax paper until cool enough to handle.
Assemble the Lasagna - Spread 1 c meat sauce evenly across the bottom of the pan and lay down three noodles, one right next to the other. Add 1 ½ c meat sauce and spread evenly across the noodles and to the edges of the dish. Spread all of the Ricotta mixture evenly across the meat sauce and to the edges of the dish. Lay down three noodles, one right next to the other. Spread remaining sauce evenly across the noodles and to the edges of the dish. Scatter Mozzarella and remaining ¼ c of Parmesan evenly across the top of the casserole.
Cook - Cover and cook for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes uncover the Lasagna and bake for an additional 15 minutes.
Cool - Allow the Lasagna to cool for 15 minutes so that it will set.

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Print Recipe

5 from 4 votes

Four-Cheese Lasagna Bolognese

The best ever cheesy lasagna! Featuring four cheeses, a creamy bechamel white sauce, and a meaty marinara sauce.

Prep Time30

Cook Time45

Total Time1 15

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: four cheese lasagna

Servings: Servings

Calories: 427kcal

Author: Kelly Anthony

Ingredients

For the Sauce:

2 tbsp Canola Oil separated
1 lb Mild Italian Sausage
⅓ c Green Bell Pepper seeded and finely diced
1 Yellow Onion finely diced
2 Cloves of Garlic minced
28 oz Can of Crushed Tomatoes
1 tbsp of Granulated Sugar
1 tsp Kosher Salt
1 tsp Black Pepper
¼ c Water
1 tbsp Minced Fresh Basil

For the Ricotta Mixture:

16 oz Whole Milk Ricotta
½ c Freshly Grated Parmesan separated
1 c Fontina Cheese diced
2 Eggs slightly beaten
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Minced Fresh Basil
6-8 Lasagna Noodles
8 oz Bocconcini or Fresh Mozzarella shredded by hand

Instructions

To begin, bring a large pot of salted water to a roaring boil, grease a 9x13” casserole dish and preheat the oven to 350°. Add 1 ½ tbsp of canola oil to a large sauté pan or an enameled cast iron Dutch oven over medium heat. Once the pan is brought to temperature, add Italian sausage and break apart with a wooden spatula or spoon. Saute for 8 minutes or until the sausage is cooked through. Remove sausage from the pan and set aside until ready to use.
Add the remaining 1 ½ tbsp of canola oil to the pan, followed immediately by the pepper and onions. Saute for 5 minutes or until slightly softened. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more. Add the remaining sauce ingredients to the vegetables and stir to combine. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 15 minutes.
Add basil to the sauce as well as the Italian sausage, stir, remove from the heat and set aside. Add all of the ingredients for the Ricotta mixture to a medium-sized mixing bowl and stir until evenly combined. Set aside until ready to use.
Have ready a large sheet of wax or parchment paper. To par-cook the noodles, add them to the boiling water, reference the package cooking instructions and cut the boiling time in half. Remove noodles from the pot and transfer to the wax paper until cool enough to handle. Lay Mozzarella in between a layer of paper towels and press gently to squeeze out any excess moisture.
Lasagna Assembly by Layers: 1) Spread 1 c meat sauce evenly across the bottom of the pan. 2) Lay down three noodles, one right next to the other. *3) Add 1 ½ c meat sauce and spread evenly across the noodles and to the edges of the dish.** 4) Spread all of the Ricotta mixture evenly across the meat sauce and to the edges of the dish. 5) Lay down three noodles, one right next to the other.6 ) Spread remaining sauce evenly across the noodles and to the edges of the dish. 7) Scatter Mozzarella and remaining ¼ c of Parmesan evenly across the top of the casserole.
Cover with nonstick aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 15 minutes. Allow to cool for at least 15 minutes so the layers have time to set. Serve and enjoy!

Notes

**When you are adding the sauce or Ricotta mixture atop another layer, it helps to dollop it in the center and spread it using an offset spatula, gently and slowly working your way outward until you reach the edges.

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