{
  "slug": "lasagne-alla-bolognese",
  "url": "https://nonnario.com/recipes/lasagne-alla-bolognese/",
  "name": "Lasagne verdi alla bolognese",
  "english": "Bologna's green lasagne",
  "aka": [
    "lasagne alla bolognese",
    "lasagna alla bolognese",
    "green lasagne"
  ],
  "summary": "Bologna's green lasagne: spinach egg pasta layered at least six times with ragù, béchamel and Parmigiano Reggiano, as the Accademia Italiana della Cucina deposited it in 2003.",
  "essentials": [
    "A green egg pasta: 700 g of 00 flour, 3 eggs and 350 g of cooked, squeezed spinach.",
    "At least six layers of pasta, béchamel, ragù alla bolognese, butter and plenty of Parmigiano Reggiano.",
    "No ricotta, no mozzarella, no hard-boiled eggs.",
    "Baked at 180 °C for 25–30 minutes, then rested for 5 minutes before serving."
  ],
  "diet": [],
  "region": {
    "slug": "emilia-romagna",
    "name": "Emilia-Romagna",
    "url": "https://nonnario.com/regions/emilia-romagna/"
  },
  "place": "Bologna",
  "coords": [
    44.4942,
    11.3452
  ],
  "course": {
    "id": "primi",
    "it": "Primi & Risotti",
    "en": "Pasta & Rice"
  },
  "level": {
    "id": "deposited",
    "name": "Deposited recipe",
    "it": "Ricetta depositata",
    "description": "An official recipe filed with an Italian Chamber of Commerce or a notary by a recognised culinary body.",
    "url": "https://nonnario.com/method/#level-deposited"
  },
  "status": "checked",
  "published": "2026-10-26",
  "checked": "2026-10-26",
  "cooked": null,
  "provenance": {
    "by": "Accademia Italiana della Cucina, Bologna San Luca delegation",
    "reference": "Recipe deposited with the Chamber of Commerce of Bologna, 2003",
    "year": 2003
  },
  "sources": [
    {
      "label": "Bologna Welcome: lasagne verdi alla bolognese, the recipe deposited by the Accademia Italiana della Cucina (Italian)",
      "url": "https://www.bolognawelcome.com/it/altro/ricette-e-prodotti-tipici/lasagne-verdi-alla-bolognese"
    },
    {
      "label": "Do Eat Better (Bologna food tours): where to eat lasagne alla bolognese, with a note on the deposited recipe (Italian)",
      "url": "https://doeatbetterexperience.com/it/blog/dove-mangiare-lasagne-alla-bolognese-bologna/"
    }
  ],
  "story": [
    "Lasagne verdi are Bologna's great baked pasta: sheets of egg pasta coloured green with spinach, layered with ragù, béchamel and Parmigiano Reggiano. In 2003 the Accademia Italiana della Cucina, through its Bologna San Luca delegation, fixed the recipe and deposited it with the Chamber of Commerce of Bologna.",
    "The deposited text sets out the ingredients and the method, down to the size of the dish and the number of layers. It has no ricotta, no mozzarella and no hard-boiled eggs. Its ragù is the classic Bolognese one; here it is our recipe, from the Accademia's 2023 deposit, which replaced the 1982 text that was current in 2003."
  ],
  "serves": 8,
  "minutes": {
    "handsOn": 101,
    "cooking": 35,
    "resting": 35
  },
  "plan": "Make the ragù the day before. On the day, allow about 3 hours: 30 minutes for the spinach and the dough, 30 minutes of rest, about 40 minutes to roll, cut and cook the sheets, 15 for the béchamel, then assembling, 25–30 minutes in the oven and 5 minutes of rest.",
  "equipment": [
    "Large wooden board and a long rolling pin, or a pasta machine",
    "Large pot, a slotted spoon and a bowl of cold water",
    "Clean white cotton or linen cloths",
    "Saucepan and a whisk, for the béchamel",
    "Rectangular oven dish about 25 cm × 35 cm, at least 6 cm deep",
    "A toothpick"
  ],
  "ingredients": [
    {
      "group": "For the green pasta",
      "items": [
        {
          "quantity": 700,
          "unit": "g",
          "item": "soft wheat flour, tipo 00",
          "note": null,
          "text": "700 g soft wheat flour, tipo 00",
          "recipe": null
        },
        {
          "quantity": 3,
          "unit": "pc",
          "item": "fresh eggs",
          "note": null,
          "text": "3 fresh eggs",
          "recipe": null
        },
        {
          "quantity": 350,
          "unit": "g",
          "item": "spinach, boiled, squeezed dry and finely chopped",
          "note": "weighed after squeezing: from about 1–1.2 kg fresh, as bought",
          "text": "350 g spinach, boiled, squeezed dry and finely chopped (weighed after squeezing: from about 1–1.2 kg fresh, as bought)",
          "recipe": null
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "group": "For the béchamel",
      "items": [
        {
          "quantity": 100,
          "unit": "g",
          "item": "butter",
          "note": null,
          "text": "100 g butter",
          "recipe": null
        },
        {
          "quantity": 100,
          "unit": "g",
          "item": "soft wheat flour, tipo 00",
          "note": null,
          "text": "100 g soft wheat flour, tipo 00",
          "recipe": null
        },
        {
          "quantity": 1,
          "unit": "l",
          "item": "fresh whole milk",
          "note": null,
          "text": "1 l fresh whole milk",
          "recipe": null
        },
        {
          "quantity": null,
          "unit": null,
          "item": "fine salt",
          "note": null,
          "text": "fine salt",
          "recipe": null
        },
        {
          "quantity": null,
          "unit": null,
          "item": "nutmeg, freshly grated",
          "note": null,
          "text": "nutmeg, freshly grated",
          "recipe": null
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "group": "To assemble",
      "items": [
        {
          "quantity": 1,
          "unit": "kg",
          "item": "ragù alla bolognese",
          "note": "made the day before; about one and a half times its recipe",
          "text": "1 kg ragù alla bolognese (made the day before; about one and a half times its recipe)",
          "recipe": "https://nonnario.com/recipes/ragu-alla-bolognese/"
        },
        {
          "quantity": 400,
          "unit": "g",
          "item": "Parmigiano Reggiano, freshly grated",
          "note": null,
          "text": "400 g Parmigiano Reggiano, freshly grated",
          "recipe": null
        },
        {
          "quantity": 100,
          "unit": "g",
          "item": "butter",
          "note": "for the dish and the layers",
          "text": "100 g butter (for the dish and the layers)",
          "recipe": null
        },
        {
          "quantity": null,
          "unit": null,
          "item": "coarse salt",
          "note": "for the pasta water",
          "text": "coarse salt (for the pasta water)",
          "recipe": null
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "method": [
    {
      "phase": "The day before: the ragù",
      "intro": null,
      "steps": [
        {
          "n": 1,
          "url": "https://nonnario.com/recipes/lasagne-alla-bolognese/#step-1",
          "title": "Make the ragù",
          "text": "The day before, make about one and a half times the ragù alla bolognese recipe and weigh out 1 kg; keep it in the fridge. Before assembling, reheat it gently, stirring, until it is hot, and keep the béchamel warm too.",
          "kind": "active",
          "minutes": null,
          "celsius": null,
          "heat": null,
          "official": false,
          "check": null,
          "tips": []
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "phase": "The green pasta",
      "intro": null,
      "steps": [
        {
          "n": 2,
          "url": "https://nonnario.com/recipes/lasagne-alla-bolognese/#step-2",
          "title": "Prepare the spinach",
          "text": "Start from about 1 kg–1.2 kg of fresh spinach, as bought. Wash it, boil it for 2–3 minutes in salted water, drain it and let it cool. Squeeze it in your hands, then in a cloth, until no more water comes out, and chop it as finely as you can. Weigh out 350 g after squeezing.",
          "kind": "active",
          "minutes": 15,
          "celsius": null,
          "heat": null,
          "official": false,
          "check": "A dry, dense green paste: pressed between your fingers, no water runs out.",
          "tips": []
        },
        {
          "n": 3,
          "url": "https://nonnario.com/recipes/lasagne-alla-bolognese/#step-3",
          "title": "Make the dough",
          "text": "Heap the flour on the board and make a wide well. Put the eggs and the spinach in it, beat them together with a fork, and draw in the flour little by little until the mixture is too stiff to stir. Then knead with the heel of your hand for about 15 minutes.",
          "kind": "active",
          "minutes": 20,
          "celsius": null,
          "heat": null,
          "official": false,
          "check": "Smooth, firm and evenly green, with no streaks: add a spoonful of flour if it sticks.",
          "tips": []
        },
        {
          "n": 4,
          "url": "https://nonnario.com/recipes/lasagne-alla-bolognese/#step-4",
          "title": "Rest the dough",
          "text": "Wrap the dough in film or cover it with an upturned bowl, and leave it at room temperature for 30 minutes.",
          "kind": "rest",
          "minutes": 30,
          "celsius": null,
          "heat": null,
          "official": false,
          "check": null,
          "tips": []
        },
        {
          "n": 5,
          "url": "https://nonnario.com/recipes/lasagne-alla-bolognese/#step-5",
          "title": "Roll the sheets",
          "text": "Divide the dough into four pieces and roll them out one at a time, keeping the others covered, into sheets about 1 mm thick.",
          "kind": "active",
          "minutes": [
            15,
            20
          ],
          "celsius": null,
          "heat": null,
          "official": false,
          "check": "An even thickness all over, with no thin spots that would tear in the water.",
          "tips": []
        },
        {
          "n": 6,
          "url": "https://nonnario.com/recipes/lasagne-alla-bolognese/#step-6",
          "title": "Cut the rectangles",
          "text": "Cut the sheets into rectangles of about 15 cm × 10 cm.",
          "kind": "active",
          "minutes": 5,
          "celsius": null,
          "heat": null,
          "official": true,
          "check": null,
          "tips": [
            "With practice, cut them a little smaller than the dish, so each layer needs fewer pieces."
          ]
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "phase": "The béchamel",
      "intro": null,
      "steps": [
        {
          "n": 7,
          "url": "https://nonnario.com/recipes/lasagne-alla-bolognese/#step-7",
          "title": "Make the béchamel",
          "text": "Warm the milk. In a saucepan, melt 100 g of butter, stir in the flour and cook for 2 minutes without letting it colour. Pour in the warm milk a little at a time, whisking, then simmer gently for about 10 minutes, stirring, until it coats the back of a spoon. Season with salt and a little grated nutmeg.",
          "kind": "active",
          "minutes": 15,
          "celsius": null,
          "heat": "medium-low",
          "official": false,
          "check": "Smooth and creamy, with no lumps, thick enough to coat a spoon.",
          "tips": []
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "phase": "Cooking the sheets",
      "intro": null,
      "steps": [
        {
          "n": 8,
          "url": "https://nonnario.com/recipes/lasagne-alla-bolognese/#step-8",
          "title": "Boil the sheets",
          "text": "Bring a large pot, three-quarters full of salted water, to a vigorous boil. Cook the rectangles a few at a time and lift each out with the slotted spoon as soon as it floats.",
          "kind": "passive",
          "minutes": [
            10,
            15
          ],
          "celsius": null,
          "heat": "high, a vigorous boil",
          "official": true,
          "check": null,
          "tips": []
        },
        {
          "n": 9,
          "url": "https://nonnario.com/recipes/lasagne-alla-bolognese/#step-9",
          "title": "Cool and dry them",
          "text": "Dip each sheet briefly in the cold water, then lay it flat on a clean white cotton or linen cloth to dry, not touching the next.",
          "kind": "active",
          "minutes": 10,
          "celsius": null,
          "heat": null,
          "official": true,
          "check": null,
          "tips": []
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "phase": "Assembling and baking",
      "intro": null,
      "steps": [
        {
          "n": 10,
          "url": "https://nonnario.com/recipes/lasagne-alla-bolognese/#step-10",
          "title": "Start the dish",
          "text": "Heat the oven to 180 °C. Butter the bottom of the dish and spread a few spoonfuls each of ragù and béchamel over it.",
          "kind": "active",
          "minutes": 3,
          "celsius": null,
          "heat": null,
          "official": true,
          "check": null,
          "tips": []
        },
        {
          "n": 11,
          "url": "https://nonnario.com/recipes/lasagne-alla-bolognese/#step-11",
          "title": "Build the layers",
          "text": "Cover with sheets of pasta, then spread a thin layer of béchamel, plenty of ragù, a few flakes of butter and a good handful of Parmigiano. Prick the pasta 3–4 times with the toothpick, so no air bubbles form. Repeat, keeping the layers even, until you have at least 6. The ragù should be plentiful but not excessive, and the béchamel creamy and spread thin.",
          "kind": "active",
          "minutes": [
            15,
            20
          ],
          "celsius": null,
          "heat": null,
          "official": true,
          "check": "At least 6 even layers, the dish nearly full.",
          "tips": [
            "Before you start, set aside a few spoonfuls of ragù for the base and a little for the top, then divide the rest of the ragù and most of the Parmigiano by eye by the number of layers, so you do not run out."
          ]
        },
        {
          "n": 12,
          "url": "https://nonnario.com/recipes/lasagne-alla-bolognese/#step-12",
          "title": "Finish the top",
          "text": "Lay a last sheet of pasta and spread it with a little ragù mixed with a little béchamel. Dot it with butter, sprinkle with Parmigiano, and put a flake of butter in each corner of the dish.",
          "kind": "active",
          "minutes": 3,
          "celsius": null,
          "heat": null,
          "official": true,
          "check": null,
          "tips": []
        },
        {
          "n": 13,
          "url": "https://nonnario.com/recipes/lasagne-alla-bolognese/#step-13",
          "title": "Bake",
          "text": "Bake in the preheated oven at 180 °C for 25–30 minutes.",
          "kind": "passive",
          "minutes": [
            25,
            30
          ],
          "celsius": 180,
          "heat": null,
          "official": true,
          "check": "Bubbling at the edges, the top golden and lightly crisp, and the centre hot: a knife pushed into the middle comes out hot, or a probe reads at least 75 °C. If the centre is not yet hot after 30 minutes, give it a few minutes more.",
          "tips": []
        },
        {
          "n": 14,
          "url": "https://nonnario.com/recipes/lasagne-alla-bolognese/#step-14",
          "title": "Rest before serving",
          "text": "Let the lasagne rest for 5 minutes before cutting it, so the layers set.",
          "kind": "rest",
          "minutes": 5,
          "celsius": null,
          "heat": null,
          "official": true,
          "check": null,
          "tips": []
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "quick": [
    "Make the ragù the day before.",
    "Make a green dough with 700 g of 00 flour, 3 eggs and 350 g of cooked, squeezed, chopped spinach; rest it, roll it about 1 mm thick and cut it into 15 cm × 10 cm rectangles.",
    "Make a béchamel with 100 g of butter, 100 g of flour, 1 l of milk, salt and nutmeg.",
    "Boil the sheets until they float, cool them in cold water and dry them on a cloth.",
    "Butter the dish and start with a little ragù and béchamel; then layer at least six times: pasta, a thin layer of béchamel, plenty of ragù, butter and Parmigiano. Finish with a sheet, a little ragù mixed with béchamel, butter, Parmigiano and a flake of butter in each corner.",
    "Bake at 180 °C for 25–30 minutes, then rest for 5 minutes before serving."
  ],
  "season": null,
  "when": null,
  "keeps": null,
  "variants": [],
  "variantOf": [],
  "usedIn": [],
  "mistakes": [
    "Adding ricotta, mozzarella or hard-boiled eggs: the deposited recipe has none.",
    "Too few layers. The deposit asks for at least six.",
    "Cutting it straight from the oven: let it rest for 5 minutes so the layers set."
  ],
  "abroad": [
    "The cheese is Parmigiano Reggiano PDO, as the recipe names it, not a generic ‘parmesan’."
  ],
  "image": null,
  "video": null,
  "versions": {
    "page": "https://nonnario.com/recipes/lasagne-alla-bolognese/",
    "markdown": "https://nonnario.com/recipes/lasagne-alla-bolognese.md",
    "json": "https://nonnario.com/recipes/lasagne-alla-bolognese.json"
  },
  "cite": "Cite the recipe's page and the month its sources were checked; for the official text itself, cite the document listed under its sources."
}