Skip to content
Rotina Diária

Pasta

Bolognese Lasagna with Ham and Cheese

Make this Sunday lasagna with homemade Bolognese sauce, ham, and mozzarella layered with oven-ready noodles. It’s topped with cheese and easy to follow step by step.

  • Total time 1 h 50 min
  • Prep time 30 min
  • Oven time 1 h 10 min
  • Rest or chill time 10 min
  • Temperature 355 °F (180 °C)
  • Makes Serves 8; fits a 20 x 30 cm baking dish
  • Difficulty Intermediate

Oven-ready lasagna noodles don’t need to be boiled first. They finish cooking in the oven by absorbing liquid from the sauce. That’s why this sauce is thinner than a typical Bolognese: if it’s too thick, the edges of the noodles may stay hard.

The layering order matters. Start with sauce so the first noodle layer doesn’t stick or dry out. Finish with sauce and cheese to protect the top layer and create a golden, bubbly crust.

Ingredients

Amounts for 8 servings (Serves 8; fits a 20 x 30 cm baking dish).

Bolognese sauce

Assemble

Equipment

  • Pot
  • Wooden spoon
  • Oven-safe dish

Instructions

  1. Step 1 Sauté the aromatics

    Heat the olive oil in a large pot and sauté the onion until translucent. Add the garlic and stir for 1 minute.

    • 2 tablespoons olive oil
    • 1 chopped onion
    • 3 cloves of minced garlic

    About 5 min

  2. Step 2 Brown the meat

    Add the ground meat and cook over high heat, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until it’s no longer pink and begins to brown.

    • 1 lb ground beef

    About 8 min

  3. Step 3 Simmer the sauce

    Add the tomato puree, water, salt, sugar, and oregano. Reduce the heat, partially cover, and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. The sauce should be flavorful but still thin.

    • 2 cartons of tomato puree
    • 1 cup water
    • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
    • 1 pinch of sugar
    • 1 teaspoon oregano

    About 20 min

  4. Step 4 Layer the lasagna

    Preheat the oven to 180 °C. Spread a thin layer of sauce in the bottom of the baking dish. Layer the ingredients in this order: noodles, sauce, ham, and mozzarella. Repeat until you’ve used everything, finishing with noodles covered in plenty of sauce.

    • 1 package of oven-ready lasagna noodles
    • 10 1/2 oz sliced ham
    • 14 oz sliced mozzarella cheese

  5. Step 5 Bake covered

    Sprinkle the Parmesan on top, cover with aluminum foil, and bake for 30 minutes.

    • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan

    About 30 min

  6. Step 6 Brown the top

    Remove the foil and bake for another 10 minutes, until the cheese is golden. Let it rest for 10 minutes before cutting so the layers can set.

    About 10 min

Tips for success

  • After 30 minutes, insert the tip of a knife into the lasagna. If it slides in easily, the noodles are cooked.
  • You can assemble the lasagna the day before and keep it covered in the refrigerator. Add 15 minutes to the baking time.
  • Swap some of the mozzarella layers for white sauce to make the lasagna creamier.

Substitutions

Oven-ready noodles
Regular noodles: boil the sheets in salted water for 3 minutes before assembling, and use a thicker sauce.
Ham
Shredded chicken or sautéed spinach.

How to store

Refrigerate for up to 3 days. It freezes well, whole or in portions, for up to 3 months. Bake from frozen, covered, for about 1 hour.

Allergens

Contains: gluten, Dairy, Eggs.

Packaged ingredients may contain traces of other allergens. Always check the labels of the brands you use.

Published October 13, 2026. US measurements: 1 cup = 240 mL, 1 tablespoon = 15 mL, 1 teaspoon = 5 mL; 1 oz = 28 g.