Alessandra Ciuffo's 7 Tips for the Ultimate Lasagna

The first thing Alessandra Ciuffo wants you to know about her Ultimate Lasagna recipe is that it has earned the title of "ultimate."

Why, you ask? Ciuffo’s lasagna includes homemade ragù and a silky béchamel sauce—no jarred marinara or ricotta shortcuts here! “This is about understanding all the elements of the dish,” said Ciuffo, who even goes to the trouble of making homemade pasta sheets for her lasagna. (We call for store-bought noodles, instead, but if you want to follow your bliss, you can find Ciuffo's recipe for the noodles on her Substack).

Ciuffo’s desire to share her cooking with the world isn’t new to this 23-year-old. When she was 11, Ciuffo participated in the web series “Super Chef Kids,” which led to her getting cast on Food Network’s "Rachael vs. Guy: Kids Cook-Off." (Check out her audition tape for proof that she’s been at this longer than most.)

Since then, success has followed, including winning an episode of "Guy’s Grocery Games." Now, she shares her signature approachable yet ambitious dishes through “Flavors by Ale,” her “culinary lifestyle brand” that includes a YouTube channel, Instagram, and TikTok. With a recent culinary school degree under her belt, Ciuffo is ready to channel peak Italian grandma dishes.

Though Nonna was Ciuffo's original teacher, she didn’t actually make lasagna. That said, when creating her Ultimate Lasagna, Ciuffo took inspiration from her Nonna’s tiny mountain town, where they made everything from scratch. 

1. MAKE A ONE-POT RAGÚ 

The recipe starts off with a garlic-infused soffritto—the Italian version of mirepoix—before browning the meat and simmering everything together with crushed tomatoes to make a rich sauce. While some recipes for ragù call for browning the meat separately, Ciuffo recommends doing it in the same pot to capture the flavors released by the meat. Plus, she said, “why dirty another pan?” We agree.

2. USE YOUR FAVE CUTS OF MEAT

Ciuffo’s recipe calls for equal parts ground beef, ground pork and ground veal because she likes the complexity of flavor that results. However, she stresses that there is no right approach. Make it your own. (Heck, if you want to make a ground turkey ragù, that’s your prerogative._

3. SLOW & STEADY 

Sure, you can jam out Ciuffo’s lasagna recipe in a (long) evening, but why not dedicate a cozy fall or winter weekend to it? That will give you plenty of time to let the ragù simmer on the stove. As long as possible is best, said Ciuffo. How long is that? “If you can let it sit for, like, 10 hours on the stove, amazing.” 

4. TIMING IS EVERYTHING

Timing is key to Ciuffo’s lasagna process, as she balances making fresh pasta alongside the ragù and béchamel. However, this matters whether you’re making fresh pasta or not. She recommends getting the ragù going before tackling the béchamel. If you’re making your own pasta, make it before the béchamel and store the rolled dough dusted with semolina between parchment paper on a baking sheet in the refrigerator.

5. SHORTCUT SAUCES ARE OK

“I feel like the hottest debate with making lasagna is: are you going to use béchamel or make a ricotta kind of mix?” Ciuffo is “team béchamel” all the way, stating that there’s really no point in trying to tame down the richness of lasagna. The creaminess, in other words, is the point. That said, Ciuffo understands that some people simply won’t want to take the time to make a béchamel. If that’s you, she suggests stirring together a tub of ricotta with grated Parmesan cheese, chopped fresh parsley, and garlic powder, plus salt and pepper to taste. Then, loosen it with a bit of milk to make it easily spreadable.

6. MAKE MOST OF IT AHEAD

If you’d rather break the recipe into various days to make it more manageable, it’s easy to make ahead. You can make and refrigerate the ragù in an airtight container up to 3 days in advance, or freeze it up to 3 months in advance. The béchamel can be made and refrigerated in an airtight container up to 24 hours in advance.

7. THERES NO ONE RIGHT WAY TO LASAGNA

“I want to go to the fullest extent and do it 100 percent from scratch,” said Ciuffo. But Ciuffo respects riffs as key to creating your own ultimate lasagna. The point? Make it your own.