Easy Christmas Lasagna
This Christmas lasagna is a show-stopping centerpiece for your holiday table! With vibrant red bolognese sauce and bright green spinach bechamel layered between sheets of pasta and melted mozzarella, each slice reveals the festive colors of the season. It’s comforting, impressive, and absolutely delicious – everything you want in a holiday lasagna.
The beauty of this dish isn’t just visual. The rich, meaty bolognese combined with creamy spinach bechamel creates incredible depth of flavor, while layers of gooey mozzarella make every bite pure comfort. Plus, you can assemble it ahead of time, making Christmas Day cooking so much easier!
Why You’ll Love This Christmas Lasagna
Ingredients and Substitutions
The bolognese sauce is what gives this lasagna its vibrant red color. Made with ground beef (or a mix of beef and pork), tomato passata, aromatics, and Italian herbs, it’s rich, meaty, and deeply flavorful.
Tomato passata is key here – it’s smooth, thick and intensely red, giving you that gorgeous Christmas color. It’s essentially pureed tomatoes without seeds or chunks, creating a silky sauce that coats every layer beautifully.
This is where the magic happens! Traditional bechamel sauce (that creamy white sauce made with butter, flour, and milk) gets a festive twist with pureed spinach blended right in. The result? A bright green, velvety smooth sauce that’s not only beautiful but adds nutrients and a subtle earthy flavor that complements the rich bolognese perfectly.
Don’t worry though, the spinach flavor is mild and pleasant, not overpowering. It blends seamlessly into the creamy bechamel, and even veggie-skeptics won’t mind it!
- Lasagna sheets. I use no-boil lasagna noodles but you can use any pasta sheets of your choice.
- Ground beef / beef mince.
- Ground pork / Pork mince.
- Onion.
- Fresh garlic cloves.
- Carrots.
- Celery.
- Herbs: I added fresh thyme and rosemary. Bay leaf, oregano, basil and parsley will also be good.
- Red wine. I used Cabernet Sauvignon but any full-bodied red will work.
- Tomatoes. I used tomato puree/tomato passata but you can used crushed or chopped tomatoes too. You could also use tomato sauce like marinara sauce or jarred spaghetti sauce if you like.
- Sugar, salt, black pepper. Other seasonings like red pepper flakes, paprika, fennel seeds, etc. can be used but I don’t find them a necessary addition.
- Béchamel sauce / white sauce. I use my go-to recipe which consists of butter, flour, milk and cheese. Feel free to substitute with ricotta cheese if you prefer.
- Fresh spinach.
- Parmesan cheese.
- Mozzarella cheese.
How to Make Christmas Lasagna
- Make the Bolognese Sauce: Sauté onions, carrots and celery until soft. Add ground meat and brown well. Stir in garlic, tomato passata, herbs, and seasonings. Simmer for at least 30 minutes (longer is better!) until thick and flavorful.
- Prepare the Spinach Bechamel: Make a classic bechamel by creating a roux with butter and flour, then whisking in milk until smooth and thickened. Blend blanched fres spinach until smooth, then stir into the bechamel for that gorgeous green color.
- Assemble the Lasagna: In a 9×13-inch (22x33cm) baking dish, start with a layer of bolognese. Add pasta sheets, more bolognese, shredded mozzarella, then pasta sheets again. Next layer is spinach bechamel and mozzarella. Repeat, alternating red and green layers, finishing with a layer of bolognese and mozzarella on top.
- Bake Until Bubbly: Cover with foil and bake at 350°F/180°C for 45 minutes until a knife can easily be inserted, then uncover and bake another 15-20 minutes until golden and bubbly. Let it rest for 15 minutes before slicing.
- Garnish and Serve :Top with fresh basil leaves for an extra pop of green and fresh flavor. Slice and serve.
Tips for Perfect Festive Lasagna
🎄 Let It Rest: After baking, let the lasagna rest for 15-20 minutes before cutting. This allows layers to set so slices hold together beautifully.
🎄 Don’t Overcook Pasta: If using regular lasagna noodles (not no-boil), cook them just until al dente. They’ll finish cooking in the oven.
🎄 Thick Sauces: Both sauces should be thick enough to layer. If too watery, simmer longer to reduce and thicken.
🎄 Cover First, Then Uncover: Covering prevents the top from drying out while the center heats through. Uncovering at the end creates that golden, bubbly top.
🎄 Sharp Knife: Use a sharp knife to cut clean slices that show off those gorgeous layers!
Make-Ahead Magic
This Christmas lasagna is perfect for advance preparation:
Assemble 1-2 days ahead: Build the entire lasagna, cover tightly and refrigerate. Bake on Christmas Day, adding 10-15 minutes to account for cold start.
Freeze unbaked: Assemble, wrap very well (plastic wrap then foil) and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw in fridge overnight before baking.
Freeze baked: Cool completely, portion if desired, wrap well, freeze for up to 2 months. Reheat from frozen at 350°F/180°C until heated through.
This advance prep means you can actually enjoy Christmas Day instead of being stuck in the kitchen!
Serving Suggestions
We love serving lasagna with classic sides like garlic bread and a big zesty salad to cut through the richness.
Ingredients
- 1 large onion finely chopped
- 2 carrots peeled and finely chopped
- 2 celery ribs finely chopped
- 500 g (1lb) beef mince / ground beef
- 500 g (1lb) pork mince / ground pork
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 6 sprigs fresh thyme
- 4 garlic cloves crushed
- 1 cup beef stock
- 750 g (3 cups) tomato passata chopped tomatoes will also work
- 1 tsp sugar
- salt and pepper to taste
- 6 cups Bechamel sauce (recipe linked)
- 4 cups fresh spinach
- 500 g (1lb) lasagna sheets
- 1 cup grated Parmesan
- 3 cups grated mozzarella cheese
- fresh basil to serve
Instructions
- In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat a few tablespoons of olive oil.
- Add the onion, carrot, celery and fresh herbs. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occassionally, until they are golden brown and starting to soften. Add the garlic and herbs and cook for another 30 seconds.
- Add the meat into the pot and allow to brown. Pour in the wine, tomatoes, sugar, salt and pepper.
- Partially cover with a lid and reduce the heat. Allow to simmer for 45-60 minutes, stirring occassionally, until the sauce is rich and slightly reduced.
- While the bolognese cooks, make the bechamel sauce according to recipe instructions.
- Bring a pot of salted water the a boil. Add the spinach and allow to blanche for 30 seconds then drain.
- Blend the spinach until smooth then stir into the bechamel sauce.
- To assemble the lasagna add a few spoons of bolognese sauce into the bottom of a deep casserole dish then add a layer of lasagna sheets. Add a few more spoons of bolognese then layer with the remaining lasagna sheets, bechamel sauce and grated cheese. Finishing with a layer of bolognese and cheese.
- Cover the lasagna loosely with foil and place in a preheated oven (180°C/350°F).
- Bake for 30-45 minutes until a knife can easily be inserted. Remove the foil and allow to bake for another 10-20 minutes to brown the top.
- Remove the lasagna from the oven and allow to rest for at least 15 minutes. Slice, scatter with fresh basil leaves and serve.
Video
Nutrition
FAQ
Yes! No-boil noodles are actually easier.
Absolutely! Replace the meaty bolognese with my vegetarian bolognese recipe. The rest of the recipe stays the same!
Use fresh spinach for the brightest green (frozen works but may be slightly duller). Blanch the spinach first, shock in ice water to preserve color, then squeeze dry before blending.
Make sure both sauces are thick, drain spinach very well, and let the lasagna rest 15-20 minutes after baking before cutting. This allows excess moisture to be reabsorbed.
Yes! Cover tightly and refrigerate up to 24 hours. Bring to room temperature for 30 minutes before baking, or add 10-15 extra minutes to baking time if going straight from fridge.
Cover with foil and reheat in a 350°F oven for 20-25 minutes until heated through. Microwave works for individual portions but the oven keeps it from drying out.
Perfect for leftovers! Wrap individual slices well and freeze for up to 2 months. Reheat from frozen in the oven or microwave.
Can this recipe be halved?
Of course!