Lasagna Bolognese

This is a low cheese, high flavor Lasagna.

INGREDIENTS

  1. Bolognese sauce:
    • 1 large onion, coarsely chopped
    • 1 medium carrot, peeled, coarsely chopped
    • 1 celery stalk, coarsely chopped
    • 2 tablespoons olive oil
    • 1 pound ground beef chuck
    • 1 pound ground pork
    • 4 ounces pancetta (Italian bacon), finely chopped
    • Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
    • 1 cup dry white wineB
    • 1 cup whole milk
    • 1 14.5-ounce can crushed tomatoes
    • 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth, divided
  2. Cheeses:
    • Mozzarella (like 1-2 packages of grated cheese)
    • Parmesan or Grana grated cheese
  3. Béchamel:
    • 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
    • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
    • 4 cups whole milk, warmed
    • Pinch of freshly ground nutmeg
    • Kosher salt
    • If Bechamel doesn’t thicken well, do another roux (butter & flour) and add back milk
  4. Assembly:
    • Kosher salt
    • Unsalted butter, room temperature (for dish)
    • 2 cups finely grated Parmesan
    • Special equipment: A pasta maker

PREPARATION

  1. Up to two days ahead
    1. Make the Bolognese sauce
      Pulse onion, carrot, and celery in a food processor until finely chopped.
    2. Heat olive oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add ground beef, ground pork, pancetta, and vegetables; cook, breaking up ground meat with a spoon, until moisture is almost completely evaporated and meat is well browned, 25–30 minutes; season with salt and pepper.
    3. Add wine to pot and bring to a boil, scraping up browned bits from bottom of pot, about 2 minutes. Add milk; bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until moisture is almost completely evaporated, 8–10 minutes. Add tomatoes and 2 cups broth; bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, adding water by 1/2-cupfuls if sauce looks dry, until flavors meld and sauce thickens, 2 1/2–3 hours.
    4. Let sauce cool, then cover and chill at least 12 hours or up to 2 days. (Letting the sauce sit will give it a deeper, richer flavor.)
      1. Make the béchamel
        Heat butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat until foaming. Add flour and cook, whisking constantly, 1 minute. Whisk in warm milk, 1/2-cupful at a time. Bring sauce to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, whisking often, until the consistency of cream, 8–10 minutes; add nutmeg and season with salt. Remove from heat, transfer to a medium bowl, and press plastic wrap directly onto surface; let cool slightly. Chill if not using right away.
  2. Day of
    1. Reheat the sauces
      Combine Bolognese sauce and remaining 1 cup broth in a large saucepan over medium heat, and heat until sauce is warmed through.
    2. Meanwhile, if you made the béchamel ahead of time, heat in a medium saucepan over low heat just until warmed through (you don’t want to let it boil).
    3. Cook the noodles
      Working in batches, cook fresh lasagna noodles (prefer using Barrilla Pasta that aren’t pre-cooked) in a large pot of boiling salted water until just softened, about 10 seconds. Remove carefully with tongs and transfer to a large bowl of ice water; let cool. Drain noodles and stack on a baking sheet, with paper towels between each layer, making sure noodles don’t touch (they’ll stick together).
    4. Assemble the lasagna
      Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 13×9″ baking dish with butter.
    5. Spread 1/4 cup béchamel in the prepared baking dish. Top with a layer of noodles, spread over a scant 3/4 cup Bolognese sauce, then 1/2 cup béchamel, and top with 1/4 cup Parmesan & Mozzarella. Repeat process 7 more times, starting with noodles and ending with Parmesan, for a total of 8 layers. Place baking dish on a rimmed baking sheet and bake lasagna until bubbling and beginning to brown on top, 50–60 minutes. Let lasagna sit 45 minutes before serving.
    6. Lasagna can be assembled 12 hours ahead. Cover and chill. Let sit at room temperature 2 hours before baking. Cook, covered with foil until the last 20 minutes, then finish cooking uncovered.

Dried: If you spot imported dried egg noodles, they’re worth the splurge, but standard supermarket durum wheat will work just fine (avoid no-boil, though). Supermarket noodles are thicker, so make fewer layers. Cook 24 noodles (1–1 1/2 boxes) per package instructions; divide sauces evenly among 6 layers. Trim noodles as needed.

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