Lasagne alla Bolognese - Lasagne with Meat Sauce

Ingredients:

BOLOGNESE SAUCE

Makes: 6 cups (two 9″ × 13″ trays) / Prep Time: 15 minutes / Cooking Time: 3 hours

• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1 lb. ground pork
• 1 lb. ground veal
• 3 (28 oz) cans whole peeled tomatoes (pelati), puréed in a blender
• 5 oz. pancetta, cut into small cubes
• 1 red onion, roughly chopped
• 3 carrots, roughly chopped
• 3 celery stalks, roughly chopped
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh Italian parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon red hot pepper flakes
• 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 cup red wine

 BESCIAMELLA

Yields: 3 cups  / Prep time: 5 minutes  / Cook time: 20 minutes

• 4 tablespoons of unsalted butter (1/2 stick)
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 1/4 cups whole milk
• Pinch freshly grated nutmeg
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

LASAGNE

Serving: 16 (8 servings per 9″ × 13″ tray) / Prep time: 40 minutes  / Cook time: 45 minutes

• Bolognese sauce (recipe above)
• Besciamella (recipe above)
• 6 tsp butter
• 1 1/2 cups of grated Parmesan
• 2 boxes of Lasagne (9 oz), no boiling required
• 2 disposable aluminum trays 9″ × 13″

Preparation:

BOLOGNESE MEAT SAUCE

1. In a 6-to 8-quart pot, heat the olive oil sauce over medium-high heat until hot. Add the onion, celery, carrots, and pancetta and sauté for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the pancetta looks crisp and the vegetables have softened.
2. Add the beef, pork, and veal, increase the heat to high, and stir frequently, breaking up the meat until browned. Add the red pepper flakes and parsley and cook for 1 minute. Add the wine and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, until the alcohol is completely evaporated.
3. Add the pureed tomatoes, season generously with salt and pepper, then reduce the heat to medium and cook for 2 hours and 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Add the milk, stir well, remove from the heat, and set aside to cool before using in the lasagne.

BESCIAMELLA (Béchamel Sauce)

1. In a small saucepan, warm up the milk over medium heat.
2. In a medium skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in the flour with a wooden spoon, about 5 minutes. Be careful not to burn the flour.
3. Add the warm milk to the butter-flour mixture and bring to a boil, whisking constantly. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for about 15 minutes until thickened.
4. Season the sauce with freshly grated nutmeg, salt, and pepper to taste. Taste to ensure the flour flavor has dissipated. If you still taste the flour, cook a few minutes longer.

Importante!:

For a thicker besciamella, add 1/2 tablespoon butter and 1/2 tablespoon of flour and cook for a few minutes over medium-low heat, stirring constantly.

To thin a sauce, add 1 tablespoon milk (or 2 if needed).

LASAGNE

1. Preheat the oven to 375º F. Butter well the aluminum trays and pour a first thin layer of meat sauce.
2. Add the first layer of Lasagne and cover (in order) with meat sauce, about 3 ladles of besciamella, and a generous sprinkle of parmesan cheese. Repeat the same operation until you almost reach the top of the tray. Make sure you lasagne are soaking into the sauce; because you are working with pasta that does not require boiling you have to make sure that there are no wedges of lasagne sticking out of the sauce… they won’t cook!
3. When done layering the ingredients, top the lasagne with some meat sauce and some besciamella, add a few thin slices of butter and finish it with some grated parmesan.
4. Cook in the oven for about 30 minutes.

When your fantastic Lasagne alla Bolognese are cooked: If you are ready to serve the dish right away, give it a nice crisp by broiling it about 5 minutes, if you intend to freeze it or serve it later in the day set aside to cool off a half hour, then refrigerate or freeze.

When you decide to tap into your reserve of frozen lasagne keep in mind you need to thaw them overnight!

Serve with Extra Virgin Olive Oil and some Grated Parmesan to taste.