Lasagna Bolognese
The Sauce
1 medium onion
2 stalks celery
1 small carrot
1kg ground beef
1 cup white wine
One 650ml jar of tomato passata
One 28oz can of peeled tomatoes, puréed
Make the soffritto: chop the onion, celery, and carrot very small using a blender, food processor or by hand.
Cook the soffritto in a good amount of olive oil in a large heavy bottomed on low heat. Keep the lid on and stir every so often. We don’t want any colour on it. The longer it cooks the better.
Add the ground beef and cook with the soffritto on medium heat. Stir often to break up large chunks. Again, we don’t want to brown the meat, just cook it through.
Once the liquid that came out of the beef has been cooked off, add the wine and cook it off as well.
Add the passata and puréed tomatoes.
Season as well, don’t go too heavy because you can adjust it later.
Cook for 4-5 hours on low heat, with the lid on but propped open slightly.
The Béchamel
1 lt milk
50g flour
80g butter
Pinch of ground nutmeg, salt
Make the roux by cooking the butter and flour together in a sauce pot.
Whisk in the milk and continue to cook. Stirring constantly, cook for about 7-10 mins until it thickens.
Once the sauce thickens, add the nutmeg and salt. Go easy on the nutmeg!
The Pasta
8 eggs
600g 00 or AP flour
200g semolina (you can use just 00 or AP flour here as well)
Using a mixer or by hand, combine the ingredients and knead into a smooth homogeneous dough.
Cover with plastic and let rest for at least 30 mins.
Roll out into sheets of pasta. Should be fairly thin (#6 on KitchenAid roller).
Cook the sheets on plenty of salted water. You’ll have to work in batches.
Cook for about 90 seconds, then shock in cold water to stop the cooking.
Layer on a sheet tray with some oil or parchment paper.
Final Assembly
The sauce
The béchamel (keep this warm)
The cooked pasta sheets
Parmigiano reggiano
Mozzarella (optional)
Butter
Brush the bottom and sides of a large baking dish.
Cover the bottom with some sauce.
Add a bit of béchamel and parmigiano.
Apply the first layer of pasta. You can cut and add sheets to make a complete layer.
Add some more sauce, béchamel and parmigiano (mozzarella too if you want).
Repeat those two steps until the dish is almost filled to the top (will take 5-7 layers).
Don’t worry if you have some pasta sticking up at the edges, they make for some crispy corners!
Finish the lasagna by doing a final layer of sauce, béchamel, and cheese.
Bake in a 375°F oven for 45-60 minutes. If you have a convection oven, turn the fan on for the last 15 minutes.
Once cooked, allow to rest for at least an hour before eating. You can always reheat it later.
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