Lasagne alla Bolognese
Made with a rich bolognese sauce and perfectly seasoned bechamel. Fabulous for weekend gatherings.
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Servings:
Equipment
- 1 Heavy baking dish (approx 30 x 23 cms)
- 1 Italian Food Mill or Mouli optional
Ingredients
Bolognese Sauce
- 250 g lasagne You will probably use about ¾ packet
- 1 kilo minced (slightly fatty) beef
- 100 g pancetta, lardons or bacon
- 1 yellow onion, finely chopped
- 1 large celery stalk including plenty of leaves, finely chopped
- 1 large carrot (grated)
- 1 Florina red pepper, finely sliced and chopped or sweet red pepper
- 1 fresh banana chilli pepper, finely chopped or red pepper chilli flakes optional
- 3 cloves grated garlic
- 1 tbsp concentrated tomato paste
- 800 ml passata or for the summer, a fresh tomato sauce option (see notes at the bottom of the recipe)
- 200-300 ml vegetable/chicken stock or stock cube
- ¾ tsp cumin
- pinch mace or nutmeg
- 1 tsp sweet paprika
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 generous tbsp finely chopped fresh parsely
- 1 sprig fresh thyme optional
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 glass red wine optional
- olive oil
- ground black pepper
Bechamel Sauce
- 50 ml olive oil
- 60 g butter
- 75 ml boiled water
- 100 g all-purpose flour
- 1 litre full fat dairy milk or plant milk
- 1 large slice of onion optional
- 1 bay leaf
- pinch salt
- pinch nutmeg
- black pepper
- 100 g grated parmesan or pecorino cheese for the topping
Instructions
Bolognese Sauce
- Start with the soffritto. Gently saute the onions and celery until they are soft, and then add the grated carrot. Soften and let the onions turn golden, but do not burn.
- Add all the spices except the garlic and fresh parsley, turn over in the pan once or twice, then add the remaining chilli and let it soften.
- Sauté the pancetta until nicely browned, then add the minced beef. You may need to add more oil and increase the heat to reach the point where the meat is also nicely browned.
- Stir in the grated garlic, fresh parsley and tomato paste - coating all the meat. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the wine and half the passata and bubble gently.
- When the liquid has evaporated, add more passata and a little stock. It needs to simmer gently for around 40-45 minutes. Add more stock or passata to prevent it from drying out, but keep it at a gentle simmer - not boiling in a lot of liquid. Taste and season accordingly, and when you are happy with it, add the rest of the passata and simmer for another couple of minutes, so it's thick but pourable. While the sauce is bubbling, make the bechamel sauce and preheat the oven to 220 °C
Bechamel Sauce
- Make bechamel sauce by melting the butter in a saucepan, add the olive oil and mix in the flour to form a paste. Add a dash or two of hot water, whisking with a small sauce whisk until it is well incorporated. Put it over low heat and gradually add milk, salt, pepper, bay leaf, onion and nutmeg. Whisk constantly until it comes to a boil and thickens. Check for seasoning - adding a little more salt or pepper if needed. Cover it to prevent it from forming a skin and set it aside until your bolognese is ready.
Assembly
- Put a layer of your bolognese on the bottom of the oven dish, cover it with lasagne sheets and then add another layer of bolognese and a layer of bechamel sauce (remember to scoop out the onion slice and bay leaf).
- Repeat the process, lasagne, bolognese and bechamel. Finishing with a layer of pasta. Make your last layer of bolognese nice and thick so it bubbles over the top layer of lasagne. Cover the pasta with bechamel and grated parmesan. You can also add a little shredded mozzarella. Ideally, you want four layers of pasta.
- Put the lasagne in the oven for 10 minutes at 200°C, then turn it down to 180°C for 30 minutes. Cover with foil if the top starts to burn, and take the foil off 5 minutes before the end to brown the top of the lasagne.
Notes
Instructions for Summer Fresh Tomato Sauce to replace the Passata
You will need: Two kilos of ripe tomatoes (no need to peel if you are using a mouli (Italian food mill), finely chopped small sweet onion and small red pepper. A garlic clove (grated), 1 tsp concentrated tomato paste, and a large handful of fresh basil, a bay leaf or fresh parsley. Salt and freshly ground black pepper.
In a large, heavy-based pan. Sweat the onion, sweet red pepper and garlic in a generous glug of olive oil. Add the fresh tomatoes, along with a pinch of salt and a generous grinding of black pepper. Taste and add a tsp of concentrated tomato paste and a handful of fresh basil. Simmer until dissolved or collapsed and just starting to caramalise around the edges of the pan. Taste again, adjusting with a bit of salt if necessary.
Pass the sauce through a mouli and set aside for your bolognese. If you don't have a mouli, pass the tomatoes through a large sieve. This sauce can't be bottled because it uses olive oil, but if you have excess, it can easily be frozen.