Recipe: Lasagna Bolognese

the appetizer:

The New Lasagna Cookbook by restaurant owner and chef Maria Bruscino Sanchez, includes recipes like Lasagna Bolognese; Winter Lasagna; and Quick Black Bean Tortilla Lasagna.

Cookbook

Lasagna Bolognese

Serves 6 to 8

This is the traditional original lasagna, first cooked in Bologna. It's a hearty dish made of multiple layerings of regular and spinach noodles, filled with rich Bolognese sauce and creamy bechamel.

Use a food processor to chop the onions, celery, and carrots. Look for meat that is not too lean. You'll want some fat from the meat to add flavor to the sauce.

The sauce recipe can be easily doubled for a large lasagna, or frozen for later use.

Bolognese Sauce

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped carrots
1-1/2 pounds ground beef
Salt and pepper
Two 35-ounce cans peeled tomatoes, crushed by hand
6 ounces tomato paste

Filling

3-Cup Béchamel Sauce (page 14 of the book)
1 cup grated pecorino Romano, plus some for serving

Noodles

Fresh Egg Pasta (page 4), cooked according to directions on page 6
Spinach Pasta (page 7)

Prepare Sauce

1. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat.

2. Add onion, celery, and carrots. Cook until tender, but not brown, about 10 minutes.

3. Add the beef. Using a wooden spoon, break up bits of meat and stir occasionally. Cook until meat is almost cooked through, 10 to 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Add tomatoes and tomato paste. Bring to a boil.

5. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 2 hours, uncovered, stirring occasionally.

6. Preheat oven to 375°F.

7. Spray a 13 x 9 x 3-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.

Layer by Layer Assembly

8. Spread a layer of Bolognese Sauce on the bottom of the dish. Cover with egg noodles, slightly overlapping.

9. For the filling, spread a layer of Béchamel Sauce over the noodles and sprinkle with pecorino.

10. Top with spinach noodles.

11. Continue to layer in the following order until you have run out of noodles, reserving some of both sauces:

Bolognese Sauce
Pecorino
Egg noodles
Béchamel Sauce
Spinach noodles
Bolognese Sauce
Pecorino
Egg noodles

12. Top with remaining Béchamel Sauce and pecorino. Reserve the remaining Bolognese Sauce for serving. Advance prep completed. (The lasagna can be made one day in advance to this step. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Let lasagna come to room temperature before baking.)

Baking

13. Cover with foil and bake for 40 to 50 minutes. Remove foil and continue to bake for an additional 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the oven. Let rest 10 to 15 minutes until serving. Serve with additional Bolognese Sauce and pecorino.

from:
The New Lasagna Cookbook
A Crowd-Pleasing Collection of Recipes
from Around the World for the Perfect One-Dish Meal
by Maria Bruscino Sanchez
St. Martin's Press 2008
Hardcover; $27.95
ISBN-10: 0312367821
ISBN-13: 978-0-312-36782-4
Recipe reprinted by permission.

Buy The New Lasagna Cookbook