LASAGNA ALLA BOLOGNESE

Ingredients

For the Bolognese Ragù

  • 1 lb / 454 g ground beef (80/20 or 85/15)

  • ½ lb / 225 g ground pork or ground veal

  • 5 oz / 140 g pancetta, finely minced

  • 1 large yellow onion, very finely diced

  • 1 large carrot, very finely diced

  • 2 stalks celery, very finely diced

  • ¼ cup / 60 ml extra-virgin olive oil

  • ½ cup / 130 g tomato paste

  • 1 cup / 240 ml dry white wine or dry red wine

  • 1 cup / 240 ml whole milk

  • 3 cups / 710 ml beef broth (use as needed for the long simmer)

  • 1 can (14 oz / 400 g) crushed tomatoes

  • To taste salt and black pepper

For the Béchamel

  • 6 tbsp / 85 g unsalted butter

  • ¾ cup / 85 g all-purpose flour

  • 4 cups / 1 L whole milk, warmed

  • ½ tsp fine salt

  • ¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg

  • 1 cup / 90 g Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, freshly grated

For the Pasta

  • 1 lb / 454 g dried lasagna sheets (boiled to al dente)

Additional Notes

  • Beef Broth Prep: You might think 1 cup of beef broth is all you need, but a full 3-hour simmer requires more liquid than you'd expect. Prep the full 3 cups just in case so you can loosen up the sauce whenever it gets too tight. You might not use it all, but it's better to have it ready.

  • Seasoning the Ragù: Don't forget to season with salt and black pepper to taste at the very end of the ragù simmer. Waiting until the end ensures your flavors don't concentrate and become too salty as the sauce reduces.

  • The Broiler Trick: While the goal was to achieve a perfect crust strictly from baking, using the broiler at the end is completely fine and doesn't hurt the dish at all. It gives you that beautiful, bubbling golden color on top when baking alone doesn't quite get it there.

  • Patience Pays Off: This is a lengthy, high-effort labor of love that can take over 6 hours from start to finish. Have patience with the process—it is absolutely worth the time investment as long as you aren’t rushing it.

  • Authenticity vs. Preference: This recipe is about as traditional as it gets, utilizing minimal ingredients treated with serious TLC to build deep flavors. While boxed sheets were used intentionally here to keep a clean al dente bite, future runs could step up the authenticity with scratch-made pasta sheets or play with a wider variety of cheeses if you prefer a different blend.

Method

For the Bolognese Ragù

  1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the minced pancetta and cook until the fat renders. Add the onion, carrot, and celery. Sauté for 5–10 minutes until soft but not browned.

  2. Add the ground beef and ground pork. Break it up and cook until it loses its pink color and starts to sizzle.

  3. Pour the whole milk into the meat. Simmer over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the milk has completely evaporated.

  4. Pour in the wine. Simmer until the liquid has completely evaporated.

  5. Create a space in the center of the pot by pushing the meat aside. Add the tomato paste directly to the bottom of the pot and cook for 2 minutes to let it caramelize before stirring it into the meat. Add the crushed tomatoes and stir well.

  6. Lower the heat to the lowest setting. Cover and simmer for 3 hours. To prevent the sauce from getting too tight or dry during this long simmer, pour in about 2 cups of the prepped beef broth to loosen it up. Keep an eye on it as it cooks; if you notice the liquid is evaporating too much, simply stir in more beef broth a splash at a time. Season with salt and black pepper to taste at the end.

For the Béchamel

  1. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour until smooth. Cook for 2–3 minutes without letting it brown.

  2. Gradually pour in the warmed milk a little at a time, housing constantly to prevent clumps.

  3. Lower the heat to medium-low and whisk for 5–7 minutes until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove from heat and stir in the salt, nutmeg, and the grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese until fully melted and smooth.

Assembly & Baking

  1. Pre-heat your oven to 190°C (380°F). Boil your dried lasagna sheets according to package directions, pulling them out just as they hit a perfect al dente.

  2. Spread a thin layer of Béchamel on the bottom of a 9x13 dish, followed by a layer of the boiled lasagna sheets.

  3. Spread a layer of Bolognese ragù, drizzle a layer of Béchamel over it, and sprinkle with additional grated Parmigiano-Reggiano. Top with another layer of pasta sheets. Repeat this process until you have 4 to 5 layers of pasta.

  4. On the final top sheet of pasta, spread only Béchamel and a layer of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.

  5. Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 15 minutes.

  6. Turn on the broiler for the last few minutes of cooking to achieve a deep, golden-brown color on the cheese.

  7. Let the lasagna rest out of the oven for 20 minutes before cutting and serving.