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#Italian #Main #Medium

Lasagna alla Bolognese

Bologna's own: a slow ragu of beef, pork and pancetta with milk and wine, fresh egg pasta, and a proper besciamella, layered and baked until the corners go crisp and dark.

Prep 30 minsCook 2 hrs 45 minsServes 8

The whole recipe in 60 seconds

Lasagna alla Bolognese, in 5 ideas

  1. The ragu cooks for hours, not minutes. Milk and wine go in early and the sauce finishes thick enough to hold a spoon upright.
  2. Fresh egg pasta is the Bolognese way. Rolled thin enough to read a newspaper through, and it needs no pre-boiling.
  3. Besciamella, not ricotta. The white sauce is what makes each layer slice cleanly at the table.
  4. Parmesan goes between layers sparingly. The top wants a final generous hand and a fierce last ten minutes.
  5. Resting is an ingredient. Twenty minutes out of the oven and the layers set into clean, tall slices.

What you need

Ingredients

  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 8 oz ground pork
  • 4 oz pancetta, finely diced
  • 1 onion, 1 carrot and 1 celery stalk, finely diced
  • 1 cup dry white wine
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 14 oz crushed tomatoes
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 12 fresh egg pasta sheets
  • 4 tbsp butter, plus 1/3 cup for the besciamella
  • 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
  • 3 cups whole milk, warm, for the besciamella
  • 1 1/2 cups finely grated Parmesan

How to make it

Method

  1. Soften the onion, carrot and celery in butter until sweet, about 8 minutes. Add the pancetta and cook until its fat runs.Soften the onion, carrot and celery in butter until sweet, about 8 minutes. Add the pancetta and cook until its fat runs.
  2. Add the beef and pork, breaking it fine, and cook until it stops steaming and starts to fry. Pour in the wine and let it evaporate completely.Add the beef and pork, breaking it fine, and cook until it stops steaming and starts to fry. Pour in the wine and let it evaporate completely.
  3. Stir in the tomato paste, tomatoes and the cup of milk. Simmer on the lowest heat for at least 2 hours, stirring now and then, until thick and glossy.Stir in the tomato paste, tomatoes and the cup of milk. Simmer on the lowest heat for at least 2 hours, stirring now and then, until thick and glossy. Season well.
  4. Make the besciamella: melt the butter, whisk in the flour, then the warm milk a little at a time. Simmer until it coats the back of a spoon. Season wiMake the besciamella: melt the butter, whisk in the flour, then the warm milk a little at a time. Simmer until it coats the back of a spoon. Season with salt and a grating of nutmeg if you have it.
  5. Spread a thin layer of besciamella in a baking dish. Layer pasta, ragu, besciamella and a little Parmesan, four layers deep, finishing with besciamellSpread a thin layer of besciamella in a baking dish. Layer pasta, ragu, besciamella and a little Parmesan, four layers deep, finishing with besciamella and the rest of the Parmesan.
  6. Bake at 350 °F (175 °C) for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until bubbling and deep golden at the edges.Bake at 350 °F (175 °C) for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until bubbling and deep golden at the edges.
  7. Rest 20 minutes before slicing. Serve in tall, clean squares.Rest 20 minutes before slicing. Serve in tall, clean squares.
Make the ragu the day before: overnight in the fridge it turns from good to the real Bologna thing.

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