Lasagne alla Bolognese al Forno

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The true king of lasagne. Not as saucy and cheesy as Lasagne alla Napoletana, and much more simple, but the flavors are outstanding.

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  • 4

Ingredients

  • Ragu Bolognese:
  • 1 recipe green pasta dough
  • 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 recipe ragu bolognese
  • 8 oz parmigiano-reggiano, grated
  • 1 recipe besciamella
  • 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 medium onions, finely diced
  • 4 ribs celery, finely diced
  • 2 carrots, finely diced
  • 5 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
  • 1 pound ground veal
  • 1 pound ground pork
  • 4 ounces pancetta, run through the medium holes of the butcher's grinder
  • 1 6 oz can tomato paste
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 1 cup dry white wine
  • 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

Step 1

Make the ragu:
Instead of dicing the vegetables, you can put them all in a food processor and pulse until roughly "grated" in texture. In a 6 to 8 quart heavy-bottomed pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat until hot. Add the onions, celery, carrots and garlic and cook until the vegetables are translucent but not browned, about 5 minutes. Add the veal, pork and pancetta, increase heat to high, and brown the meat, stirring frequently. Add the tomato paste, milk, wine, and thyme and bring just to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Season the ragu with salt and pepper, remove from the heat, and let cool if not using immediately.

Roll pasta through the thinnest setting and then cut into 5" squares. Cover with a damp kitchen towel.

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and cook the pasta squares 6-7 at a time for 1 minute then transfer to an ice bath. Remove from the ice bath and drain flat on kitchen towels.

Preheat oven to 375.

Assemble the lasagne in a large lasagne pan. Spread a layer of ragu on the bottom and then a sprinkling of parmigiano, a layer of pasta, a layer of besciamella, and another layer of ragu and a sprinkling of parmigiano, and another layer of pasta. Repeat until all ingredients are used, ending with a layer of pasta topped with besciamella and a sprinkling of parmigiano.

Bake for 45 minutes, until edges are brown. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

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