Lasagna alla Bolognese
In this Lasagna alla Bolognese, the béchamel is more consistent so that the lasagna doesn't fall apart after baking, and the filling is applied more towards the center of the dough, so that the end result has crispy edges. It is definitely a full meal and amazing on its own, but it can also be paired with a salad or just a glass of wine!
Halve, peel, and small dice <quantity>1</quantity> onion
Trim, halve, and small dice <quantity>1</quantity> carrot
Small dice <quantity>1<unit>stalk</unit></quantity> of celery
Add <quantity>½<unit>tbsp</unit></quantity> of extra virgin olive oil and the diced onion to a saucepan over medium heat
Add the diced celery and carrot. Mix well
Turn the heat down to low and add <quantity>½<unit>tbsp</unit></quantity> of extra virgin olive oil. Mix and let it cook for 10-15m to soften the vegetables
Add <quantity>⅓<unit>cup</unit></quantity> of tomato purée and mix it. Add <quantity>⅓<unit>cup</unit></quantity> of white wine and stir to incorporate. Cook for 5m to evaporate the alcohol content
Add <quantity>500<unit>g</unit></quantity> of ground pork and <quantity>500<unit>g</unit></quantity> of ground chuck
Add <quantity>180<unit>g</unit></quantity> of ground guanciale and mix it
Place the lid on and let it simmer for 3h to cook. If necessary, add a little bit of water and stir occasionally. Adjust seasoning with salt to taste. The bolognese sauce is ready
Fill a large pan with water. Add a handful of salt and bring it to a boil over high heat
Prepare an ice bath
Add <quantity>2<unit>kg</unit></quantity> of spinach leaves to the boiling water and use a skimmer to submerge them. After 30s, remove the leaves and transfer them to the ice bath
Squeeze the leaves to remove the excess water and transfer them to another bowl
Roughly chop the spinach leaves
Crack <quantity>4</quantity> eggs into a bowl
Add the chopped spinach and the eggs to the cup of a blender. Blend on high speed until homogeneous
Add <quantity>1<unit>kg</unit></quantity> of all-purpose flour to a bowl and form a well in the center. Add the spinach mixture into the well. Use a fork to stir and incorporate the flour until it is no longer sticky
Transfer the dough to a clean working surface and knead it for 2m to form taut ball
Wrap the dough in cling film and let it rest for 5m to relax
Remove the plastic and knead the dough again for 3m until it starts to become elastic and slightly softer
Wrap the dough in cling film and let it rest at room temperature for 30m to relax completely. The spinach pasta dough is ready
Melt <quantity>½<unit>cup</unit></quantity> of butter in a large heavy bottom saucepan over low heat
Add <quantity>2/3<unit>cup</unit></quantity> of all-purpose flour. Stir to combine the flour and melted butter. Cook for 5m, whisking constantly to cook the flour
Add <quantity>1<unit>L</unit></quantity> of milk, gradually, while whisking constantly to avoid lumps
Add salt to taste and cook until the desired thickness point. The longer you cook, the thicker it will get. Keep stirring so it doesn't stick to the bottom
Add <quantity>½<unit>tsp</unit></quantity> of ground nutmeg and stir to combine
Transfer the sauce to a container and cover with cling film, pressing it against the sauce so it doesn't form a film. The béchamel sauce is ready
Roll out the dough to about <quantity>1<unit>cm</unit></quantity> thick with a rolling pin
Run the dough repeatedly through a pasta sheeter. Change the setting each time until you reach setting 3
Fold the dough in three and use a rolling pin to thin it out
Place the dough on a ventilated spot, or aim a clean fan towards it, and let it rest for 10m to dry it out
Turn the dough on the other side and repeat the process to dry it out
Run the dough repeatedly through a pasta sheeter until it is <quantity>2<unit>mm</unit></quantity> thick
Dust all the pasta sheet with all-purpose flour
Trim off the sides and cut the dough into <quantity>4</quantity> <quantity>30<unit>cm</unit></quantity> long sheets
Cut each sheet in half, creating <quantity>8</quantity> <quantity>20<unit>cm</unit></quantity> x <quantity>15<unit>cm</unit></quantity> rectangles
Fill a large pot with water and add salt to taste. Bring it to a boil over high heat
Prepare an ice bath and add a pinch of salt
Cook each spinach pasta sheet individually in the salted boiling water for 1m until al dente. Transfer the sheets to the ice bath
Transfer the pasta sheets to a baking dish lined with a kitchen cloth. Create layers, separating the sheets with kitchen towels in between to help dry them out and prevent sticking. The spinach pasta sheets are ready
Preheat the oven to <temperature>180<unit>°C</unit></temperature>
Spread <quantity>2<unit>tbsp</unit></quantity> of Béchamel Sauce in the bottom of a baking dish
Add 1 pasta sheet and top with an even layer of the Béchamel Sauce, leaving the edges alone
Add a generous layer of the Bolognese Sauce and sprinkle finely grated parmesan cheese to taste over it
Repeat the process of creating layers of pasta, béchamel, bolognese, and parmesan cheese until there’s only one pasta sheet left. Make sure to not add filling to the edges so it stays crisp after baking
Add the last pasta sheet and top with a generous layer of béchamel
Top with a generous layer of finely grated parmesan cheese
Bake for 20m until the top is golden brown and the edges are slightly crispy. The lasagna alla bolognese is ready
Enjoy! This will definitely make you speechless!
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