Lasagna Bolognese

I'm not too much of a food snob, but when it comes to Lasagna Bolognese, I have some pretty strong opinions.

First, let's talk Bolognese. For those that simply brown ground beef and add a jar of Prego, this is not Bolognese; this is meat sauce. And we should really talk about upping your pasta game. For the real depth of flavor of a classic Bolognese, I find aromatics like onions, celery and especially carrots are necessary to send your sauce over the top.

You could simply stop there and ladle your slow-cooked Bolognese over cooked penne, but for a real treat, I like to layer up a Lasagna.

The differentiator here is the cheesy bechamel sauce as opposed to the typical ricotta cheese filling. Now I'm not knocking ricotta. It's a fabulous cheese. But usually yields a pretty sloppy and wet lasagna. My cheese sauce is made with milk and fontina cheese. Fontina is nutty and buttery, and melts beautifully in this sauce. The bechamel and red sauces marry in your lasagna making the most picture-perfect and velvety Lasagna Bolognese.

This dish is just perfect for a dinner party or pot-luck. You can easily whip this up a day or two in advance before baking off the day of. Plus, those neat little noodle layers are elegant enough for company!

Lasagna Bolognese

Ingredients

For the bolognese

· 2 tbsp olive oil

· 3 lb lean ground chuck

· 3 tsp salt

· 1 large onion, diced

· 3 large carrots, minced

· 2 ribs celery, minced

· 6 cloves garlic, minced

· ½ cup dry white wine

· 2 cups chicken stock

· 28oz San Marzano tomato puree

· 1 tsp black pepper

· 1 large bunch of basil, stems included

· ¼ cup half & half

· ½ cup pecorino romano, grated

For the béchamel

· 4 tbsp butter

· ¼ cup flour

· 3 cups whole milk, heated

· 1 cup fontina cheese, grated

· 1 tsp salt

· 1/2 tsp black pepper

· Pinch of nutmeg

For the lasagna

· 2 lb ready-to-bake lasagna noodles

· ½ cup pecorino romano, grated

· Fresh basil

Preheat oven to 300F.

Heat olive oil in the bottom of deep, oven-safe pot. Add the ground chuck and brown over medium-high heat. Add the salt, onions, carrots, celery, and garlic. Sautee over medium-low heat until the onions are translucent. Add the wine and cook until liquid has evaporated. Add the chicken stock, tomato puree, and pepper. Toss in basil stems Cover the pot and place in the oven. Cook for 4 hours, stirring occasionally.

Remove the pot from the oven. Remove the basil leaves and stems. Skim off any excess fat that has formed on the top of the sauce with a large serving spoon. Add the half & half and ½ cup of pecorino cheese. Stir to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper if needed.

While the Bolognese is cooking, prepare the béchamel. Melt the butter in a small sauce pot. Add the flour. Whisk for 3 minutes and allow the flour to brown slightly. Add the milk while whisking to avoid lumps. Whisk in the fontina, salt and pepper. Once the cheese has melted, remove from the heat.

Grease a 9x13 baking dish. Ladle a bit of bolognese across the bottom of the pan to keep the noodles from sticking. Top with a single layer of noodles. Spoon over a thin layer of bolognese followed by a thin layer of béchamel. Top with a single layer of noodles. Repeat this process until you’ve reached the top of the baking dish – be sure to finish with a final layer of bolognese and béchamel. Dust the top with ½ cup of pecorino cheese.

Raise oven temperature to 375F and bake the lasagna for about 50-60 minutes until bubbly in the center and the noodles are cooked through.

Scatter torn, fresh basil over the top of the lasagna. Slice and serve!

Serves 8-10

Notes

This lasagna is easily prepared in advanced. Just be sure to allow time to bring the pan to room temperature before baking.

Usually I’m a big fan of substituting ground turkey for beef and lighten up the dish. Resist the urge for this particular recipe; the depth of flavor simply isn’t there. Lean in and enjoy a bit of luxury.

Gluten Free Friendly!

Substitute the flour for GF flour blend – Cup4Cup or King Arthur’s will do. We prefer Barilla Gluten-Free Oven-Ready Lasagne Noodles; the texture is spot on!