Lasagna Bolognese

Servings: 8

Bolognese Ingredients:

2 Celery Sticks

2  Big carrots

1 Yellow Onion

1 Head of garlic

4oz of Tomato Paste

1 Can of San Marzano tomatoes

1 C red wine (I use the Schulhaus Red! But any table red wine will do)

1 C veggie broth

1 TBSP Calabrian chili

3/4 lb of Ground beef

3/4 lb of Ground Pork

2 tsp Oregano

2 tsp Thyme

4 Bay Leaves

2 tsp Sage

2 tsp smoked paprika

Handful of fresh basil, chopped

3 tsp Salt

3 tsp Black pepper

1 Block of grated Parmesan

I love Martha Stewart’s bechamel sauce recipe, it’s simply the best!

7 TBSP unsalted butter

6 TBSP all-purpose flour

3 ½ C milk (heated up)

1 tsp Nutmeg

½ tsp of salt

Freshly ground pepper

Pasta Ingredients:

2 ¼ C all-purpose flour

1 tsp salt

5 eggs

Olive oil

1. Start by roughly chopping up your celery, carrots, onion & garlic and throw them in a blender. Blend until it becomes a paste, then add them to a pot that’s been heating up with a few TBSP of olive oil on medium heat. Cook down your veggie paste for about 10 minutes, until nice & fragrant. Then add your tomato paste & Calabrian chili and cook for another 10 minutes. Toss in your meat and stir it all together, let that cook down for another 10-15 minutes. Once your meat has a little bit of color, add in your red wine to deglaze the pan, and let that cook for another 10-15.
2. Next, add your can of tomatoes, veggie broth, all your spices (save a little basil to top off your cooked lasagna) and give it a nice stir. This can just sit and cook down for at least an hour. Make sure you stir often and turn the heat down to a simmer. I usually let it cook while I make my pasta and give it a few hours to reduce and let those flavors mix together!
3. If you’re feeling adventurous and want to try to make your own lasagna sheets, I included my most prized pasta recipe! You’ll need a stand mixer with a pasta roller attachment, or a little hand crank pasta roller to make the sheets. If you want to use boxed lasagna sheets you can cook them while your sauce cooks down and put them into an ice bath after to cool them down, so you can assemble your lasagna.
4. To make the homemade pasta, start by putting your flour & salt into the stand mixer and mix those until there’s a little well in the center. While that mixes, crack 2 full eggs into a 2 CUP liquid measuring cup. Next, add 3 egg yolks into the measuring cup. You always want your wet ingredients to add up to ¾ C. So, depending on the size of your eggs, you might need to add one more egg yolk, or use olive oil to top off your wet mixture to ¾ C. Once that’s ready, you’ll pour it into your flour well and turn your mixer back on and let that mix for about 10 minutes. I always knead the dough by hand once it’s generally mixed, because the more you knead your pasta dough, the better it gets! Once you knead for about 10-15 mins, form it into a nice little ball and it’s finished when you press into it and it bounces back up. Let that sit in the mixing bowl with a towel over it for 30 minutes. Put a pot of water on the stove to boil your pasta. Make sure you salt your water heavily when it comes to a boil. Once your dough is rested, cut the dough into 4 equal pieces, and use your pasta roller to roll out your sheets (for lasagna I usually roll it down to the 2 setting, all other pasta to the 1 setting). I usually cut the pieces in half, or to the size of the baking pan you’ll be using. Let them rest on a floured sheet pan until you’re ready to cook. It should only take them about 5 minutes to boil, and then place them in an ice bath to cool down before you assemble your lasagna.
5. The next step is your bechamel sauce! Melt down your butter on medium/low heat. Add your flour and whisk constantly, letting it cook for about 2-3 minutes. Next, whisk in about 2 TBSP of milk until fully mixed. Keep adding small increments of milk, whisking constantly until a smooth paste forms. Whisk in the last of your milk with the nutmeg & salt. Cook for about 15 minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon to make sure lumps don’t form. Add in your pepper and let cool while you gather your ingredients to assemble your lasagna!
6. Time to assemble! Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. In your baking dish, start by scooping a layer of your Bolognese, spreading evenly. Lay down a layer of pasta sheets, Bolognese, bechamel, and grated parmesan. Keep going with these layers until you are almost at the top of your pan. The top layer will just be one last layer of pasta sheet and a little bit of sauce on top. Cover your dish with aluminum foil and bake for about 20 minutes. Remove your dish from the oven and uncover. Sprinkle a healthy layer of parmesan on top and put it back in the oven uncovered for 5 minutes. Once removed from the oven, let your lasagna cool for 10-15 minute before slicing into squares.
7. Top your helping of lasagna with fresh basil & enjoy!!