Lasagna Bolognese Recipe

Ingredients

Bolognese Sauce

• 1 yellow onion (finely diced)
• 1 medium carrot (peeled and finely diced)
• 1 celery stalk (finely diced)
• 3 cloves garlic (minced)
• 3 tablespoons neutral oil
• 2 ounces pancetta (diced)
• 1 pound ground beef
• 0.33 cup red wine
• 4.5 cups marinara sauce
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 0.5 teaspoon ground black pepper

Pasta & Ricotta Filling

• 1 pound lasagna noodles
• 32 ounces whole milk ricotta cheese
• 2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley
• 2 tablespoons fresh julienned basil
• 0.5 teaspoon salt
• 0.25 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 cup parmesan (divided)
• 3 cups whole milk mozzarella (grated, divided)
• 2 large eggs

Instructions

Prepare the Bolognese Sauce

1. In a deep sided skillet, heat oil over high heat. Add onion, carrots, and celery and sauté over high heat for 3 minutes. Incorporate the garlic to the pan and continue to cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently.
2. Cook the pancetta with the sautéed vegetables for 2 minutes before adding the ground beef. Using a wooden spoon or spatula, break apart the ground beef as it cooks and season with salt and pepper.
3. When beef is about 90% cooked through (about 3 minutes), deglaze the pan with red wine. This will take about 1 minute for the wine to start reducing.
4. Reduce heat to medium and add the marinara sauce, tomato paste, salt, and pepper to the pan. Stir well to combine.
5. Reduce the heat again to low and simmer for 5 minutes. After the 5 minutes of simmering, remove from heat and set aside until you're ready to build the lasagna. The sauce can also be made in advance.

Prepare the Pasta

1. Bring a large stock pot of water with a generous amount of salt (about 2 to 3 teaspoons) to a boil over high heat. When the water boils, cook pasta until al dente - every brand is different, follow the package recommendations.
2. While the pasta cooks, line a sheet pan with clean kitchen towels plus have a few extra on hand. Drain the cooked pasta and layer on the clean kitchen towels in single layers.

Make the Ricotta Filling

1. In a large bowl, combine the whole milk ricotta, parsley, basil, salt and pepper. Add half the parmesan, and half the shredded whole milk mozzarella, and eggs to the bowl. Mix well with a spatula to combine.

Assemble & Bake

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. In a 9x13 deep sided baking dish, lightly coat the bottom with a thin layer of bolognese sauce.
2. Layer three lasagna noodles side by side and one noodle perpendicular on the top (noodle may need to be cut or you can press it up the side). Carefully spread your first layer of ricotta filling by taking small spoonfuls and making dollops over the noodles. Then use a spatula or the back of a large spoon to spread it as evenly as possible.
3. Top with 1 to 1½ cup bolognese sauce and lightly spread over the cheese mixture. Top with lasagna noodles and repeat the ricotta and sauce layers 3 more times.
4. For the last layer of noodles, top lightly with bolognese sauce. Sprinkle with remaining parmesan and mozzarella.
5. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 25 minutes in a 375°F oven. Remove foil and bake for an additional 25 minutes.
6. After baking, let rest for 5 to 10 minutes to let the cheese mixture set up for easier slicing. Top each slice with reserved bolognese sauce.

Notes

• Any leftover bolognese sauce should be served with cooked pieces of lasagna