Lasagna from Bologna
Americans have all had lasagna in one form or another. There is something about those layers of pasta, meat sauce, and ricotta cheese that makes lasagna one of the most classic Italian dishes in the world, and it’s a fantastic thing to make ahead and serve to large families. It’s also one of those dishes that led me, an American boy, to believe that most Italian cooking is just various combinations of pasta, red/meat sauce, and cheese.
However, I am about to show you what’s basically the lasagna that started it all, a lasagna that originated in the Bologna region of Italy. This lasagna features your classic lasagna components of pasta and meat sauce (or bolognese), but for me what makes this a more traditional Bolognese lasagna is the use of a Bechamel sauce.
That’s right, no ricotta in a lasagna. To the American palate, this might sound bizarre, but the fact is that this is how the original lasagna was done. I’m not saying that ricotta should never belong in a lasagna, that’s how many Americans grew up eating it, but I do think that this style leads to a lasagna that’s a bit lighter.
Another major difference between this lasagna and the American version is the fact that we are using a lot less meat sauce than most American lasagnas tend to use. As quoted by Franca, a market gardener in Italy, “Remember that this is a pasta dish; the meat ragu has a supporting role, so be sparing when using it to assemble the lasagna. To be a proper lasagna bolognese, there should e at least five layers of pasta!”
I suppose having the 3-layer pasta minimum for lasagna came about when people started putting ricotta into their lasagna layers, the thick cheese probably took up extra room in the baking pan.
Well, I think I’ve talked enough about this dish, let’s get cooking!
Classic Lasagna Bolognese
Serves 8
(This lasagna can easily be made the night before you want to serve it, then bake it when it’s closer to dinner time.)
For the Bolognese Sauce:
4 tablespoons of olive oil
3 stalks of celery, finely diced
2 carrots, finely diced
1 onion, finely diced
5 ounces of pancetta
1 pound of ground beef
1 pound of ground pork
1/4 cup of dry white wine
1 1/2 pounds of passata (pureed tomatoes)
Salt
For the Pasta Dough:*
400g (14 ounces) of 00 flour or All-purpose flour
4 eggs
For the Bechamel Sauce:
4 tablespoons of butter
4 tablespoons of flour
4 cups of milk
Freshly grated nutmeg, to taste
Salt and Pepper
For assembly:
Lots and lots of grated parmesan cheese.
*Of course I’m using fresh pasta for this lasagna. Why wouldn’t I? However, if you want to use dried lasagna sheets, then I’ll allow it. You can find instructions for that in step 4.
Step 1: Make the Bolognese Sauce
Heat the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat, then add the chopped celery, carrot, and onion. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions start to brown.
Meanwhile, place the pancetta into a food processor and give it a few pulses until it looks more like ground meat. Add that to the veggies along with the ground beef, ground pork, and white wine. Cook for a few minutes, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until the wine is almost evaporated and the meat has given up all hopes of becoming a burger.
Add the Passata, then bring to a boil and let it simmer for 2 hours. The finished sauce should be dark and thick, and the acidity in the tomatoes should be mostly cooked out and should be nice and sweet. Taste the sauce and add salt if needed, although I found that the pancetta provided all the salt that my sauce needed.
Step 2: Make the Pasta
(If you’re using dried pasta sheets, then skip this and the next steps.)
While your ragu is simmering, dump the flour onto a clean workbench. Make a wide well in the center, then crack in your eggs.
Use a fork to start beating the eggs and gradually incorporate the flour into the eggs. It’s going to look soupy for a few minutes, but don’t be tempted to add lots of flour, just keep slowly beating and adding flour, and it should come together.
When the egg mixture is thick enough that the fork won’t work as well, use a bench scraper to fold the flour over the eggs and start to knead the dough. The dough is going to be very stiff at this point, but don’t worry about that, it’ll become softer as it rests.
With floured hands, knead the dough for about 5 minutes, or until the dough is very elastic and smooth. Shape the dough ball into a disc, wrap in plastic wrap, then let it rest for at least 20 minutes, so the gluten strands have a chance to relax.
Step 3: Make the Bechamel Sauce
Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the flour, then whisk for about 2 minutes to cook out the raw flavor of the flour.
Slowly pour in the milk, then bring to a simmer and let it cook for 4-5 minutes, or until nicely thickened. Season with nutmeg, salt, and pepper to taste.
Step 4: Roll out and blanch the pasta.
Bring a wide pot of heavily salted water to a gentle boil, not a rapid boil.
Cut the rested pasta dough into four pieces. Working with one piece at a time and keeping any pieces you’re not working with wrapped, use a pasta roller on its widest setting to roll the dough out once. Fold the dough into thirds, turn it 90 degrees, then roll it a second time. Do this about 3-4 times total until dough has a more even shape.
Then start cranking the roller down one width setting at a time and continue to roll the pasta through until the dough has become very long and has a thickness of 1 millimeter, or as thin as you can get it. Trim the ends, then cut the dough sheets into lengths that can fit the baking pan you plan on using a lot easier. Keep in mind that the pasta will expand in size as it cooks.
(By the way, any trimmings from your sheets can be boiled a bit and then tossed with your favorite pasta sauce. Bonus snack for the chef!)
When all of the pasta has been rolled out, lay about 2-3 sheets at a time into the simmering water and let it cook for 1-2 minutes, or until it floats to the surface of the water. Remove the sheets and lay them onto paper towels to get rid of the excess water.
(For dried pasta users, simply boil the sheets for about 2 minutes less than what the package recommends for al dente. Remember, the pasta will cook more in the oven.)
Step 5: Assemble the Lasagna
Spread a thin layer of the bolognese onto the bottom of a 9x13 baking pan. Believe it or not, this bit of sauce will help keep the lasagna from sticking to the pan.
Top that bit of sauce with a layer of the pasta sheets, it’s not the end of the world if the sheets overlap a little bit but you do want to keep it in as even of a layer as possible.
Lay a thin layer of the bolognese on top of the pasta, followed by a layer of bechamel, and sprinkle on a generous handful of grated parmesan. Repeat this until you have run out of pasta and both sauces or until your baking pan is filled to the top, finishing with a final layer of sauce and cheese. There should be at least 5 layers of pasta and sauce.
Assembling a lasagna is a bit like building a sandwich. You want to make sure each layer is even so you get a little bit of each component with each bite.
Step 6: Bake
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F/180 C.
Bake the lasagna uncovered for 40 minutes or until the cheese on top is melted and the edges are bubbly. Let the lasagna cool for at least 15 minutes before slicing and serving.
I am honestly blown away by this lasagna. Those thin, delicate pasta sheets were still somehow able to support the meaty, flavorful bolognese and the creamy bechamel while also being soft enough that I could’ve cut it with a spoon. Then, of course, there’s those crispy pasta edges from when the lasagna was in the pan that added a bit of texture to round out the whole dish.
