INGREDIENTS
- Lasagna:
- 1 pound dry lasagna pasta sheets
- 6 cups Bolognese sauce, recipe follows
- 3 cups Bechamel sauce, recipe follows
- 1 pound freshly grated mozzarella
- Freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, for sprinkling
- Bolognese Sauce:
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 large carrot, finely chopped
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 1 large celery stalk, finely chopped
- 2 dried chili peppers, crushed
- Sprig fresh rosemary
- 1/2 pound ground beef
- 1/2 pound ground pork
- 1 cup white wine
- 3 cups tomato sauce or La Salsa di 5 Minuti, recipe follows
- 3 basil leaves, torn
- Salt
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- La Salsa di 5 Minuti:
- 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
- Dried chili peppers, crushed
- 1 (28-ounce) can peeled plum tomatoes, pureed
- Salt
- 3 fresh basil leaves, torn
- Bechamel Sauce:
- 5 tablespoons butter
- 5 tablespoons flour
- 4 1/2 cups milk
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DIRECTIONSDIRECTIONS (CONT.)
To assemble:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Cover the bottom of a deep baking dish with a layer of Bolognese sauce. Lay out the uncooked pasta sheets over the sauce until they cover the baking dish entirely. Cover the pasta with another generous layer of Bolognese sauce. The liquid from the sauce will cook the dried pasta so be sure to add enough sauce. Drizzle the bechamel sauce and sprinkle the mozzarella on top, until both are distributed evenly. Add another layer of dried pasta, laying the sheets in the opposite direction.
Repeat the process of adding sauces, mozzarella, and pasta for another 2 to 3 layers or until two-thirds of the baking dish’s depth is filled. Top off the last layer of sauces and mozzarella with a generous sprinkle of the Parmigiano cheese.
Place the pan in oven for approximately 40 minutes and let rest for 20 minutes before serving.DIRECTIONS
Bolognese Sauce:
In a hot saucepan, melt the unsalted butter with the olive oil, and add the carrots, onion, celery, and chili pepper. Cook the ingredients over medium heat, until they are soft. Add a sprig of rosemary.
Add the ground beef and pork, and cook until golden brown. Remove the rosemary sprig, and add the white wine. Let reduce.
Add the tomato sauce or La Salsa di 5 Minuti, and let simmer on low heat for 1 hour.
Before serving, add basil leaves and salt to season. Serve immediately.DIRECTIONS
Salsa di 5 Minuti:
Heat olive oil in a saucepan and add onion, garlic, and chili peppers. Gently fry ingredients together.
Add pureed plum tomatoes to saucepan. Simmer on low to medium heat for 10 minutes.
Season with salt to taste. Add basil leaves at the very end.DIRECTIONS
Bechamel:
In a saucepan, heat up the milk, and bring to a gentle simmer. In another saucepan, melt the butter and immediately add the flour. Lower the heat, and mix until the butter has absorbed all the flour and is the consistency of thick dough. Make sure the butter-flour mixture does not burn or brown.
Remove the saucepan from the heat, and whisk in a couple of ladles of heated milk into the butter-flour mixture. Whisk until the flour has absorbed all of the milk. Put the saucepan back on the burner over medium heat, and whisk in the remainder of the milk. Continue whisking until the sauce thickens and becomes a creamy velvety consistency.
Time To Unpack 