Ingredients
12 lasagna noodles
1 1/3 cups of grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Bolognese:
2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
4 ounces of pancetta chopped
1 medium of onion finely chopped
2 celery ribs finely chopped
2 carrots finely chopped
3 garlic cloves minced
1 teaspoon of dried basil
12 ounces of lean ground sirloin
6 ounces of ground pork
6 ounces of ground veal
1 (28-ounce) can of crushed tomatoes
3 tablespoons of tomato paste
2/3 cup of heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1/4 teaspoon of ground black pepper
Béchamel:
1/4 cup of unsalted butter
1/4 cup of all-purpose flour
3 cups of whole milk
1 pinch of ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon of salt
Directions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add lasagna noodles and cook according to package directions; drain. Rinse lasagna under cold water then drain again. Toss noodles with a little olive oil to prevent sticking. Lightly oil a large shallow baking sheet and lay out noodles.
- Heat the oil in a 5-quart saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the pancetta and cook, stirring occasionally, until just starting to brown, about 4 minutes. Stir in the onion, celery, carrots, garlic and basil; cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 8-10 minutes. Add the ground beef, pork and veal; cook, breaking into smaller pieces with a wooden spoon, until meat just starts to brown, about 15 minutes. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste and cream. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium and simmer, stirring occasionally, until very thick and flavors have come together, 45 minutes. Remove from the heat and season with salt and pepper.
- For the béchamel, melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the flour and cook 1 minute. Whisk in the milk, nutmeg and salt and bring to a boil, whisking occasionally. Reduce heat to medium and simmer, whisking often, until thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and reserved 1/2 cup separately from the saucepan.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly oil a 13-inch by 9-inch baking pan.
- Spread 1/4 cup béchamel over the bottom of the prepared pan. Top with three noodles. Spread noodles with 1/3 of the Bolognese then 1/3 of the béchamel and 1/3 cup cheese. Repeat layering twice more. Top the lasagna with the three remaining noodles then spread with the reserved 1/2 cup béchamel sauce. Sprinkle with remaining 1/3 cup cheese. Cover loosely with aluminum foil.
- Bake lasagna 25 minutes then uncover and bake an additional 12-15 minutes until very hot and the top is lightly browned. Let stand at least 15 minutes before cutting.
