Authentic LASAGNA alla Bolognese FROM SCRATCH

Although you can make lasagna with no boil pasta, making it from scratch is the way to go. And one of the best lasagna recipes in the world is the one from Bologna, alla bolognese. It’s simple in that it only has four elements. A rich meat ragu sauce, a creamy bechamel, lots of grated parmesan, and fresh pasta made by hand. It’s not as difficult as you think and it makes great pasta for a special occasion.

My RAGU alla BOLOGNESE video:    • The Official Ragu alla Bolognese |  A...  

Serves 8 as a first course
Prep time: 1 hour
Cook time: 4 hours

For the ragu
Ingredients
300 grams of ground beef
150 grams of ground pancetta (or finely minced)
150 grams of soffritto (finely chopped celery, carrot, and onion)
300 grams of passata
½ cup of wine
1 cup of whole milk
1 liter of chicken broth (or water)
Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:
Add the pancetta to a cold Dutch oven and then put over medium heat. Let it render the fat and then add the soffritto. Add a pinch of salt and let it soften for about 5 minutes. Add the ground beef which has been ground to a coarse consistency and break it apart in the pan. Brown it well for about 5 minutes over high heat.

Once the meat is browned, add the wine and let it reduce until the pan is almost dry. Add the broth and passata until the meat is covered. Turn the heat to low and let it simmer uncovered for about an hour.

After an hour has passed add the milk and continue to cook over low heat for another hour. Add more broth or water as needed if it looks like it’s getting dry. Make sure to stir every 15 minutes or so throughout the cooking process.

After 2 hours have passed, turn off the heat and set aside until the pasta is cooked and you are ready to assemble. This can be done days ahead of time to make things easier.

For the bechamel
Ingredients:
90 grams of unsalted butter
90 grams of flour
1.5 liters of milk
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon of grated nutmeg
Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:
Melt the butter in a small sauce pot and add the flour once it starts to bubble. Mix it well with a wooden spoon and cook until it smells nutty or toasty. This takes about two minutes.

Add the cold milk a half cup at a time while mixing until it is incorporated then add more. Keep adding it a little at a time until the mixture is a bit saucy and then add the remainder of the milk.

Stir it constantly to prevent it from forming a crust on the bottom of the pan. Add a bay leaf and the nutmeg. Once it reaches the consistency of buttermilk, it can be removed from the heat. This takes about ten to fifteen minutes.

Set the bechamel aside to cool while you make the pasta.