This is one of my favorite recipes that I learned from my Italian cousin in Milan. One evening she made this dish, and I begged her for the recipe. It’s an authentic Italian dish, using just a few ingredients to create an incredible flavor.
Ingredients for Bolognese Sauce:
2 – 3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 medium onion, diced
1/2 carrot, diced
1/4 celery stalk, diced
1 -2 pounds veal, twice ground (you may also use a beef, veal, pork blend)
2 cloves
1/4 cup white wine (more as necessary)
1 can tomato paste
1 teaspoon salt – and more to taste
1 – 2 cups Parmesan cheese, grated
Lasagna sheets, fresh or dried
Ingredients for Bechamel Sauce:
4 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
2 cups whole milk
¼ teaspoon salt
Bolognese:
Heat the olive oil in a large pot. Add the onion, carrot and celery and sauté over low medium heat until soft and golden brown. Add the meat, 2 cloves and salt. Combine the mixture and continue to brown at a moderate heat. Add 1/4 glass of white wine and cook until absorbed. Stir in tomato paste and salt and cook at the lowest heat for 2 – 3 hours.
Bechamel Sauce:
Heat the milk just before the boiling point – where tiny bubbles form on the surface. In a medium sauce pan, melt the butter on low heat. Add the flour stirring constantly. Add the milk 2 tablespoons at a time. When about ½ cup of milk has been added, continue to add ½ cup of milk, constantly stirring. Continue to add the milk until it has all been added. Add salt and stir until it forms a thick cream. If the mixture is too thin, cook a little longer.
Preheat the oven to 375F
Cook the lasagne sheets according to instructions on the package. Drain the pasta in a strainer and place under cold water to stop the cooking. Lay the strips on clean, dry dish towels and pat dry.
Grease the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch pan with a little Bolognese sauce then add strips of lasagna to cover the bottom of the dish. Then add the Bolognese sauce, the béchamel, the parmesan and repeat. There should be 3 layers. On the top layer, spread a very thin amount of the meat sauce, add the remaining bechamel and the Parmesan cheese.
Bake at 375F for 20 minutes.
Enjoy!
