Lasagna Bolognese y Bechamel Recipe

Lasagna Bolognese y Béchamel

This is my favorite take on the very savory Italian dish. It’s a creamy, very flavorful lasagna, but not as ‘heavy’ as most lasagnas tend to be, as it does not incorporate Ricotta cheese. Each layer of this lasagna is loaded with a rich combination of Bolognese and béchamel sauces – and we can't forget the Parmesan cheese.

INGREDIENTS

Bolognese Sauce
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup chopped onion
2 tablespoons minced garlic (equal to two cloves of crushed garlic)
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped carrot
1/2 pound pancetta, diced
1 1/4 pound ground beef chuck
1 1/2 cups dry white wine
2 1/2 cans of imported Italian Plum Tomatoes, cut with their juices
salt and pepper to taste

Béchamel Sauce
1 tablespoon butter
3 cups milk
6 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
pinch of nutmeg, ground

Lasagne Noodles
1 pound fresh lasagna noodles
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 cups fresh grated Parmesan cheese

PREPARATION

Bolognese
1. Put the oil, butter, and chopped onion into a large pot, and turn the heat to medium. 2. Add the pancetta and garlic. Cook and stir until the pancetta has rendered, and the onion has become translucent… 3. Add the chopped celery and carrot. Cook for about two minutes, stirring the vegetables to coat them. 4. Add the ground beef, a large pinch of salt, and a few grindings of pepper. Crumble the meat with a fork, stir well, and cook until the beef has lost its raw, red color. 5. Pour the wine into the pot, and let it simmer until it has evaporated. 6. Add the tomatoes, and stir thoroughly to coat all of the ingredients well. 7. When the tomatoes begin to bubble, turn the heat down so that the sauce cooks at a very lazy simmer, with just an intermittent bubble breaking through to the surface. Cook it uncovered, for at least 3 hours (longer is fine, but watch how low the Bolognese sauce reduces in the pot), stirring from time to time. While the sauce is cooking, you are likely to find that it begins to dry out, and the fat separates from the meat. 8. To keep it from sticking to the pot, continue cooking and add a 1/2 cup of water when necessary. At the end, however, there should be no water left at all, and the fat must separate from the sauce. Taste and correct for salt.

Béchamel Sauce
1. Melt the butter in a pan over medium heat and whisk in the flour when the butter begins to melt. Cook it for 2 minutes, whisking constantly to avoid burning the flour.
2. Pour in the milk, and continue to whisk constantly until the mixture begins to boil.
3. Season with salt and pepper and a pinch of nutmeg. Lower the heat, cover and simmer gently for 20 minutes.
4. Remove the pan from heat. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.

Lasagna Noodles and Layering
1. Cook the fresh lasagna noodles in boiling salted water for 3 minutes and strain.
Note: If you’re using dried lasagna noodles, make sure they cook for 11 minutes in salted, boiling water before using them – then proceed in the same fashion as stated above.
2. Toss the noodles with olive oil, and begin layering a casserole dish by placing noodles on the bottom of the dish (use enough noodles to completely fill the space), then evenly spread a layer of the Bolognese sauce, then spread a layer of béchamel sauce, sprinkle some of the grated Parmesan cheese, and then another layer of pasta. Smaller casserole dishes will use fewer noodles, and be piled higher, than larger casserole dishes.

Repeat this procedure until you’ve used all of the pasta and both sauces, creating a layered effect of both the pasta and the sauces. Once the top layer of béchamel sauce is spread over the top, spread a fine layer of grated fresh Parmesan cheese over it and place the casserole dish in the oven.

3. Bake for 40-50 minutes at 400 degrees or until the top layer of cheese is golden brown.