The authentic lasagna alla bolognese

WARNING: this lasagna is NOT for people on diet.

Ok. This is the recipe you were waiting for: lasagne! Yes, with the final “e“… This is the correct spelling.  The Americanized spelling is with an “a” at the end. Lasagna has become a popular dish in many parts of the world so let’s call it this way…!!

Lasagna is typical of Italian cuisine and varies from region to region. In the South the sauce is likely to be a simple tomato sauce or ragù, whereas in other parts, especially in the North, we use a Béchamel sauce and tomato sauce together.

Lasagne verdi which means green lasagne is pasta that incorporates cooked spinach.

In my region, Emilia Romagna, lasagna is a typical winter food… It’s not very light but it’s one of the best Italian dishes in the world… Obviously, I don’t cook lasagna every week but for very special occasions.

This is the authentic Italian recipe of Lasagne alla Bolognese (servings: 6) for all of my friends. Enjoy 🙂

500 g lasagna

besciamella (béchamel/white sauce)

meat tomato sauce

200 g Parmesan cheese

FIRST STEP

Ragù:

150 g sausage or pancetta or bacon

250 g thin beef skirt

onion

1 small celery stalk

1 carrot

2 tbsp oil

white/red cooking wine

1 can tomatoes

salt

250 ml (8-1/2 oz) bouillon

Preparation

Add a stock-cube into the water.

Cut the pancetta/sausage/bacon into little cubes and melt in a saucepan with oil and onion. Finely chop the carrot and the celery and leave to stew until soft. Next, add the ground beef, stirring constantly. Add the wine. Let it steam. Add the can tomatoes and the broth, and leave to simmer for around 30 minutes. Season with salt.

SECOND STEP

Béchamel sauce or white sauce:

100 gr butter

100 gr flour

4 cups milk (you can add some cream too)

a pinch of salt

a pinch of nutmeg

Preparation

Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the paste bubbles a bit, but don’t let it brown. Remove it from the heat and add the hot milk and the cream, continuing to stir. Bring it to a boil and then lower the heat. Add salt and nutmeg to taste and cook, stirring for around 5 minutes. Remove from the heat.

THIRD STEP

Assemble and bake the lasagna

(you’ll need some grated Parmesan cheese and a foil)

Grease up with 1 tbsp of oil (or butter) a large and at least 2 inch deep lasagna pan. The lasagna will have 3 or 4 layers. Put some of the ragù in the pan. Lay down the first layer of lasagna pasta, top the pasta with a layer of béchamel and spread with tomato meat sauce. Sprinkle generously with Parmesan cheese. Lay more pasta on top and repeat the layer. Then for the last layer, make sure you have the last béchamel layer first, to end with the meat sauce on top. Sprinkle generously with Parmesan cheese. Cover the pan with a foil and bake in the oven for around 45-50 minutes.

Remove the foil and continue cooking for other 5 minutes.