Authentic Lasagna Bolognese

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In the movie, The Big Night, There is a scene in the kitchen with Tony Shalhoub, (Primo) and Allison Janney, (Ann). Primo is telling Ann about Bologna, Italy. He says, "They make a dish there called lasagna Bolognese. You can't believe how good this is. And when my uncle, in Rome at his restaurant, when he makes this you eat, you go, and then you kill yourself, you have to kill yourself after you eat it. You can't live." While I don't advocate killing yourself, lasagna Bolognese is literally that damn good!

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There are several things that differentiate Lasagna Bolognese from the Italian-American style Lasagna that Americans are familiar with. The obvious differences are the use of bechamel sauce in place of ricotta, and Parmagianno-Reggiano in place of mozzarella.

Lasagna Bolognese is made using authentic Bolognese sauce, or ragu alla Bolognese. Marinara with ground beef doesn't cut it here. Lastly, fresh egg pasta should always be used, not dried lasagna noodles.  Typically, though not required, it is prepared with spinach pasta or pasta verde which is just pasta made with spinach. 

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Working one section of dough at a time roll through the pasta roller starting with the widest setting and working down to the thinnest. After you finish rolling the pasta arrange on a sheet pan dusted with flour.

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Cover each layer of pasta sheets with parchment paper. Repeat until all the pasta is rolled out.

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Working in batches add the lasagna sheets to the boiling water and cook briefly, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the sheets from the pot using a medium mesh strainer.

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Let them cool for about 30 seconds to 1 minute.

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Remove them from the ice bath.

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Spread out on clean kitchen towels. Continue until all of the pasta sheets have been cooked.

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Spray a 13 × 9 baking pan with non-stick spray. Spread a thin layer of bechamel sauce on the bottom of the pan and sprinkle with Parmigiano.

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Cover with a layer of pasta cutting sheets as necessary to create a layer with complete coverage. You can overlap the pasta where necessary.

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Spread a thin layer bechamel, then spread a layer of Bolognese on top of the bechamel. Sprinkle with a fine layer of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.

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Repeat until you have created at least 4 layers of pasta, ideally you want 6 layers.

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Continuing the lasagna build.

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Here, top layer of pasta is covered with bechamel and Bolognese, then sprinkled with the cheese.

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This is the lasagna without the Bolognese sauce on top. It is just bechamel and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.

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Lasagna Bolognese The World'S Best Lasagna

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• Yield: 10 servings
• Prep Time: 2 hours
• Cook Time: 1 hour
• Oven: 350° F / 175° C

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Equipment

• Pasta Machine 

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Ingredients

For The Lasagna

• 10-1/2 ounces / 300 grams all purpose flour
• 7 ounces / 200 grams semolina flour
• 3 eggs
• 7 egg yolks

For The Bolognese Sauce

For a more detailed description see the complete recipe.

• 60 ml / 2 ounces / 1/4 cup olive oil
• 170 grams / 6 ounces pancetta, finely chopped
• 1 large  onion, finely chopped
• 1 small carrot, finely chopped
• 1 large celery rib, finely chopped
• 450 grams / 1 pound beef chuck, ground
• 450 grams / 1 pound pork shoulder, ground
• 60 ml / 2 ounces / 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 350 ml / 12 ounces / 1-1/2 cups dry red wine, (sangiovese)
• 350 ml / 12 ounces / 1-1/2 cups whole milk
• Kosher salt and cracked pepper, to taste

For The Bechamel

For a more detailed description see the complete recipe.

• 6 tablespoons / 85 grams butter
• 6 tablespoons / 45 grams all purpose flour
• 1 quart / 1 liter milk
• kosher salt to taste
• white pepper to taste
• nutmeg to taste - fresh grated

To Build The Lasagna

• 2 cups grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

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Method

For The Lasagna

1. Combine the flours in a the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the eggs and egg yolks and mix using the paddle until the egg has been incorporated into the flour mixture. Remove the paddle attachment and replace it with the dough hook. Mix until the dough forms a smooth ball, about 2 to 3 minutes.
2. Remove the dough and form into a disc. Wrap with plastic and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
3. Once the dough has rested, section the dough into eight pieces.
4. Working one section of dough at a time roll through the pasta roller starting with the widest setting and working down to the thinnest. Be certain to keep remaining dough covered with plastic wrap or a damp towel to prevent drying out.
5. After you finish rolling the pasta arrange on a sheet pan dusted with flour. Cover each layer of pasta sheets with parchment paper. Repeat until all the pasta is rolled out.

For The Bolognese Sauce

1. Sweat the pancetta in olive oil until soft. Add the onion, carrot, and celery and fry until the onion is transparent.Add the beef and pork  and cook until it is lightly browned. Add the tomato puree and the wine and mix well. Add the milk, little by little until it is completely absorbed.
2. Season with salt and pepper, and cook over low heat, very slowly, for 3 to 4 hours. Stir occasionally and if it looks like it is getting too dry, add a little more milk.

For The Bechamel

1. Melt the butter in a medium sauce pan over low heat. Add the flour and stir with a wire whisk until they combine into a smooth mixture.
2. Meanwhile, heat the milk in a separate sauce pan until just below a simmer. 
3. Add the milk to the butter and flour mixture, a little at a time and slowly at first, incorporating the milk into the mixture with a whisk after each addition. Continue adding more milk until all of the milk has been incorporated into the sauce. Increase the heat to medium and stir constantly with a rubber spatula until the sauce comes to a boil.
4. Remove from heat and pass the sauce through a medium mesh strainer. Cover the finished sauce with film directly resting on the top of the sauce. Set aside until ready to build the lasagna.

To Build Lasagna Bolognese

1. Preheat the oven to 350° F / 175° C.
2. Bring a large pot of liberally salted water to a rolling boil. Working in batches add the lasagna sheets to the boiling water and cook briefly, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the sheets from the pot using a medium mesh strainer. Allow the pasta to drain and immediately transfer to an ice bath to stop the cooking. Let them cool for about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Remove them from the ice bath and spread out on clean kitchen towels. Continue until all of the pasta sheets have been cooked.
3. Spray a 13 × 9 baking pan with non-stick spray. Spread a thin layer of bechamel sauce on the bottom of the pan and sprinkle with Parmigiano. Cover with a layer of pasta cutting sheets as necessary to create a layer with complete coverage. You can overlap the pasta where necessary. Spread a thin layer bechamel, then spread a layer of Bolognese on top of the bechamel. Sprinkle with a fine layer of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Repeat until you have created at least 4 layers of pasta, ideally you want 6 layers.
4. For the top layer of pasta you can opt to mix the remaining bechamel and Bolognese sauce together and spread thinly over top layer of pasta. Alternatively, you can spread bechamel only over the top layer of pasta. Either way, sprinkle liberally with Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.
5. Place pan in oven and bake for approximately 30 minutes, the top should be slightly browned and the sauces should be bubbling.

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Notes

1. When boiling the pasta sheets it is important not to overcook them, because they continue cooking when you bake the lasagna. Cook them in the boiling water for no longer than 2 to 3 minutes, depending on the thickness of the pasta sheets. You ideally want them to be soft enough to work with.
2. When they finish cooking transfer them immediately to an ice bath and let them cool for about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Remove them from the ice bath and dry them between layers of kitchen towels.
3. Drying the noodles is important for 2 reasons, primarily you don't want your lasagna to end up watery so you must remove all the excess moisture from the pasta. The second reason for drying them is that cooked pasta will continue to absorb water if you leave it sitting on the pasta.
4. I've seen lasagne Bolognese prepared only with bechamel on top and I've seen it prepared with Bolognese and bechamel on top, while I was in Italy. So I made an example of each, for you to see. Personally, my preference is with Bolognese sauce on top. I just think it looks better.

Tags: lasagna bolognese, cooking lasagna, italian lasagna recipe, best lasagna recipe, worlds best lasagna

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