| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 5 hr 35 min |
| Active: | 1 hr |
| Yield: | 12 servings |
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 5 hr 35 min |
| Active: | 1 hr |
| Yield: | 12 servings |
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 8 ounces thick-cut bacon, cut into small pieces
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 ribs celery, finely chopped
- 2 large carrots, finely chopped
- 1 medium sweet onion, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 pounds ground beef (80/20)
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 2 cups dry white wine
- One 28-ounce can pureed San Marzano tomatoes
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups whole milk, heated
- 2 cups heavy cream, heated
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup grated fontina cheese
- Pinch nutmeg
- 1 tablespoon butter, for the baking dish
- Two 1-pound boxes lasagna noodles, uncooked
- 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Instructions
- For the Bolognese ragu: Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Smear 1 tablespoon butter in an even layer over the bottom and sides of a Dutch oven. Set aside.
- In a large skillet over medium heat, render the bacon until cooked through but not crisp, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer the bacon to a paper towel and pour off all but 1 tablespoon of the bacon fat from the skillet. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon butter and melt over medium heat. Add the garlic, celery, carrots and onion and saute until the onion is translucent and the vegetables are softened, about 8 minutes. Transfer the vegetables to the Dutch oven.
- Add the oil to the skillet and add the beef. Cook the meat, breaking it apart with a wooden spoon, until uniformly brown, about 15 minutes. Transfer the beef and bacon to the Dutch oven and pour in the chicken stock, wine and tomato puree. Transfer to the oven and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 to 4 hours.
- If there is a large amount of fat on top of the sauce, skim it off with a large spoon. Stir in the cream and Parmigiano-Reggiano. Taste for seasoning, adding salt and pepper if needed.
- For the cheese sauce: In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the flour, whisking for a minute. Add the milk and cream and cook, whisking, until the mixture thickens, 5 to 10 minutes. (The process goes more quickly if you warm the milk and cream beforehand.) Add salt and pepper to taste. Remove from the heat, add the fontina and nutmeg and whisk to combine.
- For the lasagna: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish along the bottom and sides.
- Spread a thin layer of the ragu sauce on the bottom of the baking dish and top with a single layer of noodles. Top with another layer of the ragu sauce. Spoon a thin layer of the cheese sauce over the ragu in the baking dish. Top with a second layer of noodles and continue layering with the ragu, cheese sauce and noodles until you’ve finished the noodles and reached the top. Finish with a last layer of ragu and cheese sauce and top with the Parmigiano-Reggiano. Bake until bubbling, 30 to 35 minutes.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 12 servings |
| Calories | 1133 |
| Total Fat | 70 g |
| Saturated Fat | 34 g |
| Carbohydrates | 75 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 5 g |
| Sugar | 12 g |
| Protein | 44 g |
| Cholesterol | 216 mg |
| Sodium | 1338 mg |
| Serving Size | 1 of 12 servings |
| Calories | 1133 |
| Total Fat | 70 g |
| Saturated Fat | 34 g |
| Carbohydrates | 75 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 5 g |
| Sugar | 12 g |
| Protein | 44 g |
| Cholesterol | 216 mg |
| Sodium | 1338 mg |
Reviews
This is, by far, the best pasta sauce I’ve ever tasted. I would definitely give the whole recipe a 10/10. I made it exactly as written with one exception, I added salt when browning the ground beef. I let the sauce reduce down substantially, but some liquidity is needed to rehydrate the lasagna noodles. The bechamel is so much better than traditional ricotta methods. That said, it is soooo rich as a lasagna and the bechamel, though delicious, drowns out the more fabulous bolognese sauce. I think next time, I’d enjoy it better just to make the bolognese sauce and serve that over rigatoni or similar pasta.
Made this for the first time yesterday. I added about 1/2 pound of browned sweet sausage. I let it cook in the oven for the 5 hours, and it looked pretty soupy. I refrigerated it overnight, and in the morning it looked a bit better. I skimmed the fat off the top, put it on the stove and added some tomato paste, sweet basil and garlic salt and a few shakes of hot sauce; it needed more seasoning for sure. I then added two tablespoons of cornstarch mixed with 4 tablespoons water and let it bubble while stirring, and it helped a lot with the thickness of the sauce. It now looks like the consistency of oatmeal, which is what I learned I was looking for. It is so delicious. I will make the lasagna tomorrow. So looking forward to it!
The most authentic lasagna I’ve ever had. It’s so meaty & delicious. I added fresh parsley, rosemary, thyme, a bay leaf & a Parmesan rind to the sauce while it cooked, uncovered for 4 hours in the oven. It’s worth the effort.
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The sauce was good but even after 4 hours was quite watery. Not sure what went wrong.
I do believe that with a couple of minor tweaks, this is one of the best Bolognese I have ever had. First – you need to season as you go. The recipe does leave a few things out – like seasoning with salt and pepper to taste as you go. I too had to let it cook, low and slow in the oven for the full 4 hours and the second time I made it…I let it go 4.5 hours (and it was even better). I think this can easily be differences in cooking vessels, ovens, etc. But you might need to go longer and you should think about planning to do so. I also baked the lasagna longer than recommended (I used 40 minutes and it was about perfect). Yes…you do use UNCOOKED sheets of lasagna…so don’t cook them in advance and you don’t need to buy the “special ones”…just any uncooked lasagna will work. Do try to either spoon off or blot off excess grease. Do let the lasagna rest (covered) once out of the oven so that it can firm before you serve it.
It does take some time and effort, but it is more than worth it. I will use this same bolognese over rigatoni or some other type of pasta besides just making lasagna.
I would have give it the full 5 stars except I do believe that the recipe did leave out a few things (like seasoning) which I kind of consider important…but once I figured that out…the rest is truly great!
This recipe is awesome! I made it once as lasagna and am now making it with rigatoni as Lidia does. The lasagna was phenomenal as I’m not the biggest fan of traditional.
I love this recipe although to be honest, I only use it for the bolognese sauce. It was easy, reduced beautifully in the oven, and I used it over pasta instead since I really don’t like lasagna. It freezes well too!!
I thought i’d Venture past my 20+ year lasagne recipe to try something new. I really regret it. It was a waste of both effort and ingredients. I wish I read the reviews before this attempt. It’s too bad the directions dont contain the same information that the reviews do. I thought this was awful. Stick to your tried and true recipes. I wish I had.
Loved it! Can I freeze some of the sauce in small portions to use elsewhere?