Lasagne Bolognese
The lasagne you eat in Bologna has nothing to do with the quick traybake versions. Real ragù is a slow stew, not just tomato sauce with mince. The secret is in how you build it: first a soffritto (onion, carrot, celery) that cooks gently for 15 minutes, then mince that really browns, then wine, then milk that reduces for creaminess, and only then the tomato. Two hours of gentle stewing does the rest. The béchamel is pure Bologna. In Naples they use ricotta, but that's a different lasagne.
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 50 g pancetta or bacon, diced
1 Heat the oil in the Dutch oven and fry the pancetta over medium-high heat for 5 minutes until it releases its fat.
- 1 onion
- 1 carrot
- 1 celery stick
2 Chop all three very finely (this is the soffritto). Add and cook over low heat for 5 minutes until the vegetables are soft and sweet. Don't let them brown.
- 400 g beef mince
- 100 g pork mince
3 Add the mince and fry over higher heat until crumbly. Keep frying until all the liquid has evaporated and the meat really starts to brown, 10 to 15 minutes. This is where you build flavour.
- 2 tbsp tomato purée
4 Stir in the tomato purée and fry for 1 minute.
- 200 ml dry white wine
5 Add the wine and let it evaporate too. Yes, white wine: the classic Bolognese ragù doesn't use red.
- 150 ml whole milk
- pinch of nutmeg
6 Pour in the milk, add the nutmeg and reduce for 5 minutes until almost dry. Milk makes the ragù creamy and softens the acidity.
- 400 g chopped tomatoes (tin)
- 300 ml beef stock
- 1 bay leaf
- salt and pepper
7 Add the chopped tomatoes, stock and bay leaf. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, turn the heat down very low and simmer gently with the lid on for 2 hours. Stir now and then.
- 60 g butter
- 60 g plain flour
8 Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in the flour and cook for 2 minutes, stirring all the time. The roux should bubble lightly but not colour.
- 700 ml whole milk
- pinch of nutmeg
- pinch of salt
9 Add the milk a bit at a time, whisking until smooth before you add the next splash. Simmer gently for 5 minutes until you have a thick sauce. Season with nutmeg and salt.
- 250 g fresh lasagne sheets (or dried no-cook)
- 100 g grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
10 Preheat the oven to 180 °C.
11 Spoon a thin layer of ragù over the bottom of the Dutch oven. Lay lasagne sheets on top. Then a layer of ragù, a layer of béchamel and a handful of Parmesan. Repeat as many times as you can and finish with béchamel and a generous layer of Parmesan.
12 Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until the top is golden and the edges bubble. Leave to rest for 15 minutes before cutting.
Ingredients
Step 1
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 50 g pancetta or bacon, diced
Step 2
- 1 onion
- 1 carrot
- 1 celery stick
Step 3
- 400 g beef mince
- 100 g pork mince
Step 4
- 2 tbsp tomato purée
Step 5
- 200 ml dry white wine
Step 6
- 150 ml whole milk
- pinch of nutmeg
Step 7
- 400 g chopped tomatoes (tin)
- 300 ml beef stock
- 1 bay leaf
- salt and pepper
Step 8
- 60 g butter
- 60 g plain flour
Step 9
- 700 ml whole milk
- pinch of nutmeg
- pinch of salt
Step 10
- 250 g fresh lasagne sheets (or dried no-cook)
- 100 g grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
Method
- 1 Heat the oil in the Dutch oven and fry the pancetta over medium-high heat for 5 minutes until it releases its fat.
- 2 Chop all three very finely (this is the soffritto). Add and cook over low heat for 5 minutes until the vegetables are soft and sweet. Don't let them brown.
- 3 Add the mince and fry over higher heat until crumbly. Keep frying until all the liquid has evaporated and the meat really starts to brown, 10 to 15 minutes. This is where you build flavour.
- 4 Stir in the tomato purée and fry for 1 minute.
- 5 Add the wine and let it evaporate too. Yes, white wine: the classic Bolognese ragù doesn't use red.
- 6 Pour in the milk, add the nutmeg and reduce for 5 minutes until almost dry. Milk makes the ragù creamy and softens the acidity.
- 7 Add the chopped tomatoes, stock and bay leaf. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, turn the heat down very low and simmer gently with the lid on for 2 hours. Stir now and then.
- 8 Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in the flour and cook for 2 minutes, stirring all the time. The roux should bubble lightly but not colour.
- 9 Add the milk a bit at a time, whisking until smooth before you add the next splash. Simmer gently for 5 minutes until you have a thick sauce. Season with nutmeg and salt.
- 10 Preheat the oven to 180 °C.
- 11 Spoon a thin layer of ragù over the bottom of the Dutch oven. Lay lasagne sheets on top. Then a layer of ragù, a layer of béchamel and a handful of Parmesan. Repeat as many times as you can and finish with béchamel and a generous layer of Parmesan.
- 12 Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until the top is golden and the edges bubble. Leave to rest for 15 minutes before cutting.
