Nonna Maria's Lasagna Bolognese
158
- Prep Time45 mins
- Total Time4 hrs
- Makes8 to 10 servings
Produced by Chantal Braganza and Sun Ngo, Photography by Christie Vuong, Prop Styling by Catherine Doherty, Food Styling by Eshun Mott.
Every Christmas, Chantal Braganza's nonna-in-law would make an exceptional (and exceptionally labour-intensive) lasagna bolognese. Having made it herself for a few years now—and made it her own—she can confirm that it is absolutely worth the work. Don’t do pork? Switch to lean beef. Want more mozzarella content? Be her guest! But do not break Nonna’s two rules: no oven-ready dry noodles (though packaged fresh pasta is great) and no ricotta, ever.
Sauce
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
2 stalks celery, very finely chopped
1 small onion, very finely chopped
1 carrot, very finely chopped
1/4 tsp fine sea salt
250 g lean ground pork
250 g ground veal or lean ground beef
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup 3.25% milk
1/2 cup red wine
2 680-mL jars passata
2 tbsp tomato paste
2 bay leaves
2 sprigs fresh thyme
Béchamel
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/8 tsp nutmeg
3 cups 3.25% milk, divided
1 250-g package fresh egg-pasta sheets, divided
1 3⁄4 cups grated parmesan, divided
3/4 cup grated mozzarella
Instructions
Sauce: Melt 1 tbsp butter with oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot set over medium-high. Stir in celery, onion, carrot and sea salt. Reduce heat to medium. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are very soft and slightly caramelized, 8 to 10 min. Season with pepper.
Increase heat to medium-high. Add ground meats and garlic. Cook, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon, until meat has the texture of small lentils.
Pour in 1⁄2 cup milk. Simmer until liquid has mostly evaporated, 3 to 5 min. Pour in wine. Continue simmering, stirring occasionally and scraping up brown bits from bottom of pot, 3 to 5 min. Stir in passata and tomato paste until combined. Stir in bay leaves and thyme sprigs. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to low. Continue simmering, covered and stirring occasionally, until sauce is thick, dark red and richly flavoured, 1 hr 30 min. (Add splashes of water to keep sauce from drying out, if needed.)
Remove and discard bay leaves and thyme sprigs. Season with more salt, if desired. Reserve and set aside 4 1⁄2 cups sauce for lasagna; the remainder can be refrigerated, covered, for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months.
Béchamel: Melt 1⁄4 cup butter in a medium saucepan set over medium-low. Whisk in flour until mixture forms a paste and begins to bubble slightly and take on a very light golden colour—do not let it get much darker. Continue whisking, adding kosher salt and nutmeg and then 1⁄4 cup milk to thin out mixture. Gradually whisk in remaining 2 3⁄4 cups milk until sauce thickens, 5 to 6 min. Remove from heat. Season with more salt, if desired.
Assembly: Position rack in centre of oven, then preheat to 400F. Spread 1⁄3 cup béchamel over bottom of a 9 × 13-in. baking dish. Arrange three to four pasta sheets overtop, cutting to fit if needed, to create a full single layer. Spread 1 cup bolognese overtop, then a heaping 1⁄2 cup béchamel and 1⁄3 cup parmesan cheese. Repeat layering process with remaining pasta sheets, bolognese, béchamel and parmesan, ending with bolognese. Sprinkle mozzarella evenly overtop. Cover dish with foil.
Bake for 30 min. Remove and discard foil. Sprinkle more grated parmesan overtop, if desired. Return to oven and continue baking until mozzarella is bubbling and forms a golden crust, 10 more min.
Kitchen tip
Pop the mozzarella in the freezer 20 min before grating for an easier, cleaner shred.
Kitchen tip
Bolognese can be made up to 3 days in advance; béchamel can be made 1 day in advance. Refrigerate both in airtight containers, with plastic wrap touching the surface of the béchamel to prevent it from forming a skin. Gently reheat both (adding a splash of milk to the béchamel to loosen it) before assembling.
Kitchen tip
Lasagna can be frozen for up to 1 month before baking. Tightly cover with a layer of foil, then plastic wrap. Remove plastic before baking at 400F oven for 1 hr, removing the foil in the last 15 min of baking.
This recipe by Chantal Braganza is part of a holiday potluck feast from the Chatelaine Cross-Canada Test Kitchen. Get the full menu.
