I try to keep cooking some what easy. Depending on how much time I have, depends how complicated I want to get with my prep and execution. For lasagna, I just googled ‘lasagna recipe’ and picked the most popular one. For the most part, I don’t really look for new or improved recipes if one works great but I found another one while I was watching Bon Appetite’s Youtube channel.
They’re similar in the fact that they have all the lasagna components but the Bon Appetite version (video) has some distinct prep differences that yields a far superior product for the same amount of prep time. Here is the recipe.
Instead of throwing all the meat in the pan and cooking it, we turn them into meatballs and brown the outside of the meat, then cook a mirepoix (carrots, celery, onion) in the fat. After that add tomato paste and throw some white wine in there to deglase the fond from the meatballs. This added step adds a huge amount of flavor. I’m going to do a mirepoix base with deglase as much as possible now. It’s so fucking savory, I’d make that and just eat it plain.
It just gets better though. The sauce, which is actually a ragu bolognese, actually came out too thick which I’ve never had happen before. The sauce is usually very wet and I use the oven ready noodles to soak up the moisture but in this instance I’m going to have to actually add water it. The addition of whole milk adds another depth of rich flavor which I’ve never done. I had to use 2% but added half a stick of butter to emulate the rest of the milk fat and still turned out great. The butter idea was inspired by a simple sauce recipe that well respected in the cooking world. Article and recipe here. So there is zero ‘traditional’ Italian spices that I’m accustomed to while cooking sauce, no bay leaves, thyme or rosemary and this sauce is fucking banging.
NOTE: Ended up making it with oven ready noodles and no bechamel. It’s good but I feel like it’ll make a huge difference following the instructions exactly if the meat sauce came out so god damned well. Here’s for next time.
Ingredients
8+ servings
Ragù Bolognese
2lb. ground pork
1lb. ground beef chuck (20% fat)Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
2Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
2oz. pancetta or slab bacon, chopped
1medium onion, finely chopped
1celery stalk, finely chopped
1medium carrot, peeled, finely chopped
6garlic cloves, sliced
2Tbsp. tomato paste
¾cup dry white wine
1 28-oz. can whole peeled tomatoes
1cup low-sodium chicken broth
1cup whole milk
Bechamel
7Tbsp. unsalted butter
¼cup plus 3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
6 cups whole milk (sub 1 or 2 cups with heavy cream)
4oz. Parmesan, coarsely grated (about 1 cup) Pinch of cayenne, Pinch of ground nutmeg, Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
1¼lb. dried lasagna noodles (we like De Cecco since they are wide and short)
Kosher salt
Extra-virgin olive oil (for greasing)
Preparation
Ragù Bolognese
Step 1
NOTE: Accidentally put the oven to 325 for 3-4 hrs with the enameled dutch oven and broke the meatballs apart. Almost scorching, it was perfect. Add extra sauce/water. (Oven was 355, changed to 325)
Preheat oven to 225°. Mix pork and beef with your hands in a large bowl; season generously with salt and pepper, then mix again. Form into about 18 large meatballs (they don’t need to be perfect—you’ll be mashing them later).
Step 2
Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high. Working in 2 batches, cook meatballs, turning occasionally and reducing heat if bottom of pot looks in danger of scorching, until browned all over, about 6 minutes per batch. Transfer to a rimmed baking sheet as they’re done.
Step 3
Reduce heat to medium. Add pancetta and cook, stirring often, until lightly browned and beginning to crisp, about 5 minutes. Add onion, celery, carrot, and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 6–8 minutes. Add tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly, until paste darkens, about 2 minutes. Add wine and cook, stirring occasionally, until nearly completely evaporated, 4–5 minutes. Add tomatoes, crushing with your hands, and increase heat to medium-high. Cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid is jammy and reduced by about half, 8–10 minutes. Add broth and milk and return meat to pot. Bring to a simmer. Cover pot, leaving lid slightly ajar, and transfer to oven. Bake sauce (no need to stir, but check after 1–2 hours to ensure liquid is at a low simmer, adjusting oven temperature as needed) until meatballs are falling-apart tender, 3–4 hours.
Step 4
Using a potato masher, break meatballs apart and incorporate into liquid (you should have about 8 cups ragù); season with salt and pepper. Reduce over medium-low heat if needed to thicken.
Do Ahead: Sauce can be made 4 days ahead; let cool, then cover and chill, or freeze up to 3 months.
Béchamel
Step 5
Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour and cook, whisking occasionally, until flour begins to smell a bit nutty, about 4 minutes. Quickly whisk in milk and increase heat to medium-high. Bring to a simmer and cook, whisking occasionally, until béchamel thickens, about 4 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, whisking occasionally, until smooth and velvety, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in Parmesan, cayenne, and nutmeg (you should have about 6 cups); season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a large bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and use within 1 hour or chill.
Do Ahead: Béchamel can be made 1 day ahead. Keep chilled. Rewarm just enough to loosen before using.
Assembly
Step 6
Preheat oven to 325°. Cook noodles in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally and separating noodles so they don’t stick to each other, until just starting to soften but still snap in half rather than bend when folded; 3 minutes is the magic number. They will be so firm it will just seem all wrong, but this is what separates al dente lasagna layers from gummy ones. Transfer noodles to a large bowl of cold water to cool. Drain and lie flat in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet, separated by parchment or wax paper.
Step 7
Lightly oil a 13×9″ glass or ceramic baking dish. Spread 1½ cups ragù in dish. Lay a single layer of noodles over ragù (you will need to cut some noodles in half in order to fill all gaps). Spoon 1¼ cups béchamel over noodles, spreading in an even layer with a small offset spatula. Top béchamel with 1½ cups ragù. Repeat, creating 5 layers of pasta (or 6, depending on how deep your pan is) and ending with remaining 1 cup béchamel. It should come right to the top edge of the dish, and the top layer of pasta will get super crunchy when baked.
Step 8
Cover with a lightly oiled piece of foil and set on a rimmed baking sheet (just to catch drips). Bake lasagna until bubbling gently around the edges, about 1 hour. Remove from oven and increase oven temperature to 425°; carefully place rack in top of oven. Uncover and continue to bake until top is browned and crisp around the edges, 10–15 minutes.
Step 9
Let sit 10 minutes before serving.
Do Ahead: Unbaked lasagna can be assembled 1 month ahead. Let cool, then cover with plastic and freeze. Let thaw overnight in fridge, then bake as directed.
The Copy Cat Chef 