Lasagna Al Ragù and Béchamel
A dish that needs no introduction, lasagna is the definition of home cooking in Italy. It’s made with one of the oldest known pastas (by the same name) and has so many variations it will make your head spin. The dish dates back as far as the Middle Ages to the city of Naples, but […]
Ingredients
- 4 garlic cloves, peeled and halved
- 3 tbsp (45 ml) olive oil
- 1 onion, cut into chunks
- 1 carrot, cut into chunks
- 1 celery stalk, cut into chunks
- 1/2 lb (225 g) lean ground beef
- 1 cup (250 ml) red wine
- 6 cups (1.5 litres) chicken broth
- 1 can (28 oz/796 ml) diced tomatoes
- 1/2 cup (125 ml) tomato paste
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1/2 tsp chopped rosemary
- 6 tbsp (85 g) butter
- 1/2 cup (75 g) unbleached all-purpose flour
- 4 cups (1 litre) milk
- 2 cups (200 g) grated mozzarella cheese
- 1/2 cup (35 g) freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 15 oven-ready lasagna noodles (see note)
- Sprigs of herbs (such as rosemary, sage, thyme), for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- In a large pot over medium-high heat, brown the garlic in the oil. Remove from the heat, remove the garlic, and keep the oil in the pot.
- In a food processor, finely chop the garlic with the vegetables. Add the mixture back to the pot and soften over high heat. Add the meat and cook, breaking it up with a wooden spoon as it browns. Add the wine and let reduce by half. Add the remaining ingredients and simmer over medium heat for 1 hour. Season with salt and pepper, then set aside.
A dish that needs no introduction, lasagna is the definition of home cooking in Italy. It’s made with one of the oldest known pastas (by the same name) and has so many variations it will make your head spin. The dish dates back as far as the Middle Ages to the city of Naples, but the baked version, or lasagna al forno, we’re familiar with—and the one we recreated—hails from Emilia-Romagna. Our lasagna is made with the double punch of a meat ragù and a béchamel sauce, layered between sheets of pasta, Parmesan and mozzarella cheese. It’s unfussy, rustic and ridiculously good—so get ready to serve up seconds.