Susans Delicious Lasagna Bolognese Recipes

Steps:

• 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.

Steps:

• Up to two days ahead
• Make the Bolognese sauce Pulse onion, carrot, and celery in a food processor until finely chopped.
• Heat olive oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add ground beef, ground pork, pancetta, and vegetables; cook, breaking up ground meat with a spoon, until moisture is almost completely evaporated and meat is well browned, 25-30 minutes; season with salt and pepper.
• Add wine to pot and bring to a boil, scraping up browned bits from bottom of pot, about 2 minutes. Add milk; bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until moisture is almost completely evaporated, 8-10 minutes. Add tomatoes and 2 cups broth; bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, adding water by 1/2-cupfuls if sauce looks dry, until flavors meld and sauce thickens, 2 1/2-3 hours.
• Let sauce cool, then cover and chill at least 12 hours or up to 2 days. (Letting the sauce sit will give it a deeper, richer flavor.)
• Up to one day ahead
• Make the fresh pasta dough Whisk salt and 3 cups flour in a large bowl, make a well in the center, and crack eggs into well. Mix eggs with a fork, then slowly mix in flour until a shaggy dough forms. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead, dusting lightly with flour if sticky, until smooth, about 5 minutes (it will be fairly stiff). Wrap in plastic; let sit until dough holds an indentation when pressed, 1-2 hours.
• Chill dough if you are not rolling it out right away. Bring to room temperature before rolling out, about 1 hour.
• Make the noodles Set pasta maker to thickest setting; dust lightly with flour. Divide dough into 4 pieces. Working with 1 piece at a time and keeping remaining dough wrapped in plastic as you work, flatten dough into a narrow rectangle (no wider than mouth of machine); pass through rollers . Fold dough as needed to fit and run through again. Repeat without folding, adjusting machine to thinner settings after every pass and dusting with flour if sticky, until pasta sheet is 1/16" thick (setting 8 on most machines). Place pasta sheets on a lightly floured surface and cut crosswise into 16 8"-long noodles.
• If making noodles ahead, stack on a baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper between each layer. Cover with plastic wrap; chill.
• Make the béchamel Heat butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat until foaming. Add flour and cook, whisking constantly, 1 minute. Whisk in warm milk, 1/2-cupful at a time. Bring sauce to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, whisking often, until the consistency of cream, 8-10 minutes; add nutmeg and season with salt. Remove from heat, transfer to a medium bowl, and press plastic wrap directly onto surface; let cool slightly. Chill if not using right away.
• Day of
• Reheat the sauces Combine Bolognese sauce and remaining 1 cup broth in a large saucepan over medium heat, and heat until sauce is warmed through.
• Meanwhile, if you made the béchamel ahead of time, heat in a medium saucepan over low heat just until warmed through (you don't want to let it boil).
• Cook the noodles Working in batches, cook fresh lasagna noodles in a large pot of boiling salted water until just softened, about 10 seconds. Remove carefully with tongs and transfer to a large bowl of ice water; let cool. Drain noodles and stack on a baking sheet, with paper towels between each layer, making sure noodles don't touch (they'll stick together).
• Assemble the lasagna Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 13x9" baking dish with butter.
• Spread 1/4 cup béchamel in the prepared baking dish. Top with a layer of noodles, spread over a scant 3/4 cup Bolognese sauce, then 1/2 cup béchamel, and top with 1/4 cup Parmesan. Repeat process 7 more times, starting with noodles and ending with Parmesan, for a total of 8 layers. Place baking dish on a rimmed baking sheet and bake lasagna until bubbling and beginning to brown on top, 50-60 minutes. Let lasagna sit 45 minutes before serving.
• Lasagna can be assembled 12 hours ahead. Cover and chill. Let sit at room temperature 2 hours before baking. Cook, covered with foil until the last 20 minutes, then finish cooking uncovered.

Steps:

• Heat olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add pancetta; cook and stir until browned, about 8 minutes. Add celery, carrots, and onion; cook, stirring occasionally, until very soft, about 15 minutes. Stir in beef and pork. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until evenly browned, about 20 minutes.
• Pour white wine into the Dutch oven; cook until alcohol evaporates, about 5 minutes. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, and sugar. Bring to a simmer; reduce heat to low, cover and simmer Bolognese sauce, stirring occasionally and skimming fat off the surface, about 3 1/2 hours. Stir in beef broth, 1/4 cup at a time, if sauce looks dry.
• Stir heavy cream and 1/2 cup milk into the Bolognese sauce; mix well. Cover and cook over very low heat until flavors combine, about 30 minutes.
• Melt 5 tablespoons butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in flour until a smooth paste forms; cook and stir until paste turns a golden sandy color, about 7 minutes.
• Increase heat to medium-high and slowly whisk 4 cups milk into the saucepan. Bring to a gentle simmer; reduce heat to medium-low and add bay leaf. Continue simmering, stirring occasionally until bechamel sauce is thick and smooth, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and nutmeg; discard bay leaf.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with butter.
• Spread 1/4 cup bechamel sauce in the bottom of the baking dish. Cover with 1 lasagna sheet; prick in several places with a paring knife. Spread 1/2 cup bechamel sauce and 1/2 cup Bolognese sauce on top. Sprinkle 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese on top.
• Repeat layers 7 times with remaining lasagna sheets, bechamel sauce, Bolognese sauce, and Parmesan cheese. Cover lasagna with aluminum foil and place on a rimmed baking sheet.
• Bake lasagna in the preheated oven until bubbly, about 25 minutes. Remove aluminum foil and continue baking until cheese is browned, about 20 minutes more. Let cool before serving, about 15 minutes.

Steps:

• First make the Bolognese Sauce:.
• Brown and drain grease from the ground beef, ground pork and sausage in a large saute pan. Break up all lumps with spoon.
• Add in 2 T butter and 1 T olive oil and saute the onions, garlic, carrots and celery until softened. Add salt and pepper to taste.
• Add the wine and stir and then simmer for 5 minutes, or until reduced.
• Add the tomatoes and 1 cup of beef stock and bring to a boil. Stir the sauce well, then lower heat and half cover pan with lid and simmer gently for 2 hours. Stir occasionally during this time and add more stock as it becomes absorbed.
• Pour the cream into the sauce, stir well to mix, then simmer without lid for 30 minutes, stirring frequently.
• AT THIS STAGE -- YOU CAN SERVE THIS OVER THICK PASTA. FOR LASAGNA BOLOGNESE -- CONTINUE WITH RECIPE.
• Preheat oven to 375. If the bolognese sauce is cold, reheat it. Stir in enough stock to make it runny, if necessary.
• Make the white sauce by melting 1/4 cup butter in a medium saucepan. Add the flour and cook, stirring for 1-2 minutes. Add the hot milk a little at a time, whisking vigorously after each addition. Bring to a boil and cook, stirring until the sauce is smooth and thick. Add salt and pepper to taste, whisk well, then remove from heat.
• Spread 1/3 of Bolognese sauce over the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish.
• Cover the Bolognese sauce in the base of the dish with 1/4 white sauce, followed by 4 sheets of lasagna. Repeat the layers twice more, then cover the top layer of lasagna with the remaining white sauce and sprinkle the grated Parmesan over the top.
• Bake for 40-45 minutes or until the pasta feels tender when pierced with a fork. Let stand for 20 minutes before serving.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Tomato Sauce:
• In a medium pot, heat the olive oil and add the onions and garlic. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. When it turns light brown, add the thyme, bay leaf and tomatoes. Simmer for 20 minutes, then taste for seasoning. Add more salt and pepper, if desired. Remove and discard the thyme and bay leaves. Stir in the basil leaves and shut off the heat to allow the sauce to "rest."
• Pasta: Bring the water to a boil over medium heat. Add the salt and the lasagna sheets. Cook for 4 minutes, drain and rinse under cold water. The pasta should still be very firm to the touch. Separate the sheets carefully so they don't stick together.
• Divide the tomato sauce in half and reserve half for the Bolognese and half for the lasagna.
• Assemble the lasagna:
• Spoon a thin layer of the sauce in the bottom of the baking pan. Arrange a layer of pasta sheets over the sauce. Sprinkle some of the mozzarella and Parmesan over the pasta and another thin layer of sauce. Repeat the layering process 2 more times. It is important there be remaining cheese and sauce for the top. Cook's Note: I love to get a corner piece from the pan and pick at the crispy edges of the top layer. When you finish, there should be 4 layers of pasta and 5 layers of filling.
• Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil and put it in the center of the oven. Bake for 45 minutes. Raise the temperature of the oven to 450 degrees F and remove the aluminum foil. Bake until the top browns slightly, about 10 to 15 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and let it cool for 15 minutes or so before serving.
• Make the Bolognese while the lasagna is baking:
• In a large wide pot over medium-high heat, add the olive oil. Add the ground beef and cook until brown, about 4 to 5 minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon to break up the pieces. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Remove the beef from the pot and set aside. Set the pot back over the heat and add a little more olive oil. Add carrots, onion and celery. Cook until browned, about 5 minutes. Add the beef back to the pot, then add the reserved 1/2 recipe of tomato sauce. Cover slightly and simmer for 20 minutes.
• When done, finish with milk, taste, season and serve, spooned over the lasagna.

Steps:

• Saute pancetta in a large stockpot over medium-high heat until fat has rendered, 1 to 2 minutes. Add carrot, celery, onion, and oil. Cook and stir until vegetables have softened and onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add beef and pork. Cook, stirring and mashing meat into small crumbles, until browned, 5 to 7 minutes more.
• Stir wine into the stockpot and bring to a boil. Add tomato sauce and stir; pour in 1 cup broth. Reduce heat to low and partially cover the pot to allow steam to escape. Simmer sauce for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
• Pour 1 more cup of broth into the sauce. Continue simmering until thick, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Add more broth only if absolutely necessary; ragu should drop, not run, off a spoon.
• Start preparing pasta after sauce has been cooking for 1 1/2 hours. Bring water and salt to a boil in a small saucepan. Add spinach and cover until it returns to a boil. Stir gently and cook until spinach is heated through. Remove from heat, leave covered, and let cool.
• Drain spinach in a mesh strainer set over a bowl, pressing it down with a fork to squeeze out as much water and possible; reserve the liquid. Puree spinach in a blender until smooth.
• Sift flour into a bowl. Make a well in the center; add eggs, spinach, and about 1 tablespoon of the reserved liquid. Mix together by hand or using the dough hook of a stand mixer, adding more liquid if needed. Knead until dough becomes a smooth ball. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.
• Taste the ragu and adjust salt. Remove from heat and add milk; stir well and set aside to cool.
• Divide pasta dough into 4 equal sections. Use a pasta machine, or rolling pin, dusted with flour, to roll pasta into 1/16-inch thick sheets. Lay sheets on clean dish towels to help them dry. Let rest for 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Do not allow it to brown or burn. Add flour and whisk constantly until golden. Add 1/2 cup milk, whisking constantly. Repeat with remaining milk. Simmer until bechamel is thickened, about 10 minutes. Season with nutmeg and salt.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Spread a bit of the ragu sauce over the base of a 9x13-inch baking dish. Add a layer of pasta. Top with a spoonful of sauce and bechamel. Add a spoonful of grated Parmigiano-Reggiano. Top with another layer of pasta. Add more sauce, bechamel, and cheese. Repeat layers until you reach the top; finish with a layer of pasta, bechamel, and cheese.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the sauce is bubbling and the cheese on top has browned, 25 to 30 minutes. Let lasagne rest for 10 or 15 minutes at room temperature before slicing.

Steps:

• Boil lasagna noodles, according to package directions.
• Sauté beef, then add salt, pepper, and some of the pureed tomatoes. Sauté the veggies in olive oil, then add garlic powder and oregano powder. Mix the beef and veggies into one pan.
• In a separate bowl, mix the Ricotta cheese, cream cheese, and some fresh chopped basil.
• Putting the lasagna together:.
• First sauce the bottom of your lasagna pan.
• Next, add a layer of lasagna noodles, followed by a layer of meat and veggies.
• Add a layer of mixed cheese (Ricotta and cream cheese), then a layer of sauce.
• After that, add a layer of shredded mozzarella.
• Repeat these steps two more times to create three layers total.
• The last layer should be mozzarella.
• Cover and then place into a preheated oven at 350°F for 1 hour or until done to your liking.