You can’t go wrong with lasagna alla Bolognese, a traditional dish from Emilia-Romagna that includes egg pasta, creamy béchamel and Bolognese sauce. Perfect for a large dinner with family or friends, it can be conveniently prepared in advance and baked later. Although mozzarella is not included in the original recipe, cheese lovers can add some in for a gooier dish.

Ingredients

• 750 ml Tomato passata
• 100 g Pancetta
• 1/2 Onion
• 1 Carrot
• 1 Celery stock
• 800 g Ground meat (mixed beef, veal, pork)
• 1/2 glass White wine
• 500 g Egg lasagna
• 500 g Mozzarella
• 200 g Grated Parmigiano cheese / parmigiano grattugiato
• Salt to taste
• 4 tbsp Olive oil

For the béchamel

• 25 g Butter
• 25 g Flour
• 1 cup Milk
• 5 g Nutmeg

Preparation

Prepare the Bolognese sauce by browning the carrot, celery and chopped onion together with the diced pancetta in a large saucepan. Add the ground meat, then deglaze with wine. Add the tomato passata and salt. Cook the Bolognese sauce for about two hours over medium-low heat. When the sauce has reduced enough, turn on the heat and set aside.

In the meantime, prepare the béchamel sauce by melting the butter together with the flour. Then add the milk and nutmeg, bring to a boil and cook until the sauce is reduced, mixing well.

Boil the lasagna sheets in a pot of salted water together with a tablespoon of oil. Lift the lasagna sheets with a skimmer and dry them on a cloth.

Assemble the lasagna Bolognese in a greased baking dish. Start with a layer of egg lasagna sheets and cover with meat and béchamel sauce, mixing until the mixture turns pink. Sprinkle with grated Parmigiano and mozzarella. Repeat the process, building several layers to fill your baking dish.

Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes. Let cool before cutting into slices and serving.