Classic Lasagna Bolognese

Rich, slow-cooked ground pork and beef build a deeply savory sauce over hours, creating the authentic Bolognese that makes lasagna legendary. Sautéed soffritto and a splash of white wine meld into tender pasta layers for pure comfort. Perfect for Sunday dinners or when you want to impress with something that tastes like it came straight from Italy.

Ingredients

1 yellow onion, peeled and roughly chopped

4 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped

4 stalks celery, roughly chopped

6 garlic cloves

3 tbsp olive oil

1 1/2 lbs ground pork

1 1/2 lbs ground beef

3/4 cup white wine (Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, or Sauvignon Blanc)

28 oz can crushed tomatoes

1 1/2 recipes béchamel sauce

1 recipe homemade pasta

10 oz whole milk mozzarella cheese, shredded

1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Coarse sea salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste

Instructions

Start making the Bolognese sauce by finely mincing the onions, celery, carrots, and garlic using a chef's knife or food processor.

Pour 3 tablespoons of oil into a large rondeau pot (8 quarts) over medium heat.

Add the minced vegetables and sauté/sweat them for 4 to 6 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add the ground pork and beef and cook until well browned and cooked throughout.

Deglaze with the white wine and reduce the liquid by half. Pour in the hand-crushed tomatoes, salt, and pepper, and mix to combine. Simmer over low heat until ready to use.

In the meantime, make your pasta dough. Once rolled out, cut each sheet into 9 to 11 inch long pieces to fit inside a 13x9 casserole dish. Set aside on a clean surface dusted with flour.

Make the béchamel sauce and keep it warm over low heat.

Boil about 6 to 7 pasta sheets at a time in a large pot of boiling salted water for 20 to 30 seconds.

Remove the pasta and set them on a clean kitchen towel, separated from one another for easy grabbing when assembling.

Spread a small amount of béchamel sauce on the bottom of a lasagna pan, then do the same with the Bolognese sauce.

Add a layer of cooked pasta to completely cover both sauces.

Add both sauces in the same manner, then sprinkle 1/4 cup of mozzarella and 2 tablespoons of Parmesan over the sauces.

Repeat the layering process until the pasta, sauces, and cheeses have been used.

Save a generous amount of béchamel to pour over the top at the end. Add the remaining Bolognese sauce over the top.

Finish by sprinkling on the remaining cheeses to cover everything and bake at 400°F for 35 to 40 minutes or until browned and crispy in the corners.

Let the lasagna sit at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes before slicing and serving.