When my boyfriend came back from El Salvador, he asked me to make him a Lasagna. He was away for three months so there was a list of food that he had missed (many I had never made before). The lasagne was the main dish though. It took me a while to put together, especially as I had to work around everyone else that wanted to use the kitchen. This is the recipe for lasagna that I’ve used my whole life. There’s nothing more comforting at the end of a long day than a big juicy lasagna, especially in the winter. It’s the ultimate comfort food and, made from scratch, it takes a while. But it’s all worth it in the end!
Bolognese sauce has many variations. I remember at university, eating a lasagne a friend had made. He added a large amount of extra ingredients including red wine, mushrooms and shedloads of white sauce. I like to go with the Italian philosophy of simplicity. There’s no need for both onions and garlic. I just use garlic and I only put the white sauce on top.
Be aware this takes a good few hours to put together. Try and make the Bolognese sauce in advance (it can be frozen) and leave lots of time to make the pasta. The whole lasagna can also be frozen until you want to eat it. Don’t worry if you’re just cooking for one. You can freeze it till you’re ready to eat it, both cooked and uncooked. Just make sure you defrost it properly and cook it through completely. I like to fry it up. Just put it on low heat and cover it for about 15-20 minutes. This will serve six hungry people with leftover pasta for other dishes, e.g. Pesto Pasta.
Ingredients
Bolognese Sauce
1 kg minced beef
4 cloves garlic
1 large carrot
2 sticks of celery
1 kg tomatoes
Olive oil
Pasta
1kg white flour
10 eggs
White sauce
250g parmesan
1 packet (250g) mozzarella
500ml whole milk
50g butter
40g flour
Slice up the celery, carrot and garlic into very small pieces. Fry until transparent. Then add the minced beef. Stir it up and let it cook on low heat until it goes brown. Chop up the tomatoes and add these. Leave to cook for at least the next four hours, adding water if it starts to dry out. At this point, the Bolognese sauce can be frozen until ready to be used.
Bolognese sauce has many variations. I remember at university, eating a lasagne a friend had made. He added a large amount of extra ingredients including red wine, mushrooms and shedloads of white sauce. I like to go with the Italian philosophy of simplicity. There’s no need for both onions and garlic. I just use garlic and I only put the white sauce on top.
Be aware this takes a good few hours to put together. Try and make the Bolognese sauce in advance (it can be frozen) and leave lots of time to make the pasta. The whole lasagna can also be frozen until you want to eat it. Don’t worry if you’re just cooking for one. You can freeze it till you’re ready to eat it, both cooked and uncooked. Just make sure you defrost it properly and cook it through completely. I like to fry it up. Just put it on low heat and cover it for about 15-20 minutes. This will serve six hungry people with leftover pasta for other dishes, e.g. Pesto Pasta.
Ingredients
Bolognese Sauce
1 kg minced beef
4 cloves garlic
1 large carrot
2 sticks of celery
1 kg tomatoes
Olive oil
Pasta
1kg white flour
10 eggs
White sauce
250g parmesan
1 packet (250g) mozzarella
500ml whole milk
50g butter
40g flour
Slice up the celery, carrot and garlic into very small pieces. Fry until transparent. Then add the minced beef. Stir it up and let it cook on low heat until it goes brown. Chop up the tomatoes and add these. Leave to cook for at least the next four hours, adding water if it starts to dry out. At this point, the Bolognese sauce can be frozen until ready to be used.
To make the pasta, put the flour in a large bowl and make hole in the top. Crack the eggs into the hole and mix it all up together. Add more water if necessary so that you have a smooth dough. It’s a messy job. I like to use a bowl with a large base so I can knead the dough in the bowl. Alternatively, you can knead it on a clean surface.
Cover the dough and leave it to rest for 30 minutes. Then take it out and roll it out to about 1cm thickness. This can also be done in a pasta machine. As I don’t have one, it gets done by hand. Cut the pasta sheet in the shape of the ovenproof dish that you will be using. Lay the sheets out, one by one, to dry. Once you have finished, heat up a large pot of water and drizzle in some olive oil. Once the water is boiling, cook each sheet, one at a time, for one minute in the water.
To make the white sauce, melt the butter in a saucepan. Then add the flour. Stir until it is all combined. Then slowly add the milk, a bit at a time, stirring until it forms a smooth paste. Take off the heat and put it to the side.
To make the white sauce, melt the butter in a saucepan. Then add the flour. Stir until it is all combined. Then slowly add the milk, a bit at a time, stirring until it forms a smooth paste. Take off the heat and put it to the side.
To assemble the lasagna, grease the ovenproof dish and lay out the first sheet of pasta. On top of this, smooth the Bolognese sauce. Then sprinkle a handful of parmesan cheese on top. Keep on layering the pasta and Bolognese sauce. Cut up the mozzarella cheese into cubes and mix it into the white sauce. On top of the final layer of pasta, smooth the white sauce and sprinkle with a layer of parmesan cheese.