It's Pasta for any occasion (#4 - meat)!

Lasagne alla bolognese

This is the traditional recipe which comes from Bologna. The very traditional recipe is based on fresh lasagne sheets made with spinach ("lasagne verdi" or green lasagne), although nowadays you can use normal lasagne sheets as well.

The history and origin of this dish dates back centuries to Roman times. Obviously not how we know it today. It was more or less pasta sheets layered with meat. Then in the 14th century came the introduction of cheese and then much later tomatoes, bechamel and egg pasta, as mentioned, with spinach. There are of course infinite variations across Italy, with families jealously keeping their own secret versions from generation to generation... Ingredients for 4 people:

1. 200 g beef mince

2. 200 g pork mince

3. 50-60 g soffritto of diced carrots, onions and celery

4. Glass red wine

5. 250 ml passata sauce - see my recipe if you want to make it

6. Olive oil

7. Salt and pepper

8. 40 ml milk

9. For the bechamel:

10. 100 g flour

11. 100 g butter

12. 1 litre full fat milk

13. Sprinkle of nutmeg - optional

14. Pinch salt

15. Other ingredients:

16. 100 g parmesan

17. 250 g Fresh lasagne sheets with spinach

Method:

1. First start with the ragù. Heat oil in a pan. Cook the carrots, onions and celery until soft. Then add the mince and brown. Now add wine and let it evaporate.

2. Add passata along with a glass of water. Season with salt and pepper and leave to simmer for 2-3 hours. Stir occasionally, add more water as needed.

3. After a while, prepare the bechamel. Gently heat milk in a pan. In another pan, melt the butter. Remove butter from heat and gradually add flour mixing strongly to remove lumps. Now gradually add the milk. Stir continuously on a low heat for about 5 mins. Add salt and nutmeg.

4. When your ragù is ready it should be quite dense. Add milk, stir and set a side. Now preheat oven to 170. Get a roasting tin more or less the same size as the pasta sheets. Put a little ragù and bechamel on the bottom. Add the first lasagne sheet on top.

5. Layer up with ragù, bechamel and parmesan until all ingredients are finished. For the top and last pasta sheet, cover it with bechamel and parmesan.

6. Pop in the oven for about 25 mins. Leave to rest for 15 mins before serving. You could batch cook this, make the day before and reheat or freeze it