Lasagne al Forno-style layered beef ragù pasta

Ingredients

Ragù

• 500 g beef mince
• 200 g pork mince (or sausage meat)
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 carrots, finely chopped
• 2 celery stalks, finely chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tbsp tomato purée
• 400 g chopped tomatoes
• 200 ml red wine
• 300 ml beef stock
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 bay leaf

Béchamel

• 100 g butter
• 100 g plain flour
• 1 L whole milk
• 1 tsp salt
• Pinch of nutmeg

To assemble

• 12 lasagne sheets (no-pre-cook variety)
• 200 g mozzarella, grated
• 100 g parmesan, grated

Method

1. Ragù. Sauté onion, carrot, celery, garlic in olive oil 10 minutes. Add mince, brown hard. Stir in tomato purée, tomatoes, wine, stock, herbs. Simmer 2-3 hours, lid off.
2. Béchamel. Melt butter, whisk in flour, cook 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in milk until smooth. Cook until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Season.
3. Layer. In a deep oven dish: thin layer of béchamel, lasagne sheets, ragù, béchamel, mozzarella. Repeat 3-4 times. Finish with béchamel + mozzarella + parmesan.
4. Bake. Cover with foil at 180°C for 30 minutes. Uncover, 30 minutes more until golden and bubbling.
5. Rest. 15 minutes before cutting.

Tips

• Ragù needs 3 hours minimum. Don’t rush it.
• No-cook lasagne sheets saved my life. Same result, half the work.
• Rest 15 minutes before serving. Set layers stay intact.