What’s your favorite part of the Lasagne? Mine is the crust – always the crust! Lasagne always makes me happy, a comforting treat for a cold and grey Sunday or a hearty meal that brings family and friends together. Let’s dig in!

Ingredients:

Bolognese
2 onions (finely chopped)
2 cloves of garlic (finely chopped)
2 carrots (finely chopped)
100g cellery (finely chopped)
400g minced meat (beef)
50g of bacon (cubes)
1dl red wine
400g canned tomatoes (chopped)
1 tablespoon of parsley, finely chopped
1 tablespoon of oregano finely chopped
1.5 dl of chicken or meat stock
2 tablespoons tomato purée
1 pinch of sugar
1 tablespoon of olive oil
salt and pepper

Béchamel Sauce
50g butter
4 tablespoons of flour
8dl of milk
1 teaspoon of salt
pepper
nutmeg

And
ca. 300g Pasta sheets (dry)
70g of parmesan cheese, grated
1 tablespoon of olive oil

Preparation (1.5 hour preparation time, 45 minutes active, 45-50 minutes baking):

Bolognese
Chop all the vegetables, parsley and oregano. If there is no fresh oregano available, you can always substitute with dried herbs.
Heat olive oil and bacon in a big pot. Add onions and garlic and sautée until soft. Add the other vegetables and sautée for 2 minutes. On high heat, add the minced meat and sear until browned while stirring often. Deglaze with the red wine. Add the canned tomatoes and the chicken stock. Add the herbs, tomato purée and a pinch of sugar. Reduce heat and let everything simmer for at least 1 hour, longer if possible. The longer it simmers, the more flavor develops. The Bolognese can also be made the day before, the flavor will only mature while it just sits over night. Season to taste.

Béchamel Sauce
Melt the butter in a pot. Add the flour and stir until the butter and flour build a paste. Add 1/3 of the milk and stir until everything is combined and the sauce thickens. There should be no lumps left in the sauce. Add the rest of the milk, bring everything to the boil shortly and reduce the heat. Let the sauce simmer for ca. 10 minutes or until it thickens, while stirring constantly. Season with salt and nutmeg.

Lasagne
Preheat your oven to 200 degrees (or 180 degrees with circulating air). Take a casserole dish and spread the olive oil on the bottom. This will prevent the lasagne from sticking. Add one layer of dried pasta sheets and top it with a layer of Bolognese and one layer of Béchamel sauce. Repeat the layers two or three more times. At the end, add another layer of pasta sheets and top it with a thin layer of Béchamel Sauce only. Top it with the parmesan cheese. Bake the lasagne for 45-50 minutes – the top layer should be a golden crust. Take it out of the oven and let it sit for ca. 5 minutes – I know, it’s hard not to dig in immediately, but a short rest time helps to set the lasagne so that you can portion it better.

Plate up – and enjoy!