INGREDIENTS
For the Pasta Noodles:
- 3.5 cups all purpose flour
- 4 whole eggs
- 1 tbsp water
For the Bolognese:
- 1 cup diced carrots
- 1 diced onion
- 2 chopped celery stocks
- 3 cloves of minced garlic
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 lb Italian sausage
- 1 cup red wine
- 1 cup milk
- 2 cups San Marzano crushed tomatoes
- 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
For the Bechamel:
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 1 tbsp nutmeg
For the Garlic Bread:
- 1 large loaf of italian bread
- 1/2 cup room temperature butter
- 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup chopped parsley
- 4 cloves of minced garlic
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella
- 1 cup shredded parmesan cheese
- 5-8 slices of fresh mozzarella for the top
Tools needed:
- stand mixer
- pasta maker
- spring form cake pan
INSTRUCTIONS
Start with the pasta dough:
In a stand mixer fitting with the dough hook, combine the flour with the salt.
Once the dry ingredients are combined, add one egg at a time until the dough pulls together. If the dough is a bit dry add the water.
Knead the dough on a floured surface until it comes together. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and place it in the fridge until later (about 30 minutes minimum).
For the Bolognese:
Drizzle 2 teaspoons of olive oil to a saucepan or pot. Add the carrots, onions, and celery and cook for a few minutes.
Once the vegetables have begun to soften, add the garlic and continue to cook for about 3 minutes.
Once the vegetables are soft, add the meat and cook for about 10 minutes on medium high heat.
Add the wine and continue to cook until the wine has evaporated.
Add the milk and cook it down for about 7-10 minutes.
Add the chopped tomatoes, and combine. Then add the tomato paste and Italian seasoning. Season with salt and pepper and bring to a simmer (simmer for about 30 minutes or longer for a deeper flavor).
For the Bechamel:
Add the butter to a frying pan or saucepan and melt it on medium high heat.
When the butter is fully melted, add the flour and mix well so the flour and butter combine.
Mix in the milk to create the sauce, whisking vigorously. Then whisk in the heavy cream.
Mix in the nutmeg and continue to whisk until the mixture has thickened up (about 3-5 minutes more)
Back to the pasta:
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil.
In the meantime, use a pasta maker to roll out the dough to 1//8 of an inch in thickness. Set it aside. You should have about 15-18 sheets of noodles to cover the surface area. If you’re using a pasta maker, measure the size of your cake pan and cut the noodles to size accordingly.
When the water is boiling, add the noodles and cook for roughly 2 minutes. Remove the noodles from the water, and repeat for additional noodles.
Add some of the bolognese sauce to the base of a spring form cake pan.
Add a few noodles on top of the sauce so that it covers the entire surface.
On top of the noodles, add a generous amount of the bolognese so that it covers the whole surface. Add more noodles on top of the bolognese to cover the surface.
Combine the shredded mozzarella and shredded parmesan cheese and add half on top of the noodle layer.
Add another layer of noodles followed by a generous amount (if not all) of the bechamel sauce. Add another layer of noodles, followed by a layer of the bolognese.
Add another layer of noodles, another layer of the shredded cheese and the final layer of noodles.
On top of the noodles, add a thin layer of the sauce and the fresh slices of mozzarella.
Cover the cake pan with aluminum foil and bake it in a 425ºF oven for 30 minutes.
Make the garlic bread:
In a small bowl, combine the parsley, minced garlic, room temperature butter and parmesan cheese. Season with salt and pepper.
Slice the loaf of bread in half and spread the butter mixture on top.
Bake in the oven at 425ºF for about 7 minutes on until the cheese and butter is bubbling.
Plating:
When the cake has cool enough, removed the border spring form and slice the lasagna into 8 equal wedges.
Add some of the sauce on a plate, place the wedge of lasagna on top, with a side of the garlic bread. Enjoy!