Graziani Family Recipe For Lasagna Bolognese
Lasagna Bolognese is a traditional recipe from the Emilia Region, more precisely from Bologna, hence its name. Despite its origin, lasagna is so well known that it’s considered as a symbol of Italian cuisine all over the world. This recipe is the quintessence of the rich Bolognese traditional cuisine both for its preparation and ingredients, and it’s a favorite of adults kids alike.
In order to make a perfect lasagna Bolognese, the right choice of the ingredients is crucial:
- firstly, you should mix half beef and half pork, to make the sauce tastier
- secondly, the tomato puree should be very good quality
- lastly, the lasagna noodles should be first-rate, although making your own pasta dough would be ideal
INGREDIENTS
Servings: 8 persons
- Lasagna noodles: 500 g (1 lb)
- Parmesan cheese: grated 200 g (grated 2 cups)
- Mozzarella cheese: 200g ( Grated 2 cups)
For the Bolognese sauce (ragout)
- Pork: ground (leg) 250 g (ground (leg) ½ lb)
- Beef: ground 250 g (ground 1/2 lb)
- Milk: 100 ml (just under ½ cup)
- Carrots: 2
- Onions: 2
- Celery: 2 stalk
- Wine: red 100 ml (red, just under ½ cup)
- Olive oil: extra virgin 4 tbsp
- Butter: 50 g (3 ½ tbsp)
- Pepper: freshly ground, to taste
- Salt: to taste
- Tomatoes:500 ml
PREPARATION
First, prepare the beef broth...
- Finely chop the onion, the carrot and the celery
- Heat the oil and butter in a saucepan and cook the mirepoix until softened
- Cook on a high flame for a few minutes until browned
- Pour in the red wine and let it evaporate, keeping the heat high
- At this point, add the tomato puree (or the tomato paste dissolved in a small amount of broth), the broth, the pepper and a pinch of salt
- Allow to simmer half-covered for at least 2 hours, stirring occasionally
Once the ragout is done, preheat the oven to 320°F (160°C) and assemble your lasagna...
- Grease a rectangular baking pan with butter
- Spread a couple of spoonfuls of ragout
- Line the bottom with the noodles
- Coat with plenty of ragout and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and Mozzarella cheese
- Add another layer of noodles
- Repeat for the second, third, fourth, layers
- Make several layers depending on how deep your baking pan is, or until the ingredients are used up
- Sprinkle with plenty of Parmesan cheese and Mozzarella cheese
- Bake for at least 50-60 minutes (at 320°F/160°C), checking every now and then, until golden brown on top
- Once baked, remove the lasagna from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes, then cut into slice and serve hot
HOW TO STORE
The lasagna Bolognese can be stored in the fridge, in an airtight container, for up to 2-3 days.
