Meaty Lasagna Bolognese:
Bolognese is a meat-based sauce for pasta originating in Bologna, Italy. Bolognese sauce is sometimes taken to be a tomato sauce, but only a small amount of tomato can be found in authentic recipes. This scrumptious Italian main dish recipe is the mother of all lasagnas combining beef, sausage, pancetta, and white wine to name just a few of the wonderful ingredients.
Ingredients
1 lb. lean ground beef
8 oz. bulk Italian sausage
4 oz. pancetta or bacon, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1 large onion, chopped
2 medium carrots, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup whole milk or half-and-half
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 cup canned crushed tomatoes
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
1 Tbsp. snipped fresh sage
1 Tbsp. snipped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (8 ounces)
1 cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese (4 ounces)
12 no-boil lasagna noodles
1 10-oz. container refrigerated alfredo pasta sauce
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. For meat sauce: In a large pot, cook ground beef, sausage, pancetta, onion, carrots, celery, and garlic over medium-high heat until meat is brown and vegetables are tender. Drain off fat.
Stir in milk. Simmer, uncovered, until milk is nearly evaporated. Stir in wine and broth. Simmer, uncovered, until liquid is nearly evaporated. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, sage, parsley, black pepper, salt, and crushed red pepper. In a medium bowl, combine mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses.
To assemble, spread one-third of the meat sauce over the bottom of an ungreased 13x9x2-inch baking dish or 3-quart rectangular casserole. Sprinkle with one-fourth of the cheese mixture. Top with noodles. Repeat layering meat sauce, cheese mixture, and noodles two more times. Spread the alfredo sauce evenly over the noodles.
Cover dish with foil. Bake for 40 minutes. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese mixture. Bake, uncovered, about 10 minutes more or until heated through. Let stand for 15 minutes before serving. Makes 9 or 10 servings.