Lasagna Bolognese with Fontina Béchamel
User Reviews
4.8
123 reviews
Excellent
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Prep Time
4 hrs
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Cook Time
40 mins
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Total Time
4 hrs 40 mins
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Servings
8 -10
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Course
Main Course
Lasagna Bolognese with Fontina Béchamel
Report
Lasagna Bolognese with Fontina Béchamel combines a rich meat sauce made from ground beef, pork, and pancetta simmered with vegetables, tomatoes, wine, and milk, layered with homemade pasta sheets and a creamy fontina cheese béchamel. The slow-simmered bolognese melds deeply savory flavors, while the béchamel adds a smooth and cheesy contrast. This classic lasagna is hearty and satisfying, suitable for a special meal when you have time to layer these components carefully.
Description
Lasagna Bolognese with Fontina Béchamel features a slow-cooked bolognese sauce prepared with a blend of ground meats, aromatic vegetables, pancetta, tomatoes, red wine, milk, and chicken broth. The sauce simmers for hours, developing a thick, flavorful base. Homemade pasta dough enhances the dish's texture, while a fontina cheese béchamel sauce provides a creamy, nutty richness that complements the meat sauce. The layers created by the pasta, hearty sauce, and béchamel yield a luxurious, well-balanced lasagna.
The cooking method involves gently softening chopped vegetables and browning the meats before adding liquids for a long simmer. The béchamel is made by cooking a butter and flour roux, then whisking in milk and melted fontina cheese with aromatics like garlic and nutmeg. Assembling the lasagna requires layering these components with grated parmesan cheese before baking.
This lasagna is best assembled shortly before baking but can be prepared up to two days in advance and refrigerated. Let it reach room temperature before cooking for even baking. It pairs well with simple green salads and crusty bread as a filling main course.
Planning is helpful due to the multiple parts; cooking the bolognese ahead and refrigerating allows flavors to meld and eases the final assembly process. Warm the sauce slowly before layering. If making pasta from scratch, allow dough resting time while the sauce simmers. These steps help ensure a well-executed lasagna with balanced flavors and textures.
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Ingredients
For the bolognese:
- 1 onion roughly chopped, large
- 1 carrot roughly chopped, large
- 2 celery roughly chopped, sticks
- 4 cloves garlic roughly chopped
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 lb ground beef chuck
- 1 lb ground pork
- 4 oz. pancetta finely chopped, or bacon
- 1 14.5- oz. crushed tomatoes canned
- 1 6 oz tomato paste canned
- 1 cup red wine
- 1 cup milk whole
- 2 cups chicken broth low-sodium
- 2 bay leaf
- salt Kosher salt and freshly ground
- black pepper Kosher salt and freshly ground
For the pasta (if you're making from scratch)
- 3 cups all-purpose flour plus more
- 4 egg room temperature, large
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
For the fontina béchamel:
- 1 stick 8 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 4 cups milk whole
- 2 cups fontina cheese grated (about 6oz
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 clove garlic minced
- nutmeg to taste, freshly grated
- black pepper freshly ground
To assemble:
- 2 cups parmesan grated
Special equipment:
- A pasta maker/roller see link in text above
Instructions
To make the bolognese:
- Combine the vegetables and garlic in a processor and mix until they’re finely chopped (just a few pulses should do it).
- Heat a large Dutch oven or saucepan on the stovetop, add the oil, and once hot, add the vegetables and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook until soft and starting to brown a bit. (10-15 minutes).
- Add the pork and beef (and pancetta or bacon, if using) and cook until brown. Scrape the bottom of the pan with a spoon as you stir if it's getting dark. (15 mins). Stir in the tomato paste and cook for another few minutes. Add the liquid ingredients - red wine first, allowing to reduce for a few minutes, then add the tomatoes, milk and stock. Add the bay leaves.
- Simmer the sauce, uncovered, for 2 - 3 hours, stirring occasionally. You may need to add more chicken stock (or water) if the sauce starts to get too dry. When it’s done, fish out the bay leaves and leave to cool for 20 minutes (refrigerate when cool if assembling lasagna the next day).
For the lasagna noodles (if you’re making it yourself).
- Combine the flour, eggs and salt in a food processor. (You can do this by hand if you’re feeling enthusiastic!). Mix until it starts to come together (test it with your hands). If it doesn’t stick, add a little water (just a couple of teaspoons at a time). Remove from the processor and work it into a ball on a floured surface. Let rest for an hour under a bowl or in cling wrap at room temperature.
- Once it’s rested, separate into several equal pieces (about 1/2 cup each) and run them through your pasta roller. Start with the widest setting, running through at least a couple of times, before moving to the next level.
- When starting out, it’s better to work the dough through a few times on the widest setting (0 or 1). Run it through once, then refold the dough, turn it 90 degrees, and run it through again. Repeat a few times, and then just run it through at this setting without folding. You should start to feel the dough turning “plastic” and smooth. Once you get to this stage, move the rollers together one level and run it through again. You can add a little flour if the strip is sticking to the roller too much.
- Repeat a couple of times at each level before moving down to the next. Don’t be tempted to skip levels! We stopped at level 6 (out of 9) but your preference, expertise, and machine may vary.
- Lay the rolled noodle onto your floured surface and cut to fit your lasagna dish (probably around 10 inches). You can be very approximate with noodle lengths, since you can easily cut pieces to fit into a layer (nobody will know!)
- Stack the noodles between floured wax paper when you’ve made more than you can fit on your countertop.
To make the béchamel sauce:
- On medium heat, melt butter in a medium saucepan. Add the flour, stir and cook for a minute. Add 1/4 cup of the milk in a slow drizzle, whisking constantly until smooth. Add another 1/4 cup and whisk until smooth. Then add the rest and whisk again.
- Add the salt, garlic, nutmeg and few grinds of black pepper, bring the mixture to a lower simmer and cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes.
- Turn off heat and stir in fontina, a handful at a time, until melted (if it doesn't fully melt, turn on low heat and stir until just melted and smooth). Taste and adjust seasonings if needed.
Assembling:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- In a 9×13-inch rectangular baking dish, spread 1/4 cup of the béchamel (to keep noodles from sticking to the bottom). Add the first pasta layer, cutting pieces as needed to fill the dish. Ladle 1 generous cup bolognese sauce over the noodles, spreading it evenly. Drizzle 1/2 cup béchamel over the bolognese (don't worry about smoothing it out) . Sprinkle the layer with 1/3 cup parmesan cheese.
- Repeat this process (pasta, bolognese, béchamel, parmesan) until the dish is filled (you might get 4 or 5 layers) and end with a layer of pasta. Spread over a 1/4 cup of the béchamel(or whatever you have left) and sprinkle 1/3 cup parmesan.
- Bake for around 40 minutes until bubbly and browned on top. Let t sit for at least 10 minutes before cutting. Serve with salad straight out of a box because honestly, you’ll be too exhausted to make anything else. And wine. Lots of wine.
Notes
- Prepare the bolognese sauce a day ahead and refrigerate to enhance flavor and reduce day-of work.
- Warm the sauce gently before assembling the lasagna to help it layer smoothly.
- Lasagna can be assembled up to two days in advance; bring to room temperature before baking or increase bake time by about 20 minutes.
- Making pasta from scratch is optional but adds texture; resting the dough while sauce simmers can save time.
Genuine Reviews
User Reviews
Overall Rating
4.8
123 reviews
Excellent
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