This luscious lasagne comes from Frances Mayes’ The Tuscan Sun Cookbook, a favorite Italian cookbook of mine.
The lasagne pasta is layered with ragu, (meat sauce), besciamella (béchamel sauce), Parmigiano-Reggiano, and shredded mozzarella, and topped with toasted breadcurmbs. Delizioso!!!
I have made this ragu recipe in the past and it is wonderful, but since I had a container of my own meat sauce in the freezer I used it in this lasagne. If you have a favorite meat sauce you could substitute it in this recipe as well.
The creaminess which the béchamel sauce adds to the lasagne along with the melted mozzarella cheese is a nice contrast to the flavorful meat sauce. The toasted breadcrumbs add a welcome crunch. This is comfort food at its finest!
Here’s the recipe…
Lasagne with Ragu (serves 8)
( The Tuscan Sun Cookbook, Frances Mayes and Edward Mayes)
Ingredients
3 cups Giusi’s ragu
2 cups Besciamella, (recipe doubled)
1 pound dried lasagne (or fresh pasta)
½ cup (2 ounces) grated Parmigiana-Reggiano
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded mozzarella
½ cup coarse fresh breadcrumbs, toasted
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, for the baking dish and top layer of pasta
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Prepare the ragu and the besciamella (recipes below)
Bring the pasta water to a boil, salt it, and cook the dried pasta according to recommended cooking time but subtract a minute.
If using fresh pasta, cook 2 sheets at a time for 1 to 2 minutes.
Fill a large bowl with cold water. Carefully lift out the lasagne sheets with a large slotted spoon and stop the cooking by dipping the pasta in the water.
If any tear, they can be used for middle layers.
Spread each sheet on a dishtowel.
To assemble, oil a 9×13-inch baking dish (one you’ll serve from), and layer the ingredients by first spooning a little sauce on the bottom, followed by a layer of pasta, then besciamella (about 1/3 cup) then Parmigiano, then mozzarella.
Pace the amounts for five layers of pasta, ragu, (about ½ cup), besciamella, Parmigiano, and mozzarella.
End with a layer of pasta.
Dab the top with ragu, sprinkle on the breadcrumbs, and dot with olive oil.
Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes, or until the lasagne is bubbling around the edges and the top looks toasty.
Besciamella (Bechamel Sauce) Makes 1 cup
Besciamella, or bechamel sauce is a basic white sauce for vegetables and baked pastas.
Note*You can add ½ cup of cheese, depending on the recipe.
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup whole milk
a few gratings of nutmeg
½ teaspoon salt
Over medium-low heat melt the butter in a 1 and1/2-quart saucepan and add the flour. Cook, stirring for 2 minutes, until it forms a paste and is ever-so-slightly browned.
Remove from the heat and whisk in the milk all at once.
Return to medium-low heat and cook, stirring until thickened, about 5 minutes.
Add the nutmeg and salt.
Note* If you’re using cheese, stir it in at the end, and let the sauce heat on low until the cheese has melted and absorbed.
Giusi’s Ragu (serves 10)
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound lean ground beef
1 pound ground pork
2 Italian sausages, casings removed
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves or 1 teaspoon dried
1 to 2 cups red wine
1 cup soffritto (recipe below)
2 tablespoons tomato paste
16 to 20 tomatoes or 2 28-ounce cans whole tomatoes, juice included, chopped
Pour the olive oil into a 4-quart heavy pot with a lid. Over medium-high heat, brown the meats, breaking up the sausage with a wooden spoon, about 10 minutes. Add the salt, pepper, thyme, and 1 cup of the red wine.
After the wine has cooked into the meat, about 10 minutes, add the soffritto, and stir in the tomato paste and tomatoes.
Bring the sauce to a boil, and then lower to a quiet simmer. Partially cover, and continue cooking for 3 hours, stirring now and then.
Along the way, add the remaining cup of wine if you think the sauce is too dense.
Soffritto (makes 1 cup)
A quick saute of carrot onion, celery, and flat-leaf parsley starts off many sauces and meats.
Depending on the recipe you can add a variety of other ingredients to the soffritto: 2 minced garlic cloves, ¼ pound of minced pancetta, 4 or 5 torn basil leaves, or other aromatic herbs.
Use this in ragu or soup and as a seasoning for zucchini, peas or other vegetables.
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 yellow onion, minced
1 carrot, minced
1 celery stalk, minced
1 handful of flat-leaf parsley, minced
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
Saute the ingredients in a small saucepan over medium-low heat until they begin to color and turn tender, 5 to 7 minutes.
