Lasagna Bolognese

My version of lasagna is with layers of delicious of Bolognese sauce and béchamel sauce and finally topped with loads of mozzarella cheese. I love lasagna so much! I mean who doesn't??! 

This is a beast of a dish, and worth every second you put into it. I recommend making the meat sauce a day or longer before you need it; then, do everything else on the second day. 

Lasagna Bolognese is an epic dish. Oh sure, it looks like an ordinary broiled mass of cheese, pasta and meaty tomato sauce but it’s so much more. It's the béchamel sauce. The béchamel sauce adds a little something special to this wonderful lasagna and gives you the cheesy taste. I added some spinach to my béchamel sauce so it wasn't the 'basic' béchamel sauce anymore. The spinach acted as a taste enhancer in the lasanga. 

Whenever I made lasagna, my slice came out messy most of the times. But this time it was just the 'picture perfect' slice! 

INGREDIENTS

Pasta

• Lasagna noodles, as required 

Béchamel Sauce

• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 small yellow onion
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1/3 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup spinach leaves, coarsely chopped
• Salt (According to taste)
• 4 1/2 cups milk

Bolognese Sauce

• 1 large onion, coarsely chopped
• 1 medium carrot, coarsely chopped
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 2 medium sized green chilis
• 1 tablespoon garlic paste
• 1/2 tablespoon ginger past
• 1 1/2 pound ground lamb
• 4 large tomatoes, chopped
• 1 cup curd
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• Salt
• Black pepper
• 1 teaspoon red chili flakes
• Water, as required

Assembly

• 1 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese

METHOD

• Add the onion, carrot, green chilis, ginger and garlic to a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Heat the oil in a heavy pot over medium heat. Add the vegetables and cook for 5 minutes. Add the ground lamb, cooking until moisture is almost completely evaporated and meat is browned, approximately 25 to 30 minutes.
• Add tomatoes, mix and let the sauce change colour. It will change colour when all the ingredients will be incorporated. Add the curd and let the mixture simmer. Reduce the heat and simmer until moisture is almost completely evaporated, approximately 8-10 minutes. Add ½ cup of water at a time if the sauce looks dry. Season with salt and pepper. Let cool.
• In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium. Add onion and garlic; cook until onion is soft, 4 minutes. Add flour, season with salt, and cook, stirring, until mixture is pale golden with a nutty aroma, 4 minutes. Whisking constantly, add half the milk. Add the remaining milk and whisk until smooth. Cook, whisking constantly, until sauce comes to a boil and thickens, 10 minutes. Add spinach.
• When you’re ready to assemble the lasagna, have a large bowl of ice water ready. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and, working in batches, cook the pasta noodles according to the directions on the package, aiming for the lower range of cooking time so the pasta is al dente (just cooked through). Remove the pasta with a slotted spoon and transfer to the bowl of ice water for a few seconds. Remove the pasta and stack on a baking sheet with paper towels between each layer, making sure the noodles aren’t touching or they’ll stick.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and grease your baking dish.
• Following is how the layering process goes:
  Bolognese sauce
  Noodles
  Béchamel sauce
  Noodles
  Bolognese sauce
  Noodles
  Béchamel sauce
  Mozzarella cheese
• Cover with foil: to prevent sticking, either spray foil with cooking spray, or make sure the foil does not touch the cheese.
• Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil, and bake an additional 25 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes before serving.