NONNA FRANCA'S LASAGNE

This is the first time I have made lasagne with a meat sauce, and a rich and a creamy Béchamel sauce with a hint of nutmeg. 

I was looking at my dishes on the Vietri blog when I spotted this recipe.  Here is the adorable recipe in Italian.  Here is a Printable recipe. Click here.

The recipe points out that you want to stay away from no-boil pasta sheets or freshly made pasta for the noodles, but I used fresh pasta sheets from Wegman's with great success. I gave the recipe five stars, but my hubby prefers my red sauce lasagna as he is not a big fan of béchamel sauce.

Nonna Franca's Lasagne
Printable Recipe

Ingredients

1-2 Cups of Parmesan cheese (I used one cup)

1 box of Barilla lasagna

Olive oil (6 Tablespoons)

Meat Sauce

1 pound of ground beef

1 carrot

1 medium onion

1 garlic clove (you could add more if you like)

Pinch of fresh flat leaf parsley

1 ½ Cups of Tomato Sauce

1 teaspoon of Sugar

Salt and Pepper to taste

Béchamel Sauce

4 ¼ Cups of whole milk

½ Cup (1 Stick) of Butter

½ Cup of white all-purpose flour

Sprinkle of Nutmeg

Salt

Finely chop carrot, celery, onion, garlic, and parsley (I used my food processor).

In a medium sized pan, add six Tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil.  Let olive oil heat for just a minute and add the chopped carrot, celery, onion, garlic and parsley. Sauté for 3-5 minutes until vegetables are bright in color and garlic is fragrant.  Add meat and cook until brown.  Add tomato sauce. 

Add a teaspoon of sugar, salt, and pepper. Cover and simmer for 1½ hours. Stir every once in a while, and add chicken stock if the sauce gets too thick. Once the sauce has cooked for about an hour, start the béchamel sauce and preheat oven to 350°.

Melt butter in a non-stick pan. Add flour, salt, and a sprinkle of nutmeg and whisk until smooth.

While still whisking, add milk and incorporate ingredients well. Over medium heat watch for the sauce to thicken. You want it spreadable.

In a large stock pot, bring salted water to a boil. Note: You want to stay away from the no-boil pasta sheets or freshly made pasta as the noodles will continue to cook while lasagna is in the oven. Cook pasta for ONLY 2 minutes. Drain pasta well. By this time your meat sauce should be finished cooking.

Ladle meat sauce to cover the bottom of your baking dish. This recipe will make enough to fill a 13”x9” pan. Layer noodles on top of the meat sauce.  Add the béchamel sauce on top of the noodles and top with parmesan cheese. Repeat until all ingredients have been used (about four or five layers). Top with Parmesan cheese.

Cook lasagna for 25-30 minutes at 350°. The top should have a golden color.

Buon appetito! I am joining Rattlebridge Farm for Foodie Friday.

Thanks for stopping by. 

xo

Debbie