Lasagne Bolognese

Up to two days ahead

Make the Bolognese sauce

Pulse onion, carrot, and celeryin a food processor until finelychopped.

Heat olive oil in a large heavypot over medium heat.

Addground beef, ground pork,pancetta, and vegetables;cook, breaking up ground meatwith a spoon, until moisture isalmost completely evaporated and meat is well browned,25–30 minutes; season withsalt and pepper.

Add wine to pot and bringto a boil, scraping up brownedbits from bottom of pot, about2 minutes.

Add milk; bringto a boil, reduce heat, andsimmer until moisture is almostcompletely evaporated, 8–10minutes.

Add tomatoes and2 cups broth; bring to a boil,reduce heat, and simmer, addingwater by 1/2-cupfuls if saucelooks dry, until flavors meld andsauce thickens, 2 1/2–3 hours.

Let sauce cool, thencover and chill at least 12 hoursor up to 2 days. (

Letting thesauce sit will give it a deeper,richer flavor.)

Up to one day ahead

Make the fresh pasta dough

Whisk salt and 3 cups flour ina large bowl, make a well in thecenter, and crack eggs into well.

Mix eggs with a fork,then slowly mix in flour until ashaggy dough forms. Turnout dough onto a lightly flouredsurface and knead, dustinglightly with flour if sticky, untilsmooth, about 5 minutes (itwill be fairly stiff). Wrap inplastic; let sit until dough holdsan indentation when pressed,1–2 hours.

Chill dough if you are notrolling it out right away. Bring toroom temperature before rollingout, about 1 hour.

Make the noodles

Set pasta maker to thickestsetting; dust lightly with flour.Divide dough into 4 pieces.Working with 1 piece at a timeand keeping remaining doughwrapped in plastic as you work,flatten dough into a narrowrectangle (no wider than mouthof machine); pass throughrollers . Fold dough asneeded to fit and run throughagain. Repeat without folding,adjusting machine to thinnersettings after every pass anddusting with flour if sticky, untilpasta sheet is 1/16" thick (setting8 on most machines).

Placepasta sheets on a lightly flouredsurface and cut crosswise into16 8"-long noodles.

If making noodles ahead,stack on a baking sheet witha piece of parchment paperbetween each layer. Cover withplastic wrap; chill.

Make the béchamel

Heat butter in a medium saucepanover medium heat untilfoaming.

Add flour and cook,whisking constantly, 1 minute.

Whisk in warm milk,1/2-cupful at a time. Bring sauceto a boil, reduce heat, andsimmer, whisking often, untilthe consistency of cream, 8–10minutes; add nutmegand season with salt.

Removefrom heat, transfer to a mediumbowl, and press plastic wrapdirectly onto surface; letcool slightly. Chill if not usingright away.

Day of

Reheat the sauces

Combine Bolognese sauce andremaining 1 cup broth in a largesaucepan over medium heat,and heat until sauce is warmedthrough.

Meanwhile, if you madethe béchamel ahead of time,heat in a medium saucepanover low heat just until warmedthrough (you don't want to letit boil).

Cook the noodles

Working in batches, cook freshlasagna noodles in a large potof boiling salted water until justsoftened, about 10 seconds.

Remove carefully with tongs andtransfer to a large bowl of icewater; let cool.

Drain noodlesand stack on a baking sheet,with paper towels between eachlayer, making sure noodles don'ttouch (they'll stick together).

Assemble the lasagna

Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a13x9" baking dish with butter.

Spread 1/4 cup béchamel inthe prepared baking dish. Topwith a layer of noodles, spreadover a scant 3/4 cup Bolognesesauce, then 1/2 cup béchamel,and top with 1/4 cup Parmesan.Repeat process 7 more times,starting with noodles andending with Parmesan, for atotal of 8 layers.

Place bakingdish on a rimmed baking sheetand bake lasagna until bubblingand beginning to brown on top,50–60 minutes.

Let lasagna sit45 minutes before serving.

Lasagna can be assembled 12hours ahead. Cover and chill.

Letsit at room temperature 2 hoursbefore baking. Cook, coveredwith foil until the last 20 minutes,then finish cooking uncovered.

how to sub store-bought

Homemade pasta is great:It's rich, and can be rolledvery thin. But of course it'snot your only option:Fresh store-bought:Available in the refrigeratedsection of specialty storesand Italian grocers. Usuallya bit thicker than whatour recipe calls for butstill a good choice. Buy 1 1/2pounds. Sizes vary by shop;if needed, trim the noodlesduring assembly to fillpan without much overlap.Dried: If you spot importeddried egg noodles, they'reworth the splurge, butstandard supermarketdurum wheat will work justfine (avoid no-boil, though).Supermarket noodlesare thicker, so make fewerlayers. Cook 24 noodles(1–1 1/2 boxes) per packageinstructions; divide saucesevenly among 6 layers.Trim noodles as needed.