Two Sauce Weeknight Lasagna Bowls
Classic lasagna in my family is made by layering thin lasagna noodles, preferable egg pasta, with layers of bechemel or white sauce, and a light meat sauce. Here, curly short-cut pasta is topped with the white sauce and topped with a rich meat sauce for mixing in.
Equipment
- 1 Large Pot For boiling pasta
- 2 Medium Sauce Pots One for meat sauce, one for white sauce
- 1 Whisk For making the white sauce
- 1 Wooden Spoon or Spatula For stirring sauces and browning meat
- 4 Serving bowls
Ingredients
Main
- Salt
- 1 pound Campanelle pasta
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/4 pound pancetta a couple of thick slices, chopped
- 3/4 pound ground beef pork and veal mix or ground beef
- 1/2 large carrot peeled and grated or finely chopped
- 1 small to medium onion chopped
- 3 cloves garlic 2 chopped or grated, 1 peeled
- 1/2 teaspoon allspice a couple of pinches
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1/2 cup dry red wine
- 2 cups beef stock
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 2 cups milk
- Nutmeg to taste
- 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano plus some to pass at table
- A handful fresh parsley leaves finely chopped
Instructions
- Heat large pot of water to a boil, salt water and cook pasta to al dente.
- While pasta water comes to a boil, heat olive oil in a medium sauce pot over medium-high heat, add pancetta and render 2 to 3 minutes then add meat and break up as it browns. When the meat has begun to caramelize and develops a nice brown color, 4 to 5 minutes, add carrot, onion, 2 cloves of garlic, allspice, salt and pepper and a bay leaf. Cook 3 to 4 minutes more to soften onions and carrots bits then stir in tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes, then stir in wine and cook out 1 minute then stir in stock and reduce heat to simmer.
- While red sauce cooks, cut remaining whole clove of garlic and rub the inside of a medium sauce pot with it. Melt butter in pot over medium heat. Add in flour and whisk together a minute or so then whisk in milk and bring to a bubble, reduce heat then season sauce with salt, pepper and nutmeg, thicken 8 to 10 minutes.
- Toss pasta with white sauce and 1/2 cup grated cheese. Serve pasta in individual bowls and top with a ladle of meat sauce in the middle of the bowl for mixing in. Garnish with parsley.
Notes
Properly browning the meat mixture before adding vegetables is key to developing rich flavor for the ragu. Ensure the béchamel is cooked gently for the full 8-10 minutes to thicken properly and cook out the raw flour taste. Grating the carrot helps it melt into the sauce, adding sweetness without noticeable texture. Using Campanelle pasta, or similar short, sturdy shapes like rigatoni or fusilli, allows the sauces to cling well. Rubbing the garlic clove in the white sauce pot before melting the butter imparts a subtle garlic undertone without being overpowering.