Certified Angus Beef. San Marzano Tomato Ragu. Red Wine. Fettuccine. Parmesan. Basil.
Where this dish comes from
Lasagna Bolognese is the summit of the Italian baked pasta tradition — a dish that requires the cook's best work in three separate preparations (the pasta, the ragù, and the Béchamel) before they are combined into something greater than any of them individually. Its roots in Bologna are ancient: layered baked pasta appears in 14th-century manuscripts, and the combination of fresh egg pasta with meat ragù and white sauce was formalized in Emilia-Romagna over centuries of refinement. The dish was registered with the Italian Academy of Cuisine in 1982 specifically to protect it from the mozzarella-and-tomato-sauce lasagna that proliferated in Italian-American cooking.
Cheffy’s note
The rest time is the single most important thing about lasagna. Twenty minutes minimum. The layers compact, the juices redistribute, the proteins set — a rested lasagna holds a beautiful clean cross-section when you cut it. Cut it hot and you have a delicious mess. Use a thin sharp knife, not a spatula, for the cut; then lift with a fish spatula for the clean plate. If you're making it for a dinner party, bake it an hour ahead and rest it naturally as guests arrive. It will be at its peak.
