Lasagna Bolognese

Bolognese Sauce:

1 medium to large onion (Vidalia), diced
1 stalk celery, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped (or 4-6 baby carrots)
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 lb ground beef
1 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon parsley
Dash of freshly ground cinnamon
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper (if you prefer some heat)
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes
1 cup dry white wine
1 cup whole milk

Bechamel Sauce:

2 cups whole milk
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose unbleached flour

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1 box lasagna noodles

In large sauce pot, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add carrots, celery, onions and garlic. Turn heat to medium, stirring occasionally to make sure sofritto is not burning/sticking. Saute about 10 minutes.

In large saute pan, brown ground beef and drain fat. Add ground beef to sauce pot and stir. Add tomatoes, spices and white wine and bring to boil, then turn heat down to simmer. Cook 30 minutes. Add milk and stir well. Simmer for additional 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

While sauce is cooking, bring large pot of water to boil. Add lasagna noodles and cook 1-2 minutes less than the suggested cooking time (the noodles will cook more in the oven). Drain and rinse with cold water to stop heat from further cooking the noodles.

Preheat oven to 350.

When sauce is almost done cooking (10-15 minutes left in cooking time), melt 1/4 cup butter in small sauce pot and whisk in flour. Add 2 cups milk and bring to simmer, whisking until roux has become a thick, uniform sauce. Remove from heat.

In 9x13 glass pan, spread a small amount of bechamel sauce so that bottom is covered. Cover with lasagna noodles. Distribute 1/3 bolognese over noodles. Top with 1/3 of bechamel and spread so that noodles are covered evenly. Sprinkle 1/3 cup with parmesan. Cover with noodles and repeat steps. The top layer will be noodles with bolognese, bechamel and parmesan.

Cook in oven for 45 minutes.