Lasagna Alla Bolognese

Instructions

1. Start by boiling a large pot of water and generously adding salt. Add the baby spinach and boil it for 1-2 minutes until it's wilted and tender. Once done, remove the spinach from the pot with a slotted spoon, making sure to keep the water for later. Allow the spinach to cool before squeezing out any excess water and finely mincing it.
2. To make the pasta, pour the flour onto a clean surface and create a well in the center, resembling a volcano. Crack the eggs into the well and add the minced spinach. Gradually mix the flour into the eggs and spinach mixture until a thick paste forms. Incorporate the remaining flour and knead the dough by hand until it is consistent and uniform. The dough should be soft but not sticky. If the dough is too sticky, add more flour, and if it's too dry, add a little water.
3. Shape the pasta dough into a ball, wrap it in plastic, and let it rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
4. Now it’s time to roll the pasta into lasagne sheets. You can certainly do this with a rolling pin—we’ve done it all the time! However, a pasta machine will make the process much easier and quicker so we recommend using one if you can.
5. Cut about 1/4 of the dough off with a knife and keep the remainder wrapped in plastic so it doesn’t dry out. If using a machine, start rolling with the thickest setting (usually 1) and gradually increase the number until you reach the correct thinness. Dust the pasta lightly with flour before rolling and each time it comes out of the machine. Roll the pasta out into a long sheet (feel free to cut it in half at any point if it gets too long to manage) until it is about 1/16-inch (2mm) in thickness—the #5 setting on a standard Marcato Atlas machine.
6. To use a rolling pin, set aside about 1/3 of the pasta dough and keep the rest wrapped. Roll out the dough on a large, smooth surface and dust it with flour as you work. Flip it over frequently. When the dough is thin enough, about 1/16th inch (2mm), it's ready to cut.
7. Cut the pasta sheet(s) into rectangles, around 8x5 inches, but don't worry about being too precise as the pasta will be trimmed and layered later. Don't throw away any scraps or smaller pieces as they can be useful later to fill in gaps.
8. Lay the pasta sheets flat on clean kitchen towels, avoiding overlapping. Repeat the rolling and cutting process until all the pasta dough is used. As you work, bring the pot of spinach water back up to a rolling boil.
9. To prepare the boiled pasta sheets, work in batches of 2-3 sheets at a time. Drop them into the boiling water and cook for about 30 seconds per sheet. Use tongs to gently remove each sheet and place it on a clean towel to prevent them from sticking together. Repeat until all the pasta is cooked. Preheat the oven to 390 degrees F (200 C).
10. To assemble the lasagna, start by spreading a thin layer of ragù on the bottom of a 2-quart baking dish. Drizzle a few spoonfuls of besciamella on top and spread it around. Arrange a layer of pasta sheets on top, overlapping them slightly and cutting them to fill any gaps.
11. On top of the pasta, spread a hearty layer of ragù, followed by an even spread of some chopped mozzarella, a generous drizzle of besciamella, and a dusting of grated Parmigiano cheese. Now, the layers just repeat! Pasta, ragù, mozzarella, besciamella, Parmigiano.
12. Repeat until you’ve filled the dish—you’ll likely end up with 4-5 layers in all. Finish with a final layer of pasta on the very top. Over the pasta, spread a thick layer of ragù and besciamella sauce. Mix them together and make sure they completely cover the pasta from corner to corner. Top it all off with a generous grating of Parmigiano cheese and cover the lasagna loosely with aluminum foil.
13. Bake for 30 minutes, then remove the foil and bake a further 20-25 minutes or until the cheese on top is slightly crispy. Let the lasagna cool for 20 minutes before serving.