Not Your Mom's Lasagna!

Hey guys!! As promises, second blog in one night! This one is a twist on lasagna that takes it out of the oven and puts it on the stove top. This is Rachaels "Two Sauce Weeknight Lasagna Bowls"!! 

First up, put on a pot of water to boil for the pasta. The pasta for this meal is a short cut pasta called campanelle. It looks like little flower shaped pasta and works well for this dish because the edges are curled like a lasagna noodle. I've had difficulty finding it and the only place I did find it was at Target. So, if you want to use it you may have to find a target and get it there. If you don't care so much about the pasta, you can use any short cut pasta. Once the water comes up to a boil, salt it and cook the pasta to al dente.

While the pasta cooks you can start your sauces. 

This dish has two. One is a bechamel or milk sauce and the other is a meat sauce. The bechamel sauce takes less time so we'll start off with the meat sauce. First up, chop your pancetta. If you've never used pancetta give it a try. It's a rolled, cured meat like American bacon but it isn't smoked. If your local supermarket doesn't carry pancetta, feel free to use bacon. Add a couple tablespoons of EVOO to the pan and drop the pancetta. Let it render out for a few minutes and then add in the meat. let it begin to caramelize and then break it up. Rachael Tip: You can use a wooden paddle to break up the meat or if you have a potato masher, they work great for breaking up the meat! Once the meat is caramelized, add in your onion, garlic, carrot, bay leaf, all spice, salt and pepper. Let the veggies sweat out a little bit and then add in your tomato paste. Cook the tomato paste out for a minute or until it becomes aromatic. At this point add in the red wine. I use Yellow Tail Pino Noir. It's usually $5.99 at Publix and works great. But by all means, use whatever dry red wine you have at home! Let the wine cook out a minute and then add in your beef stock. At this point, reduce the heat and let it simmer to combine your flavors. 

In seperate pot, you can make your bechamel sauce. First up rub the inside of the pot with cut garlic. This will add just a hint of garlic flavor to the sauce. Add in the butter to melt. Once it is melted whisk in your flower. Rachael Tip: Don't over whisk the flour and butter. The more you whisk it the more thickening power it loses. Let the flour and butter cook out for a minute and then whisk in the milk.  Season with salt, pepper and a little freshly grated nutmeg and then reduce the heat to let it thicken up for you. 

Once the sauce is thickened, you are ready to make your bowls!! Toss the pasta with the bechamel sauce. Put a few ladles of pasta and bechamel into a bowl and make a well in the center of the bowl. Ladle in your meat sauce, top with parsley you are ready to serve. To me, this one didn't take like the lasagna I grew up with. But, more than likely, the lasagna I grew up with is an Americanized version of it so maybe this is what a more traditional Italian lasagna tastes like :) Give this one a try! It's now one of my roommates new favorites. Hope you guys like it and until next time, Happy Cooking!!!

"Two Sauce Weeknight Lasagna Bowls"

 1 Lb. campanelle pasta
2 Tbs. EVOO
¼ Lb. pancetta, a couple of thick slices, chopped
¾ Lb. ground beef pork and veal mix or ground beef
½ Large carrot, peeled and grated or finely chopped
1 Small to medium onion, chopped
3 Cloves garlic, 2 chopped or grated, 1 peeled
½ Tsp. allspice, a couple of pinches
1 Bay leaf
3 Tbs. tomato paste
½ C. dry red wine
2 C. beef stock
3 Tbs. butter
3 Tbs. flour
2 C. milk
Nutmeg, to taste
½ C. grated Parmigiano Reggiano, plus some to pass at table
A handful fresh parsley leaves, finely chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat large pot of water to a boil, salt water and cook pasta to al denté.
 

While pasta water comes to a boil, heat EVOO in a medium sauce pot over medium-high heat, add pancetta and render 2 - 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 - 5 minutes,add carrot, onion, 2 cloves of garlic, allspice, salt and pepper and a bay leaf. Cook 3 - 4 minutes more to soften onions and carrot 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 with salt, pepper and nutmeg, thicken 8 - 10 minutes.
 

Toss pasta with white sauce and ½ 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.