Open Lasagna with white Bolognese and cheese sauce

A recipe for a rich, hearty Bolognese bianco, built on slowly developed flavors from meat, vegetables, and mushrooms. It is served here as an open lasagna with a creamy cheese sauce, resulting in a flavorful, rustic dish. It is essential to let the sauce simmer for a long time to achieve its full depth of flavor. The recipe makes enough Bolognese for twice the amount needed for this dish, but the extra freezes well, or you can use it to make Bolognese bianco with homemade pici pasta—see the separate recipe on Tastefusion.se.

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You will need

Bolognese:

2 tbsp (30 ml) + 2 tbsp (30 ml) + 2 tbsp (30 ml) + 2 tbsp (30 ml) olive oil

2 tbsp (30 ml) butter

4 ¼ cup (1000 ml) fresh button mushrooms, thinly sliced

3 cubes mushroom bouillon

1.1 lb (500 g) ground turkey

7 oz (200 g) turkey bacon, finely diced

9 oz (250 g) turkey chorizo, casing removed and meat coarsely grated

1 cup + 2 tsp shallots, finely chopped

1 cup + 2 tsp carrots, finely diced

1 cup + 2 tsp celery, finely diced

3 bay leaves

⅓ cup + 1 tbsp (100 ml) garlic, finely chopped

1 tsp (5 ml) red chili pepper (more or less depending on desired heat and heat of chili), finely chopped

1 cup + 2 tsp dry white wine

2 tbsp (30 ml) fresh rosemary, finely chopped

3 tbsp (45 ml) fresh parsley, finely chopped

2 tbsp (30 ml) fresh sage, finely chopped

1¼ cups (300 ml) finely grated Parmesan cheese (or Parmesan rind; see *Tip 1 below)

2 cups + 1 tbsp water

1¼ cups (300 ml) whole milk

1¼ cups (300 ml) heavy cream

1 tbsp (15 ml) honey

2 tbsp (30 ml) balsamic vinegar

Freshly ground black pepper

Salt, if needed

¾ cup + 1 tbsp pasta cooking water

Cheese sauce:

¾ cup + 1 tbsp (200 ml) Philadelphia cream cheese

¾ cup + 1 tbsp (200 ml) heavy cream

1 tsp (5 ml) white pepper

1 cube mushroom bouillon

¾ cup + 1 tbsp (200 ml) parmesan cheese, finely grated

¾ cup + 1 tbsp (200 ml) pecorino cheese, finely grated

¾ cup + 1 tbsp (200 ml) cheddar cheese, finely grated

2 tsp honey

For broiling:

4 oz (100 g) mozzarella, finely grated

1 dl parmesan cheese, finely grated

1 dl cheddar cheese, finely grated

For serving:

Parmesan cheese, finely grated

Fresh rosemary, finely chopped

Fresh parsley, finely chopped

Red chili pepper, finely chopped

How to make it

Bolognese:

1. Prepare all the ingredients by peeling, chopping, and slicing as needed. Arrange them in separate piles or bowls.

4 ¼ cup (1000 ml) fresh button mushrooms, thinly sliced

7 oz (200 g) turkey bacon, finely diced

9 oz (250 g) turkey chorizo, casing removed and meat coarsely grated

1 cup + 2 tsp shallots, finely chopped

1 cup + 2 tsp carrots, finely diced

1 cup + 2 tsp celery, finely diced

⅓ cup + 1 tbsp (100 ml) garlic, finely chopped

1 tsp (5 ml) red chili pepper (more or less depending on desired heat and heat of chili), finely chopped

2 tbsp (30 ml) fresh rosemary, finely chopped

3 tbsp (45 ml) fresh parsley, finely chopped

2 tbsp (30 ml) fresh sage, finely chopped

1¼ cups (300 ml) finely grated Parmesan cheese (or Parmesan rind; see *note 1 below)

2. Heat a large sauté pan, braiser, or Dutch oven over high heat and add the mushrooms. Cook over high heat until all the liquid has evaporated.

4 ¼ cup (1000 ml) fresh button mushrooms, thinly sliced

3. Add butter and crumbled bouillon cubes. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are nicely browned. Season lightly with black pepper, remove from the pan, and set aside in a large bowl.

2 tbsp (30 ml) butter

3 cubes mushroom bouillon

Freshly ground black pepper

4. In the same pan, add olive oil. When hot, add shallots, carrots, celery, and bay leaves. Season with black pepper and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes, or until the vegetables have softened. Remove the vegetables and place them in the same bowl as the mushrooms but leave the bay leaves in the pan.

2 tbsp (30 ml) olive oil

1 cup + 2 tsp shallots, finely chopped

1 cup + 2 tsp carrots, finely diced

1 cup + 2 tsp celery, finely diced

3 bay leaves

Freshly ground black pepper

5. Add more olive oil, then the ground turkey. Spread it out in an even layer and let it brown undisturbed for several minutes to develop a deep golden-brown crust. Flip the meat and brown the other side in the same way. Once browned, break the meat up with a wooden spoon or potato masher. Season with black pepper and cook for another couple of minutes, stirring occasionally. Transfer the turkey to the bowl with the mushrooms and vegetables.

2 tbsp (30 ml) olive oil

1.1 lb (500 g) ground turkey

Freshly ground black pepper

6. Add more olive oil, then the turkey bacon. Cook until nicely browned. Remove and add it to the bowl with the other cooked ingredients.

2 tbsp (30 ml) olive oil

7 oz (200 g) turkey bacon, finely diced

7. Add more olive oil, then the turkey chorizo. Cook, stirring occasionally, until browned. Add chili and garlic and cook for 1–2 minutes more, stirring frequently. Return all the reserved cooked ingredients to the pan and cook for another couple of minutes while stirring.

2 tbsp (30 ml) olive oil

9 oz (250 g) turkey chorizo, casing removed and meat coarsely grated

⅓ cup + 1 tbsp (100 ml) garlic, finely chopped

1 tsp (5 ml) red chili pepper (more or less depending on desired heat and heat of chili), finely chopped

8. Add white wine and simmer until reduced by half.

1 cup + 2 tsp dry white wine

9. Add the fresh herbs and Parmesan cheese and stir to combine. Pour in the water and stir well. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and let the sauce simmer gently for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

2 tbsp (30 ml) fresh rosemary, finely chopped

3 tbsp (45 ml) fresh parsley, finely chopped

2 tbsp (30 ml) fresh sage, finely chopped

1¼ cups (300 ml) finely grated Parmesan cheese (or Parmesan rind; see *note 1 below)

2 cups + 1 tbsp water

10. Add milk and heavy cream to the sauce and bring to a gentle simmer. Continue cooking over low heat for another 1–2 hours.

1¼ cups (300 ml) whole milk

1¼ cups (300 ml) heavy cream

11. Add honey and balsamic vinegar to the Bolognese sauce and mix well. Pour in the reserved pasta water from cooking the lasagna sheets (see step 16 below) and let the sauce simmer for another 10–20 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning and salt if needed. Remove and discard the bay leaves.

1 tbsp (15 ml) honey

2 tbsp (30 ml) balsamic vinegar

¾ cup + 1 tbsp pasta cooking water

12. Remove half of the Bolognese sauce and either freeze it or use it to prepare another dish, such as “Bolognese Bianco with Mushrooms and Homemade Pici” (see separate recipe).

Cheese Sauce:

13. Heat the Philadelphia cream cheese and cream in a saucepan. Add white pepper and a crumbled bouillon cube. Stir until the bouillon cube has dissolved.

¾ cup + 1 tbsp (200 ml) Philadelphia cream cheese

¾ cup + 1 tbsp (200 ml) heavy cream

1 tsp (5 ml) white pepper

1 cube mushroom bouillon

14. Add the cheese and honey. Stir until everything is combined and the cheese has melted. Remove the saucepan from the heat. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.

¾ cup + 1 tbsp (200 ml) parmesan cheese, finely grated

¾ cup + 1 tbsp (200 ml) pecorino cheese, finely grated

¾ cup + 1 tbsp (200 ml) cheddar cheese, finely grated

2 tsp honey

15. Preheat the oven to the grill/broil setting at its highest temperature (usually 250–300°C / 480–570°F).

16. Fill a large pot with water and bring it to a boil. Cook the lasagna sheets for about 1 minute in salted water. The water should be boiling before the salt is added (*see Tip 2 below). Reserve at least ¾ cup + 1 tbsp (200 ml) of the pasta water and discard the rest. Place 4 lasagna sheets on a baking tray lined with parchment paper.

8 fresh lasagna sheets

Assembly

17. Spread three-fifths of the Bolognese sauce evenly over the four lasagna sheets on the baking tray. Cover with half of the cheese sauce and spread it evenly. Place the remaining lasagna sheets on top and distribute the rest of the Bolognese sauce over them. Cover with the remaining cheese sauce and sprinkle with mozzarella, Parmesan, and Cheddar cheese. Place the tray high in the oven under the grill/broiler and cook until the top is nicely browned and the cheese has melted. Keep a close eye on it to prevent burning. Let the lasagna rest on the tray for a few minutes.

4 oz (100 g) mozzarella, finely grated

1 dl parmesan, finely grated

1 dl cheddar cheese, finely grated

18. Place one lasagna portion on each serving plate (preferably preheated) and top with grated Parmesan, chopped herbs, and chili. Serve with a fresh green salad.

Parmesan cheese, finely grated

Fresh rosemary, finely chopped

Fresh parsley, finely chopped

Red chili pepper, finely chopped

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Tip and Tricks

Tip 1: Make use of Parmesan rinds: Parmesan rinds are perfect for cooking and can be used in a couple of different ways. You can either freeze them as they are and add them whole to stews or other dishes that will simmer for a long time. In that case, you should remove the rind before serving. Another method, which I prefer, is to blend the Parmesan rinds in a powerful blender until they become a powder and then freeze it. That way, you can simply add as much as you like to slow-cooked dishes.

Tip 2: Salting the Pasta Water: Use ½ tablespoon (7 ½ ml or 10 g) of salt for every 1 quart (1 liter) of water. For 3.2 quarts (3 liters) of water, use 1½ tablespoons (22 ½ ml or 30 g) of salt. Add the salt only after the water has come to a boil, as adding it earlier can increase the time it takes for the water to boil.