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one thick slice of lasagna on an ordinary plate with distinct pasta layers, fine beef-and-pork tomato bolognese, pale béchamel and softly melted mozzarella on top, without a browned oven crust or garnish
Andre Lewis

Crockpot Lasagna with Bolognese and Béchamel

Let the milk simmer into the browned beef and pork before adding tomatoes, because that small stage gives the sauce a rounded flavor that a last-minute splash won’t supply. A soft béchamel separates the pasta layers here instead of ricotta. Break the dry oven-ready sheets only as much as the oval cooker needs, and keep sauce against their edges so they soften evenly. This is a lasagna that needs a real rest after cooking, not a pot you can cut cleanly while its center is still bubbling. I’d rather wait twenty-five minutes for a portion that holds together than drag a puddle of hot layers across the plate.
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Prep Time 50 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours 30 minutes
Total Time 5 hours 20 minutes
Servings: 8
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 small yellow onion finely diced
  • 1 medium carrot finely grated
  • 1 celery rib finely diced
  • 1 lb lean ground beef
  • 1/2 lb ground pork
  • 2 garlic cloves minced
  • 1/2 cup whole milk for meat sauce
  • 1 can 28 oz tomato passata
  • 1 cup unsalted beef broth
  • 3/4 tsp fine salt divided
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 3 tbsp unsalted butter for béchamel
  • 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
  • 2 1/2 cups whole milk for béchamel
  • 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1 tsp butter for the cooker
  • 10 oz dry oven-ready no-boil lasagna sheets
  • 6 oz low-moisture mozzarella shredded
  • 1/3 cup finely grated Parmesan

Method
 

  1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat and soften onion, carrot and celery for 6 minutes. Add beef and pork and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, breaking them finely, until both reach 160°F; stir in garlic for 1 minute.
  2. Add the meat-sauce milk and simmer for 3 minutes until mostly absorbed. Stir in passata, broth, 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper and simmer for 10 minutes, leaving the sauce loose enough to spread.
  3. Meanwhile, melt béchamel butter in a saucepan and stir in flour for 1 minute. Gradually whisk in its measured milk, remaining salt and nutmeg; simmer for 4 to 5 minutes until lightly thickened.
  4. Butter a 6-quart slow cooker and spread 3/4 cup meat sauce over the bottom. Divide noodles into three equal groups, breaking sheets to fit without thick overlaps.
  5. Layer one group of dry noodles, one-third of the béchamel, one-third of the remaining meat sauce and one-third of the mozzarella. Repeat twice, keeping every noodle edge covered, and finish with Parmesan.
  6. Cover and cook on low for 3 1/2 to 4 hours, checking at 3 hours, until a knife slips through the center noodles and the filling reaches 165°F. Stop when the sheets are tender rather than leaving the lasagna for a full meat-braise day.
  7. Switch off, uncover and rest for 25 minutes. Cut into eight portions and lift with a wide spatula; do not boil the oven-ready sheets before layering.