1. For the Bolognese sauce, peel and finely chop the onion and garlic. Peel the carrot (if necessary) and dice it very finely. Clean the celery stalks and dice them very finely as well. Set everything aside.

2. Heat up some olive oil in a large Dutch oven or pot. Add the chopped onion and sauté briefly, then add the garlic and sauté everything until the onion pieces are softer and slightly browned. Add the diced carrots and celery and cook for 2-3 minutes – the veggies should soften a bit as well. Next, add the tomato purée, dried oregano, and basil and mix well – cook/roast briefly so nice flavors can develop. Season with salt and pepper, then deglaze with the red wine. Allow the wine to boil down almost completely, then add the beef stock, tomato passata, and bay leaf. Reduce the heat slightly and let the Bolognese sauce simmer (covered) for about 2 hours – stir from time to time. The sauce should have thickened nicely. Season with some more salt and pepper if necessary. You can prepare the sauce a day in advance and store it in the fridge until you want to continue with the lasagna.

3. For the béchamel sauce, add the butter into a small saucepan and heat it up. As soon as the butter has melted and is no longer bubbling too much, add the flour, stir in, and allow sweating briefly – for about a minute. Gradually add the milk, stirring constantly (I recommend using a whisk). Stir until there are no more lumps. Season with a little freshly grated nutmeg, salt and pepper. Allow the sauce to cook for some time, stirring constantly, until it has thickened considerably. You want a consistency similar to a very thick sauce or custard here. Remove from the heat and let cool down a bit. Stir from time to time to prevent skin from forming.

4. Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Grease a large baking dish (min. 14×9.5 inches) with some olive oil. Spread a bit of the béchamel sauce on the bottom of the baking dish and place the first layer of pasta sheets (uncooked) on top. You may need to trim the edges of the lasagna sheets a little to make sure everything fits well and flat. Distribute some Bolognese sauce on the pasta sheets, then sprinkle with a bit of grated mozzarella cheese on top. Next, add more pasta sheets, béchamel sauce, pasta sheets again, Bolognese sauce, mozzarella, etc. Repeat the whole process until the Bolognese sauce and béchamel have been used up – the last layer should be béchamel sauce. My baking dish is always filled to the brim ;) Tear the mozzarella ball into small pieces and place them evenly distributed on top of the lasagna. Sprinkle the remaining grated mozzarella (if there is any left) and Parmesan all over the lasagna.

5. Place the baking dish on a baking sheet. If the baking dish is very full, it’s recommended to place a sheet of baking parchment underneath as well – just in case anything overflows. Place the lasagna in the middle of the oven and bake for about 40-45 minutes. The lasagna should have puffed up slightly, and the cheese should be nicely melted and browned. Take the lasagna out of the oven and let cool down for at least 10 minutes before cutting and serving.