There are as many lasagna recipes as there are cooks in Italy, yet, with so much variation, there is one regional tradition that stands out among all the others: Bologna’s lasagna. It is the lasagna that all others aspire (and fail) to be. This particular incarnation of Italy’s famous recipe features sheets of spinach pasta layered with meat ragù and béchamel. My version is straight out of Maestra Alessandra’s playbook and it’s a dish that graces her table—and mine—every time she invites an honored guest for Sunday lunch.
I feel particularly protective of this recipe and it really bonds me to the maestra. In all the time Alessandra has had La Vecchia Scuola, she never let any student build her lasagna. The dish is so sacred to her that even her daughter wasn’t allowed to touch it. One day, about three months into my tenure there, she nonchalantly asked me to roll out a sfoglia verde, then brought ragù, béchamel, and a pan over to my counter and said, “fai”—make it. It was one of the proudest days of my professional life.
Making lasagna requires several components, so be sure each is ready before you start the assembly. You’ll need a pot at least 16 in [40 cm] wide for blanching the pasta sheets. You can also halve the sheets crosswise and use a smaller pot at least 8 in [20 cm] wide.
