Bolognese

1. Preheat the oven to 150°C/300°F.
2. In a cast-iron French oven, add the oil to the pan. On a low heat, saute the onion until translucent.
3. Add the bacon and garlic and saute for 2 minutes.
4. Add the minced beef to the pot. Cook on low-med heat until the mince is just cooked.
5. Add to the pot the remaining ingredients. Stir to fully combine and bring to simmer point. Pop the lid on the pot and put it in the preheated oven to slow cook for 2 hours.
6. Remove from the oven and set aside.

Bechamel Sauce

When you have 30 minutes left of cooking time with the Bolognese, start on the bechamel sauce.

1. On low heat, melt the butter in a small saucepan or Dutch oven. Add the flour and stir until it forms a paste. Cook, stirring continuously, on low heat for 5 minutes. We are cooking out the flour to make a base for our sauce.
2. Add 1 cup of milk, continually stirring to allow the milk to incorporate into the flour mixture (or roux). At this stage, change from using your wooden spoon to stir to a whisk. It will make it much easier to get a smooth, creamy sauce.  Gradually add the remaining milk a little at a time, stirring continuously until the mixture resembles a thick, creamy sauce. A bechamel sauce can take a lot of liquid, so don’t be afraid if it looks really runny. Cooking the sauce will cause the sauce to thicken. If it thickens too much, just add a little more milk.
3. Add the grated cheeses and stir through to melt them into the sauce.
4. Season with sea salt flakes and freshly ground pepper.

To Assemble

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C /392°F.
2. Lay the bottom of your Dutch oven with lasagna sheets. If they go up the sides of the pot a little, that’s fine, as long as the base is covered.

3. Top with roughly half of the Bolognese and spread evenly over the top of the pasta sheets.

4. Add a layer of lasagna sheets.

5. Pour the bechamel sauce evenly over the top of the pasta sheets.

6. Add a layer of lasagna sheets.
7. Top with the remaining Bolognese mixture and gently spread into an even layer.
8. Add a layer of lasagna sheets.

9. Pour the remaining bechamel sauce evenly over the top of the pasta sheets.

10. Top with grated mozzarella and bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes or until golden brown on top.

11. Remove from the oven and leave to rest for at least 10 minutes before serving.