Classic North Italian Lasagna Recipe - Lasagne alla Bolognese

Lasagna alla Bolognese is a fairly elastic recipe: If you feel like creamier lasagna you can use more béchamel sauce, or, if you're in a mood for substance, you can use more meat sauce.

Quantities, you wonder?
Here we were making several pans of Lasagna for a family reunion (about 20 people), and consequently had more Bolognese sauce and béchamel sauce than you will likely need.

To serve six to eight, you'll need:

• Sugo alla Bolognese made with 2 pounds (1 k) of ground beef (see the text recipe or the illustrated recipe for sugo alla Bolognese for instructions, adjusting proportions accordingly and omitting the ossibuchi (veal shanks) if you choose the illustrated recipe)
• 3 cups (750 ml) béchamel sauce
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 2 cups (100 g) freshly grated Parmigiano
• 1/2 cup (50 g) unsalted butter
• 1 1/8 pounds (500 g) dry sheets of pasta, or about 1 1/3 pounds (600 g) fresh pasta
• 2 tablespoons salt
• A 10 by 13 by 3-inch (26 by 32 by 7 cm) pan

Begin by heating a large pot of water, salting it, and adding the oil to keep the sheets of pasta from sticking to each other. If you're using dry sheets, boil several per the instructions on the package (ours said 4 minutes) and drain them in a colander.