Lasagna with Pancetta, Veal and Turkey meat sauce

To help us warm up and acclimate to the vicious February weather we came home to I decided there was no better way to spend a snow day than to leisurely put together a lasagna.

Beginning with the sauce to give the ingredients ample time to get to know one another and get extra tasty, I started with some leftover diced pancetta. Next I sauteed onion, garlic (lots!) and diced creminis in the rendered fat from the pancetta and deglazed with the end of a bottle of Pinot Grigio. Then I browned the meat; ground turkey and lean veal. Once browned I added in diced and crushed plum tomatoes and a bit of water to loosen it up. To finish I added a whole wack of chopped up fresh herbs: parsley, thyme, sage and basil, as well as a bit of dried oregano. Brought to a simmer, popped a lid on and let it work for a couple of hours on low.

While the sauce was working I mixed together a container of fresh ricotta with some more chopped parsley, some freshly grated parmesan cheese and a generous amount of salt and pepper. Set on the fridge until layering time.

Layering time!

Layer 1: a bit of sauce, and a sheet of no boil pasta (trimmed for my square dish)

Layer 2: a generous amount of the ricotta mixture

Layer 3: a healthy helping of meat sauce

Layer 4: fresh fiore di latte slices 

Repeat until done and top with extra cheese!

350 oven for 30 minutes... et voila!

Yummy, hearty and cozy, we ate until our stomachs hurt...