For the meat sauce:
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1/2 Cup chopped onion
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 3 lb tomatoes peeled, seeded and chopped ( or canned tomatoes)
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 Tbsp chopped fresh basil
- oregano and fresh ground pepper
Sauté the ground beef until nice and brown. Add garlic than remaining ingredients and cook at fast simmer for about 30-40 minutes until the sauce is quite thick. Skim the fat.
For the béchamel:
- 1/2 Cup butter
- 4 Tbsp flour
- 1 Cup milk
- 1 Cup chicken broth
- 1 chicken or vegetable bouillon cube (optional)
- 1/8 tsp salt
Melt butter, add flour and cook, stirring with a whisk for one minute. Add the milk and broth and bring to a boil while stirring until the sauce thickens. Taste an adjust seasoning ( using cube if needed)
For the ricotta filling:
- 1 egg
- 1/2 lb ricotta
- 1/4 lb grated parmesan
- 1 pinch of nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp salt
Beat egg in a bowl. Add remaining ingredients and stir well with a fork.
For the cheeses:
- 1 1/2 Cup grated parmesan
- 4 ounces mozzarella cheese coarsely grated
- 4 ounces Teleme cheese
In the following order, layer in a lightly grease 13 x 9 inch baking dish: a little meat sauce, half the noodles, half of the remaining meat sauce, 1/2 Cup béchamel, 1/2 Cup of the ricotta filling, half of the cheese mixture; the remaining noodles and meat sauce,1/2 Cup béchamel, 1/2 Cup ricotta filling, 1/2 Cup of the cheese mixture, the rest of the bechamel and top it all with the rest of the cheese mixture.
Bake at 400° F for 30 minutes or until bubbly.
This freezes well.
