Sloppy Lasagna

Ingredients

• 2 pounds curly edge lasagna noodles
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 pounds ground beef, pork and veal mix (I used ground turkey)
  
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 medium pepper, finely chopped
  
• 1 small carrot, grated or finely chopped (I did squash instead this time)
  
• 3 to 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
• 2 fresh bay leaves
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 pinches ground cinnamon
• 1 can diced tomatoes
  
• 1 jar of spaghetti sauce
  
• A handful basil leaves, torn
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 to 2 1/2 cups milk, eyeball the amount
• Freshly grated nutmeg, to taste
• 1 1/2 cups grated cheese
• 2 cups fresh ricotta cheese or cottage cheese
  

Directions

Bring a large pot of water to a boil over medium heat. Break all of the pasta sheets into irregular, larger than single bite-sized pieces. Salt the water, then add the pasta and cook to a little shy of al dente. Drain and set aside in a large bowl.

Heat the extra-virgin olive oil in a heavy bottomed pot or large skillet over medium heat. Add the meat, press it into an even layer and brown it for 3 to 4 minutes before moving. Turn the meat and add the onions, pepper and grated carrot. Stir and cook a few minutes to soften, then add the garlic, bay leaves and pepper, to taste, and the cinnamon. Cook for a couple of minutes, then stir in the tomatoes and sauce, wait for 1 minute then add the wine. Reduce for a minute more, then add the tomatoes, breaking them up as you stir. Reduce the heat to a simmer and add the basil.

While the sauce simmers, in a medium sauce pot, melt the butter over medium heat and whisk in the flour. Cook for 1 minute, then whisk in the milk and nutmeg, and season with salt, pepper, to taste. Let cook for a couple of minutes to thicken, then stir in 1/2 cup of the grated cheese and turn off the heat.

Heat a broiler.

Add the meat sauce to the bowl with the pasta and toss. Layer half of the pasta into a lasagna pan and scatter with dollops of fresh ricotta or cottage cheese. Top with remaining pasta. Pour the white sauce over the pasta and scatter the remaining 1 cup of the grated cheese over the top. Put under the broiler to brown and bubble. Remove from the broiler and serve.

Thaw and cook at 350 for about 20 min.