Thousand Layer Lasagna

Directions

For the lasagna:

Put all the ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer or food processor.

Mix until the dough starts to come together.

Turn the dough out onto the counter, gather and gently pack it into a ball.

Shape, and knead a four or five times - until dough is smooth and all one texture.

The dough should not stick to your hands, if it does, knead in a bit more flour.

Cut in half, and flatten each piece of dough into a pancake shape roughly 1-inch high.

I place each piece of dough in a plastic bag to keep moist until I am ready to use it.

When you're ready to roll (no pun intended), start on a thick setting and work your way down.

We stopped at the next to thinnest setting on the Kitchen-Aid Mixer's Pasta Roller attachment.

You could see shadows and light through the pasta by the time it was done.

Cut the strips to the right size and set aside until assembly time.

For the Bechamel Sauce:

In a medium saucepan, heat the butter over medium-low heat until melted.

Add the flour and stir until smooth.

Over medium heat, cook until the mixture turns a light, golden sandy color, about 6 to 7 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the milk in a separate pan until just about to boil.

Add the hot milk to the butter mixture 1 cup at a time, whisking continuously until very smooth.

Bring to a boil. Cook 10 minutes, stirring constantly, then remove from heat.

Season with salt and nutmeg, and set aside until ready to use.

For the marinara sauce:

Place the olive oil, salt, pepper flakes, and garlic in a pan.

Dial the heat up and sauté for a minute or two.

Add the tomatoes and slowly bring to a simmer as well.

Remove from heat, stir in the lemon zest and taste for seasoning.

Add more salt if needed.

Set aside.

Assemble Everything:

Use a 13 by 9 inch baking dish .

Place a thin layer red sauce at the bottom, enough to cover the bottom.

Cover with a layer of pasta.

Place a thin layer white sauce and sprinkle small amount of mozzarella cheese.

Cover another layer of pasta.

Place a thin layer of red sauce and sprinkle with some ricotta cheese.

Preheat oven to 350℉ (180℃).

Repeat with the remaining layers until finishing with a layer of pasta, red sauce and mozzarella cheese.

Bake until heat through the whole dish, about 1 hour.

Cool slightly and serve warm.