Lasagne de Carne (Dominican Mamá Rosa’s)

This Dominican lasagna packs a wallop of flavour from herby sofrito, which cooks with the ground beef until toasty and caramelized. Stick to regular dried lasagna noodles; they offer a toothsome texture that no-boil noodles can’t match.

Meat Sauce:
½ red bell pepper, coarsely chopped
1 small onion, coarsely chopped
1 plum tomato, coarsely chopped
4 sprigs fresh cilantro
2 sprigs fresh parsley
5 large black olives, pitted
5 cloves garlic
2 tsp. Italian seasoning
1 tsp. capers, rinsed, drained
½ tsp. ground cumin
¼ tsp. black pepper, freshly ground
1¾ tsp. sea salt
1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
2 lb ground beef chuck (10% fat)
1 Tbsp. tomato paste
2 bay leaves
1 (24 oz) jar marinara sauce

Assembly:
sea salt
3 cloves garlic, smashed
½ tsp. Italian seasoning
8 oz dried lasagna noodles
extra-virgin olive oil, for greasing
1 lb ricotta
black pepper, freshly ground
12 oz mozzarella, coarsely grated (~ 3 cups)

Meat Sauce:
Purée bell pepper, onion, tomato, cilantro, parsley, olives, garlic, Italian seasoning, capers, cumin, black pepper and sea salt in a blender until sofrito is mostly smooth.

Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high. Cook beef, tomato paste, bay leaves and sofrito, breaking up meat and stirring often, until liquid is evaporated and meat is starting to brown, 20-25 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in marinara sauce. Season sauce with salt if needed.

Make-Ahead: Sauce can be made 3 days ahead. Let cool; cover and chill.

Assembly:
Place a rack in upper third of oven; preheat to 350°F (180°C/160°C fan, Gas Mark 4).

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil; add garlic and Italian seasoning. Cook noodles, stirring often, until very al dente, about 4 minutes (noodles will finish cooking in oven). Drain noodles and stack flat in layers, separated by parchment; discard garlic.

Lightly oil a 9x13" baking dish. Spread a heaping cupful of sauce in dish. Lay a single layer of noodles over sauce. Spread 1 cup sauce over noodles. Season ricotta with salt and pepper; evenly spread half of ricotta over sauce. Scatter one third of mozzarella over top. Repeat layering process. Finish with remaining sauce, followed by remaining mozzarella. Cover with a lightly oiled piece of foil; set on a rimmed baking sheet (to catch drips).

Bake lasagna until bubbling around the edges, 40-45 minutes. Increase oven temperature to 425°F (220°C/200°C fan, Gas Mark 7). Uncover lasagna and continue to bake until top is golden brown, 15-18 minutes more. Let sit 15 minutes before serving.

Make-Ahead: Lasagna can be baked 3 days ahead. Let cool; cover and chill. Reheat in a 250°F (120°C/100°C fan, Gas Mark 0.5) oven.