Baked pasta with white Bolognese sauce and creamed asparagus

A recipe for baked pasta with ‘white’ Bolognese sauce and creamed asparagus is an inviting alternative to the more traditional lasagna with meat sauce. In order to get the best out of your asparagus, you should prepare this dish mainly in spring when asparagus is in season. Its taste is delicate but full of character, and the whole notion behind this recipe is really quite out of the ordinary. So as not to complicate your life, we suggest preparing both the white Bolognese and the creamed asparagus.

The day before, prepare a ‘white’ Bolognese sauce made with lean ground beef, following the procedure for the traditional Bolognese sauce except omitting the tomatoes. Also make some creamed asparagus as follows: boil the asparagus in boiling salted water and then drain. In a frying pan sauté some white onion and add the asparagus, cut into small pieces. Let everything cook for a while, then add a bit of cottage cheese, salt and pepper. The next day take the cream of asparagus and supplement it with 50 ml of béchamel sauce. Begin to assemble the dish, alternating layers of the ‘white’ Bolognese sauce, béchamel and parmesan cheese, with the creamed asparagus. Finish with a layer of lasagne, a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese, some butter and bake at 180 °C for 30 minutes