Don Angie’s Copycat Pinwheel Lasagna

By Lindsay Moser
Lindsay Moser, also known as The Hunger Diaries, is a viral digital content creator bringing joy to eating and cooking with her delicious, easy-to-follow recipes and enthusiastic appetite. Check out all her recipe videos on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube, and even more appetizing posts (especially if you love pasta like Lindsay does!) on her website TheHungerDiaries.com

Serves: 12-16

Prep Time: 1 Hour

Chill Time: 2 Hours+

Cook Time: 3 Hours

Total Time: 6 Hours

Ingredients

Bolognese

2 small yellow onions (rough chopped)

4 ribs of celery (roughly chopped)

2 large carrots (roughly chopped)

4 garlic cloves

4 oz pancetta, finely processed

1 lb sweet Italian sausage (casing removed)

1 lb ground beef (85/15 blend)

2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

½ cup tomato paste

1 cup white wine

2 × 28-oz cans whole San Marzano tomatoes (crushed by hand or pureed)

2 cups whole milk

1 Tbsp sugar

2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

2 tsp colatura (or fish sauce, optional)

Kosher salt (to taste)

Béchamel

½ cup unsalted butter

1 head garlic (halved horizontally)

⅓ cup shallots (thinly sliced)

1 bay leaf

¼ tsp black peppercorns

½ cup flour

3 cups whole milk (cold)

kosher salt (to taste)

San Marzano Tomato Sauce (about 7 cups)

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

4 garlic cloves (thinly sliced)

¼ tsp red pepper flakes

2 × 28-oz cans San Marzano tomatoes

1 Tbsp sugar

2 basil sprigs

Kosher salt (to taste)

The Rest

8 fresh pasta sheets (approx. 12×7”) or homemade egg-yolk pasta (cut into same size sheets)

4 cups shredded whole-milk mozzarella

1 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

½ cup robiolina/robiola (or 16oz whole milk ricotta whipped with 8oz room temp mascarpone)

2 Tbsp chopped parsley or basil

Instructions

Make the Bolognese

1. Prep the mirepoix. Add the onion, celery and carrot to a food processor and process until finely minced.
2. Cook the meat. To a large saute pan or pot, add the pancetta, then turn the heat to medium low. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the fat is fully rendered, then remove with a slotted spoon. Turn the heat to medium high, then add the sausage and beef. Season well with salt, then break into very small pieces with a wooden spoon or spatula and cook till the meat is browned and caramelized. You’ll get the caramelization by letting the meat cook without stirring. Once you have those nice deep brown bits, stir and repeat a few times till you have a lot of little bits of caramelized meat all over, then remove with a slotted spoon.
3. Cook the veg and finish. Add the minced mirepoix to the pan with the meat fats, along with the olive oil and another big pinch of salt . Cook until all of the water has been cooked out and starts to turn brown and caramelize (takes around 20 minutes – be patient). Once the water cooks out, stir every minute or so to get brown bits all over, and so the veg doesn’t burn. Add the tomato paste and cook for a few minutes (let the sugars caramelize a bit too), then add the wine and cook till the alcohol smell is gone and most of the liquid has evaporated. Add the tomatoes and whole milk and bring to a simmer. Reduce to a low simmer and cook uncovered for 2-3 hours, until reduced by about a quarter. Taste and add salt to taste, then remove from the heat and stir in the sugar, lemon juice and colatura (if using) to emulsion and cool completely.

Make the Bechamel

1. Make the roux. To a large saute pan over medium low heat, add the butter and melt. Add the aromatics (garlic, exposed cloves face down, shallot, bay leaf, peppercorns) and salt and sweat for 4 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the flour and whisk/cook until no lumps remain and the raw flour taste is cooked out (2-4 minutes).

2. Finish. Slowly add the whole milk, whisking constantly, until all is added and the mixture is warmed through and thickened. Taste and add salt to your liking, then strain through a fine mesh sieve (use a spatula to press all the sauce through) into a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap or parchment (so it’s touching the top of the sauce – this will prevent a skin from forming) and refrigerate until completely cool.

Make the Tomato Sauce

1. To a large saucepan over medium low heat, add the olive oil, garlic and red pepper flake and cook until fragrant (1-2 minutes). Add the tomatoes, sugar, and a big pinch of salt and stir. Bring to a simmer, check for seasoning and add more salt if needed, then add the basil, reduce heat to a low simmer, cover almost all the way with a lid, and cook for 30 minutes.

The Rest

1. Par-cook the pasta in very well salted boiling water (you want the water extra salty – should taste like the ocean – because the pasta will be in for a very short time) for 15-20 seconds each, then transfer to an ice bath to stop the cooking. Then transfer the sheet to a towel and pat dry before laying flat onto parchment. Do this in batches, cooking 1 or 2 pasta sheets at a time, and making sure to add a layer of parchment in between each sheet to prevent sticking. If you want to use dried pasta, that’s fine! Cook the pasta for 7 minutes instead, following the rest of the steps the same.

2. Build your pinwheels. Lay a sheet of pasta on your cutting board or countertop (portrait-orientation) and spread ~ ¼ cup of the bechamel evenly, then grate ¼ cup of parm evenly onto each and sprinkle on a cup of the shredded mozz. Lay another pasta sheet on top and gently press to seal, then add another thin layer of the bechamel, followed by a layer of the bolognese (about 1 cup), leaving the bolognese off of a 2” strip at the far end (to prevent it coming out as you roll). Roll the pinwheel tightly, trying not to press down on them (this will squeeze out the filling) into a log and set onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining 2 pinwheels, then cover with plastic wrap and chill at least 1-2 hours in the fridge, or you can tightly wrap each in plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 2 days.

3. Slice, Arrange and Cook. Preheat the oven to 400°F, then cut into ~1 ¾” thick slices (if you used 7” wide pasta sheets, you’ll get 4 slices from each log. My pasta machine was about 5.5” long, so I cut mine into 3 slices instead). Add the warm/hot tomato sauceto a large 13×9 baking dish, then arrange your pinwheels, cut side-up (the prettiest sides facing up obviously), then bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the edges are golden and crisp.
4. Finish and Serve. Remove the lasagna from the oven and dollop your robiola (or ricotta/mascarpone mixture) between the swirls, then finish with fresh flat-leaf parsley or basil and a drizzle of fruity olive oil and serve immediately!

Notes

• If using dried lasagna sheets, you’ll want to cut each roll in half, then lay them flat-cut side up before baking to achieve the same look.