Meatball Lasagna - cooking recipe

Ingredients

12 lasagna noodles
2 cups shredded Fontina cheese
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
Meatballs
1 1/2 lbs lean ground beef
1 egg
1/4 cup dry breadcrumbs
3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Tomato Sauce
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 onions, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 carrot, finely diced
1 stalk celery, diced
1 1/2 teaspoons Italian herb seasoning
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/3 cup tomato paste
2 (19 ounce) cans tomatoes
Bechamel Sauce
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
1 cup ricotta cheese
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Preparation

Meatballs:: In a bowl, whisk together egg, bread crumbs, 1/4 cup water, oregano, salt and pepper; mix in beef.
Shape by rounded teaspoonfuls into balls. Bake on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet in a 400\u00b0F (200\u00b0C) oven until no longer pink inside, about 12 minutes.
Tomato Sauce: Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat; fry onions, garlic, carrot, celery, herb seasoning, and salt and pepper, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened, about 5 minutes.
Add the tomato paste and tomatoes (presumably with the juice), breaking up with potato masher or some such thing, bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes.
Add the meatballs; simmer until a spoon scraped across bottom of pan leaves a gap that fills in slowly, about 10 minutes.
Bechamel Sauce: Meanwhile, in separate saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat; whisk in flour and cook, whisking, for 1 minute.
Add the milk 1/2 cup at a time, whisking constantly. Keep whisking and cooking until bubbly and thickened, about 5 minutes. Whisk in ricotta, Parmesan, salt, pepper and nutmeg.
In large pot of boiling salted water, cook lasagna noodles until almost tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Drain and chill in cold water; arrange in single layer on a damp tea towel.
Without picking up any meatballs, spoon 1 cup of the tomato sauce into a 13- x 9-inch (3 L) glass baking dish. Top with one-third of the noodles; spread with one-third of the remaining sauce and meatballs, then half of the bechamel sauce. Starting with the noodles, repeat the layers once.
Top with remaining noodles; spread with the remaining meatball sauce. Sprinkle with Fontina and Parmesan cheeses.
Cover with foil; bake in 375\u00b0F (190\u00b0C) oven for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake until bubbly and golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes.