Soffritto: Put the roughly chopped carrot, celery, and onion into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until the mixture is broken down into fine pieces. Do not purée; you should still see small pieces of carrot, celery, and onion. Move to a medium bowl and set aside.

Pestata: Put the pancetta and garlic into the bowl of the same food processor used for the soffritto (no need to wash it!). Pulse until the mixture is broken down into fine pieces. Set aside.

Cook the pestata: Pour the olive oil into a heavy-bottomed pot (at least 4-quart capacity) over medium heat. Once hot, carefully add the pestata mixture from Step 1 and cook, stirring occasionally, until the pancetta renders and the garlic is fragrant, 4-5 minutes.

Brown the soffritto: Add the soffritto mixture from Step 1 to the pot with the pestata. Season with 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and stir to combine. Cook, stirring occasionally, until deeply browned and fragrant, 15-20 minutes. If the veggies begin to brown too quickly, reduce the heat to medium-low or low. Once browned, push the pestata and soffritto mixture to the outer edges of the pot.

Brown the meat: Generously season the beef and pork with 1 teaspoon kosher salt each. Add the meat to the center of the pot with the soffritto and pestata mixture. Do not touch the meat for 2-3 minutes, allowing it to brown deeply. Turn the meat over and brown the second side for 2-3 minutes. Once browned on both sides, use a wooden spoon to break the meat apart into fine crumbles. Stir to combine with the soffritto mixture. Cook, stirring occasionally, until browned completely, 8-10 minutes. Add the tomato paste, stirring to coat the meat and soffritto mixture. Cook for 2-3 minutes to brown.

Deglaze: Increasing the heat to medium-high, pour the red wine into the pot. Stir constantly, using a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits that may have formed at the bottom of the pot. Cook for 4-5 minutes, until the wine is almost completely absorbed into the meat mixture.

Aromatics: Tie the herbs together using kitchen twine (or finely chop if you do not have twine), then add to the pot with the bay leaves and parmesan rind, if using. Add the crushed tomatoes and broth or water, stirring to combine.

Simmer: Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 90 minutes. If the bolognese begins to reduce too much (losing too much of its liquid too quickly), feel free to add in a splash more broth/water, reduce the heat further, and/or cover the pot.

Finish the bolognese: Stir in the heavy cream and grated parmesan. Taste and season with additional kosher salt and ground black pepper, as desired. Remove from the heat and set aside, or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Mix the basil pesto ricotta: Meanwhile, as the bolognese sauce simmers, prepare the basil pesto ricotta. Add all listed ingredients to a medium mixing bowl, seasoning with ½ teaspoon each kosher salt and ground black pepper, or to taste. Stir until combined. Set aside, or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Assemble the lasagna: Spray a large piece of foil with nonstick cooking spray and set aside. Spray a 9×13 baking pan with nonstick cooking spray (see Recipe Notes, below). Ladle about 1 cup of the bolognese sauce into the baking dish, spreading it out to evenly coat the bottom. This prevents the pasta from sticking to the bottom of the dish as the lasagna bakes. Build your lasagna layer by layer:

Layer 2: Arrange a second layer of lasagna. Top with ½ of the prepared basil pesto ricotta, spreading into an even layer. Sprinkle some the mozzarella and Italian cheeses over top, using about ¼ of the cheese.

Layer 3 and 4: Repeat Layers 1 and 2, creating 4 alternating layers of bolognese and ricotta. Finish with one last generous sprinkling of cheese, using any remaining mozzarella and Italian cheese.

Rest: Top with the prepared foil. Transfer to the refrigerator to rest for at least 12 hours before baking.

Bake the lasagna: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F, ensuring an oven rack is positioned in the center of the oven. Remove the lasagna from the refrigerator, and set the baking dish on a large rimmed baking sheet. Transfer to the oven and bake the lasagna for 60 minutes, carefully removing the foil from the baking dish in the last 10 minutes of baking to brown the top. If desired, turn the broiler on in the last 5 minutes to give the cheesy top an especially golden brown and crispy finish.

Rest, slice, and serve: Carefully remove the lasagna from the oven. Set aside to rest for 10-15 minutes before slicing into 12-15 squares and serving. Enjoy!