Every family has their traditions, and mine is no different. For Christmas Eve, I host dinner, and I always make the same thing: Caesar salad (for which my husband is primarily responsible), lasagne, and baguettes. It’s always good and filling — especially the lasagne.
The recipe I use is loosely based on what an ex-boyfriend made way back when. I think it’s the first and only time I dated a guy who even came close to really cooking, and he taught me a few things. The fact that he was Italian didn’t hurt! His lasagne is similar to many “normal” lasagnes except that it includes a bechamel sauce to make it extra yummy and rich, and he always used pepperoni in place of ground beef.
Since I love creamy, and I don’t like meat, this recipe works out perfectly. It’s hard to be exact about having half meat and half non-lasagne when using crumbly beef. Pepperoni, on the other hand, works quite nicely.
How to Make Bechamel Lasagne
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For the Tomato Sauce:
Heat the saucepan on the stove until it’s hot. Remove paper skins from garlic and chop. Add the olive oil to the pan and heat for a minute or so until shimmery. Add the chopped garlic and cook until fragrant, about a minute. Add the tomatoes, dried herbs, and pepper. Simmer for 10-15 minutes while you make the bechamel. Use an immersion blender to puree to the thickness you prefer.
For the Bechamel Sauce:
Turn the stove to medium and heat a heavy saucepan. Add the butter and flour and whisk to combine. Stir constantly until it just starts to get a hint of brown color. Add the milk all at once and whisk until thoroughly combined (this will help you avoid lumps). Grate the nutmeg into the milk mixture, and add the bay leaf and pepper. Simmer, stirring periodically, until it has thickened (usually about 10 minutes). While the bechamel is thickening, make the filling.
For the Filling:
Mix the ricotta, 4 1/2 ounces Parmesan, all the mozzarella, and 4 1/2 ounces of the other solid cheese, eggs, and herbs together in a bowl, and use a spatula to combine well.
Combine lasagne in a 13×9 pan. Use a ladle to spoon about 3/4 c sauce onto the bottom of the pan to cover (you may need a bit more or less, depending on your pan). Add a layer of lasagne noodles. Scoop out about 1/4 cup of the filling mixture at a time, and press into the noodles to cover, using about half the mixture in total. Add half the bechamel sauce (after removing the bay leaf!). Add more ladles of sauce to cover.
Repeat the layers, ending with the sauce. Atop the last layer, add the remaining shredded cheese to form a crust.
Cover with tin foil and bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes until golden brown and bubbly. Let it sit for about 20 minutes before serving or it will fall all over the place (not that I know from experience).
Bechamel Lasagne
Ingredients
For the Tomato Sauce:
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 14 ounces diced tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley
- 1/2 tablespoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
For the Bechamel Sauce:
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 4 tablespoons flour
- 2 cups milk
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg freshly grated
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
For the Filling:
- 12 ounces ricotta cheese part skim
- 6 ounces mozarella part skim – shredded
- 6 ounces Parmesan grated
- 6 ounces Koskisko
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 13 lasagne noodles uncooked
Instructions
For the Tomato Sauce:
- Heat saucepan on the stove until it’s hot. Remove paper skins from garlic and chop. Add the olive oil to the pan and heat a minute or so until shimmery. Add the chopped garlic and cook until fragrant, about a minute.3 cloves garlic, 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Add the tomatoes, dried herbs, and pepper. Simmer for 10-15 minutes while you make the bechamel. Use an immersion blender to puree to the thickness you prefer.14 ounces diced tomatoes, 1 tablespoon dried parsley, 1/2 tablespoon dried basil, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 1/2 teaspoon pepper
For the Bechamel Sauce:
- Turn the stove to medium and heat a heavy saucepan. Add the butter and flour and whisk to combine. Stir constantly until it just starts to get a hint of brown color.4 tablespoons unsalted butter, 4 tablespoons flour
- Add the milk all at once and whisk until thoroughly combined. Grate the nutmeg into the milk mixture, and add the bay leaf and pepper. Simmer, stirring periodically, until it has thickened.2 cups milk, 1 bay leaf, 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- While the bechamel is thickening, make the filling.
For the Filling:
- Mix the ricotta, 4 1/2 ounces Parmesan, all the mozzarella, 4 1/2 ounces of the other solid cheese, eggs, and herbs together in a bowl, and use a spatula to combine well.12 ounces ricotta cheese, 6 ounces mozarella, 6 ounces Parmesan, 6 ounces Koskisko, 2 eggs, 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley, 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, 1 teaspoon dried basil
- Combine lasagne in a 13×9 pan. Use a ladle to spoon about 3/4 cup sauce onto the bottom of the pan to cover. Add a layer of lasagne noodles. Scoop out about 1/4 cup of the filling mixture at a time, and press into the noodles to cover, using about half the mixture in total.13 lasagne noodles
- Remove the bay leaf from the bechamel sauce and add the half of it. Add more ladles of sauce to cover.
- Repeat the layers, ending with the sauce. Atop the last layer, add the remaining shredded chees o form a crust.
- Cover with tin foil and bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes until golden brown and bubbly. Let it sit for about 20 minutes before serving or it will fall all over the place.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- For the diced tomatoes, make sure to look for a low-sodium one.
- If Koskisko is not available, you can use other solid cheese like Gruyere.
- For more tips and tricks, be sure to read the full article above.
Nutrition
This site uses an online source to provide nutrition estimates as a courtesy. If you need exact values, please calculate yourself.
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I think some of your ex-boyfriends might be hurt by your comments about not being able to cook
Whenever I see a recipe that has a word that I don't know in the title, I tend to shy away from the recipe. But after reading this recipe I think I can do it! Bechamel isn't such a foreign word after all! Neither is lasagne! Thanks for sharing!
Mmm! Sounds delicious! I love lasgna. Thanks for sharing.
Good lord that sounds so divine. I'll be stealing this and making it MINE!!! OK I'll give you credit for it 🙂
Oh wow that just sounds and looks amazing! Thanks so much for sharing ;).
I am too a pasta lover! Sounds really good!
I love pasta dishes like this, thanks for posting this recipe.
That looks and sounds wonderful. I am a BIG fan of a Bechamel sauce. I cooked a rigatoni dish, tonight, which uses a bechamel type sauce. It's a favorite. I will be posting it soon for TMTT.