Lasagna With Béchamel

Lasagna with béchamel is a classic style of lasagna that is comforting, delicious and layered with a creamy béchamel sauce instead of ricotta cheese.

Whenever I make this lasagna you can be sure that my daughter will be sitting at the table come breakfast time with a giant slice the following morning. It is that good. Hot or cold. Lasagna with béchamel sauce adds a creamy flavorful touch to the heartier meat sauce. This paired with the soft layers of lasagna pasta, there is no other way to make a classic lasagna. If you have never made it with béchamel sauce, you are surely in for a treat. And might I say, there’s no going back.

If serving this Lasagna with Béchamel to guests, a great dessert to serve after is this Easiest Homemade Tiramisu as it will keep with the theme of Italian cuisine. Other recipes to also try are Simple Chicken Piccata and Homemade Pasta Pomodoro.

Lasagna with Béchamel Is….

• a classic dish. In both Northern and Southern Italy, lasagna is made with béchamel sauce over ricotta cheese
• Comforting and delicious
• Has a creamier flavor over standard lasagnas that use ricotta cheese
• Enjoyable hot or cold
• A kid favorite
• Hearty and filling
• Packed with flavor from a blend of meats, herbs, garlic

Ingredients

Herbs- The recipe uses dried herbs with a blend of thyme and Italian seasoning. You can substitute fresh if you like but keep in mind the ratio of fresh to dried is 3 to 1. So you will need 3 times the amount of fresh herbs for the lasagna.

Meat- This lasagna calls for a blend of lean ground beef and ground Italian sausage that creates a flavorful meat sauce that compliments the béchamel perfectly.

Cheese- The lasagna is topped with a layer of mozzarella cheese that will get nice and bubbly when baked. Creating a nice crust to top off the lasagna.

Milk- The milk in this recipe is used for making the creamy béchamel sauce. I suggest using whole milk or at the very least 2% milk as using anything with less fat will result in a runnier sauce. Not what we are going for in this.

Fats- You will need butter and olive oil. The butter will be to make our creamy béchamel sauce while the olive oil is used to sauté the veggies.

Vegetables- We will be using a blend of onion, carrots, and celery along with crushed tomatoes to create our meat sauce. The vegetables add flavor and sweetness while the tomatoes are the base for the meat sauce.

What You Will Need To Make It

10 sheets of lasagna pasta

1 lb Italian sausage

1 lb lean ground beef

2 cups mozzarella cheese

3 small carrots

1 small onion

2 stalks of celery

1- 28 oz can crushed tomatoes

1 tsp dried thyme

2 tbsp of tomato paste

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp cracked black pepper

3 garlic cloves

1 tsp dried Italian seasoning

2 tbsp olive oil

Béchamel Sauce

3 cups whole milk

4 tbsp butter

1/4 cup flour

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp salt

cracked black pepper

Tools

9 x 13 Baking Dish

Whisk

Directions

Finely chop the carrots, onions, and celery. Heat a large skillet with 2 tbsp of olive oil and begin cooking the vegetables. Add a pinch of salt and cracked black pepper to them as they cook.

Cook the vegetables until the onions begin to have a translucent look.

Add the meat to the skillet with the vegetables. Sprinkle in the dried Italian seasoning, thyme, 1/2 tsp of salt and 1/2 tsp cracked black pepper. Break down the meat as it cooks with a wooden spoon and stir the contents of the pan to combine. Allow the meat to cook until browned. When ready remove from heat and strain off excess grease. Return the meat mixture to the pan.

Stir in the tomato paste and minced garlic cloves. Pour over the crushed tomatoes and allow it to simmer for about 10 minutes.

In a separate sauce pan begin melting the butter for the béchamel sauce. Sprinkle the flour over the butter and begin whisking to incorporate the flour into the butter. Slowly pour in the milk while whisking. Add the salt, nutmeg and cracked black pepper. Sauce is ready when it has a thick creamy consistency. Remove the meat and béchamel sauce from the heat. Create an assembly line with the uncooked lasagna, meat sauce and béchamel.

Add a cup of the sauce to the bottom of the baking dish. Then lay the lasagna noodles over it in an even layer. Add more meat sauce and spread half the béchamel sauce over the meat.

Add another layer of lasagna pasta, meat sauce, and béchamel. Sprinkle the cheese on top and bake at 375℉ for 35-40 minutes or until the cheese is golden brown and bubbling.

Cooking Notes

• It is not necessary to boil the lasagna before baking. They cook in the juices while in the oven.
• Be sure to add a cup of the sauce to the baking dish before layering, helps the noodles not stick to the bottom
• If using fresh herbs, make sure to adjust the amount used. It is about a 3 to 1 ratio. So for every 1 part dried you will need 3 times the amount since dried herbs are stronger.

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