Lasagna with Bechamel

Get ready to dive into the deliciousness of a classic Italian favorite, LASAGNA but this time with bechamel! Packed with flavorful meat sauce, creamy bechamel, and layers of gooey cheese, every bite is truly an explosion of flavor. This recipe is perfect for any occasion, whether it’s a cozy family dinner or a gathering with friends. It’s the best way to feed a crowd! 

The Bechamel Sauce

Bechamel sauce, also known as white sauce, is one of the five classic French mother sauces. It’s a smooth, creamy sauce made from a roux (a mixture of flour and butter) combined with milk. Bechamel is incredibly versatile and serves as the base for many dishes, including lasagna, macaroni and cheese, gratins, and soufflés. If you love the Egyptian dish, Macarona Bechamel, then you are probably super familiar with this recipe! It’s a great recipe to have within your grasp. Here’s how to make it!

INGREDIENTS YOU NEED:

• unsalted butter
• all-purpose flour
• warm whole milk
• salt
• black pepper
• cream cheese
• parmesan
• nutmeg

Melt the Butter: In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the unsalted butter until it’s fully melted but not browned.

Make the Roux: Add the all-purpose flour to the melted butter and whisk continuously to combine. Cook the mixture for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly, until it forms a smooth paste known as a roux. This helps to cook off the raw flour taste.

Add the Milk: Gradually pour in the warm whole milk while whisking constantly to prevent lumps from forming. Continue whisking until the milk is fully incorporated into the roux. Warm milk versus cold milk will ensure no clumping.

Simmer and Thicken: Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer over medium-low heat, stirring frequently to prevent sticking and burning. Allow the sauce to simmer for about 5-7 minutes, or until it thickens to your desired consistency. Bechamel should coat the back of a spoon.

Season: Once the sauce has thickened, season it with salt, freshly ground black pepper, and any other desired seasonings, such as a pinch of nutmeg for extra flavor. Taste and adjust the seasonings according to your preference.

Serve or Use: Bechamel sauce can be used immediately in your favorite recipes as we will be doing with the lasagna. You can also store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to several days. Reheat gently on the stove, stirring frequently, before using.

That’s it! Bechamel sauce is simple to make and adds a rich, creamy texture to a wide variety of dishes. Enjoy experimenting with different seasonings and variations to suit your taste preferences.

The Lasagna Sheets

Let’s talk about the lasagna sheets because every time someone makes lasagna with oven-ready sheets, the internet loses their minds!

The lasagna sheets for this recipe are oven-ready, no-boil lasagna noodles. These noodles are designed to be used directly in the lasagna dish without the need for pre-cooking, making the assembly process quicker and more convenient. It’s the best way to make lasagna in my opinion. It not only means less dishes and less effort but the sheets are also thinner and just make for a more delicious melt in your mouth lasagna. Because the sheets are cooking in the meat and bechamel sauce, that also means the pasta is absorbing all that good flavor. So the final result is a more delicous lasagna!

Now with all that said, that doesn’t mean you can’t use any other lasagna noodles you might be more used to! Of course you can use noodles that require pre-boiling but make sure not to cook past al-dente because it will continue cooking in the oven.

The Meat Sauce

This is the last thing we need to prepare before we hit the oven! To prepare the meat sauce, start by heating olive oil and unsalted butter in a large skillet or saucepan over medium heat. You can also do only olive oil or only butter but a little goes a long way since the ground beef is a higher fat percentage.

Add minced garlic and sauté until fragrant. Incorporate ground beef into the skillet and season it with Italian seasoning, paprika, red pepper flakes, onion powder, garlic powder, oregano, black pepper, and salt to taste. Cook until browned, breaking it apart with a wood spoon as it cooks. Stir in marinara sauce and beef broth, bringing the mixture to a simmer. Then add chopped basil, parsley, and parmesan to the sauce and let it simmer for about 10-15 minutes but the longer the better. This allows the flavors to meld together. This flavorful meat sauce is now ready to layer into your lasagna. Adjust the seasonings according to your taste preferences and the amount of sauce needed for your recipe.

TIP: If you have a parmesan rind in the fridge hanging around, add it to the meat sauce and let it simmer all together. It imparts the most delicious umami flavor into the sauce. Just make sure to remove it at the end.

ASSEMBLY AND BAKING

Now it’s time to assemble all the beautiful layers! To the bottom of a baking dish, add a bit of meat sauce. Then add the lasagna sheets on top, more meat sauce, bechamel, and shredded mozzarella. Repeat this step 2 more times so you now have 3 full layers. Finish it off with more lasagna sheets, only bechamel sauce, and shredded mozzrella as well as parmesan.

Pop in the oven to bake at 350°F for 45 minutes. Keep a close eye on it. If the cheese start to brown too much, just cover it with foil and continue letting it bake until the lasagna sheets are fully cooked!

Take out of the oven and let it rest for 15 minutes before cutting into it and enjoying warm! If you cut into it too soon, it might get a little messy trying to serve it and some of the layers can get ruined.

LEFTOVERS!

If you have any leftovers, just store in an air tight container in the fridge for 2 to 3 days! It actually tastes even better the next day because the flavors have been sitting together for longer. You can then reheat it in the microwave or cover it in foil and pop in the oven to warm it up.

Craving More Pasta? Try These Recipes Out!

• Baked Ziti
• Fettuccine Alfredo
• Creamy Pesto Pasta
• Beef Chorizo and Chicken Pasta
• Cajun Chicken Pasta

If you tried this recipe and loved it, drop by down below and let me know how you liked it with a rating and comment! Feel free to also leave a question there about this recipe and I’ll get right back to it.

To see more recipes and behind-the-scenes, follow along on Instagram and Youtube! I’m also now on Pinterest pinning away so stop by and see what’s up.