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Cheesy Bechamel Lasagna

Cheesy bechamel lasagna featuring layers of a from scratch tomato bolognese sauce, no-boil noodles, and a rich and creamy brown butter sage white sauce.

Equipment

  • food processor
  • saute pan
  • 5x8 baking dish
  • foil

Ingredients

Tomato Bolognese Sauce Ingredients

  • 1 large carrot peeled and cut into chunks
  • ½ medium yellow onion roughly chopped
  • 2 celery stalks washed and roughly chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 28 ounce can whole San Marzano tomatoes
  • ¼ teaspoon pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon sugar
  • ¼ cup heavy cream

White Sauce Ingredients

  • 8 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 10 fresh sage leaves
  • ½ cup all purpose flour
  • 2 cups 2% milk
  • cup gruyere cheese shredded
  • 1 cup parmesan cheese shredded
  • ¼ teaspoon pepper
  • 12 sheets no boil, oven ready lasagna noodles
  • parmesan cheese to top

Instructions

Making the Tomato Bolognese

  • In a food processor, add the carrot, celery, garlic and onion and mix on high for 20 seconds or until the vegetables are minced finely.
  • Place a large saute pan over medium heat and add the olive oil. When the oil is shiny and fragrant, add the minced vegetables. Saute for 10 minutes until soft.
  • Add the tomato paste and mix to combine it with the vegetables.
  • Crush the tomatoes with your hands and then pour everything into the pan and season with the salt, pepper, and sugar. Mix to combine. Simmer over medium heat for 15 minutes.
  • Turn off the heat and add the heavy cream. Mix it into the sauce to combine, then set the sauce aside.

Making the White Sauce

  • In a large sauce pan, add the stick of butter and sage leaves. Place on the stover over medium high heat for 7 minutes until the butter looks brown and there are small brown bits. Turn the stove off and carefully remove the sage with a slotted spoon and discard. Let the butter cool for a few minutes.
  • When the butter has slightly cooled, turn the stove on medium heat and whisk in the flour.
  • Slowly add a little bit of milk into the pan while whisking constantly so you don't get lumps. Continue adding milk a bit at a time until it's all incorporated. Let the sauce bubble and simmer for 5 minutes, whisking every minute, until the sauce starts to thicken.
  • Add the parmesan, gruyere cheese, and pepper and whisk to combine them into the sauce. Turn the heat off but keep whisking until all of the cheese is melted and the sauce is smooth.

Assembling

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F/177 degrees C.
  • In a 5x8 baking dish, add about ⅛ cup of water to the bottom along with a 2-3 tablespoons of the tomato sauce. Add 2 noodles on top. Then add about ¼ cup of tomato sauce on top of the noodles, using a spoon to cover the noodles.
  • Add about ¼ cup of the cheese sauce on top of the tomato sauce and use the spoon to spread it out evenly. Top with another layer of 2 noodles. Continue layering until the baking dish is full, ending with the top layer being the sauce and cheese.
  • Sprinkle more shredded parmesan cheese on top then cover with foil. Bake for 25 minutes covered, then remove the foil and bake another 10-15 minutes uncovered until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
  • Serve hot with extra parmesan cheese, fresh basil and sage to top!

Notes

If you make this recipe, let me know how it went in the comments below, I'd love to hear from you! You can also tag me on Instagram or Facebook so I can check it out!
Step by step process photos are provided above, in the body of this post.

Browning the Butter

  • The butter will make crackling sounds and will look kind of foamy. When you see brown bits and it smells nutty, the butter is done.
  • Don't leave the butter on the stove unattended or it will burn.

Substitutions

  • You can substitute Asiago, Manchego, or Fontina for the Parmesan or Gruyere cheese.

Expert tips

  • Crush the tomatoes into small pieces before adding them to the sauce so you don't get huge chunks of tomato in the lasagna.
  • Cover the dish when you first put it in the oven- this will allow the noodles to cook and retain the moisture in the sauce so it doesn't dry out.
  • Add ground beef or sausage- bulk up this dish by adding cooked ground beef or sausage to the sauce.
  • Don't skip the layer of sauce on the bottom- this layer of sauce will keep the noodles from sticking to the bottom of the dish.
  • Let it rest before cutting- allow it to rest before cutting otherwise your slices will fall apart. Even if you leave it to cool for 20 minutes it will still be piping hot when you eat it.
  • Freeze leftovers- this dish freezes really well and makes for a great last minute meal when you're in a pinch.
  • Double the recipe- feeding a crowd? Double the recipe and bake it in a larger baking dish to feed more people.