No Fail Lasagna
Submitted by smitty22512
Foolproof lasagna with ground beef in tomato sauce, layered with ricotta and mozzarella, then topped with a creamy parmesan béchamel for the crowning finish.
YIELD
8 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
25 minREADY
45 minThis lasagna takes a hybrid approach that borrows from both Italian-American and Northern Italian traditions. Tomato sauce with ground beef and layers of mozzarella and ricotta build the American expectation, while a creamy parmesan béchamel poured over the top brings the Bolognese-style elegance that turns this from a casserole into a proper meal.
The béchamel is what makes it “no fail." The egg-enriched white sauce thickens evenly as it bakes, sealing in moisture and preventing the dried-out edges that plague typical lasagnas. The 25-minute bake time is also short for lasagna, but the pre-cooked beef and oven-ready noodles let it heat through without needing the usual hour-plus.
The microwave shortcut for the béchamel is genuinely smart. Done right, it skips the constant whisking of stovetop work without sacrificing quality. Just stop and stir every minute to prevent scorching at the edges.
Tempering the egg yolks by adding warm sauce to them before returning to the pot is what keeps the eggs smooth rather than scrambled. Skip this step and you’ll get bits of cooked yolk in your white sauce.
Pro Tips
- Use oven-ready (no-boil) lasagna noodles for true no-fuss assembly. They soften in the sauce.
- Spread the sauce all the way to the edges of each layer. Dry corners are the leading cause of crusty, inedible lasagna borders.
- Let the lasagna rest 10 minutes after baking. Cutting too soon means a sliding mess. Resting lets the layers set.
- Brown the top under the broiler for 90 seconds to get those bubbly, blistered cheese spots that everyone fights over.
Variations
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare covering sauce using butter, flour and milk.
Easy microwave method is to first melt butter, add diced onion and microwave on HI for 1 minutes.
Stir in flour and add milk.
Microwave at HI until mixture starts to boil and thicken.
Stir occasionally to prevent lumping.
Otherwise, use basic white sauce technique and sauté onions in fry pan, adding later.
Add parmesan cheese and salt and stir.
In a separate bowl, beat egg yolks slightly and add a small amount of the sauce to the eggs.
Stir and then pour into the sauce, stirring constantly.
Set aside.
Brown the ground beef until cooked and drain off the fat.
Add to sauce (any prepared sauce is fine, slightly spiced works best) and set aside.
NOTE: Any homemade spaghetti sauce works here, and if it contains ground beef then omit the above addition of meat.
Slice the mozzarella cheese.
Grease a 9×13×2 inch deep pan.
Add a layer of spaghetti sauce on the bottom.
Add a single layer of noodles.
Add a layer of mozzerella, and a layer of ricotta (or cottage cheese).
Repeat layers until all ingredients are used up, retaining enough noodles to top it off.
Pour (white/cheese) sauce over the lasagna and spread it evenly.
Sprinkle some parmesan cheese over the top.
Bake at 325℉ (160℃) for 25 minutes.
Broil to brown the top.
Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.
Serve with French bread and garlic butter.
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