Classic Lasagna with Béchamel Sauce

My whole family genuinely loves the lasagna from this recipe. Italian lasagna has become so beloved in our homes that every cook already has their own version, tweaked to taste. This is the recipe I make most often.

UnicornSteakAuthor avatar
Recipe author

Composition / ingredients

Servings:
Translation table of volumetric measures
Nutrients and energy value of the composition of the recipe
By weight of the composition:
Proteins 34 % 13 g
Fats 29 % 11 g
Carbohydrates 37 % 14 g
188 kcal
GI: 14 / 71 / 14

Cooking method

  1. Step 1:

    Step 1

    How do you make classic lasagna with béchamel sauce? Start with the meat sauce. I'm always in favor of homemade ground meat. So I suggest rinsing a piece of beef tenderloin and trimming off the membranes. Cut it into chunks and run it through a meat grinder twice using the fine die.

  2. Step 2:

    Step 2

    Peel the onion and chop it finely. Sauté the onion in a piece of butter until golden.

  3. Step 3:

    Step 3

    Add the ground meat to the onion in the pan and fry for about seven more minutes, stirring the meat now and then with a spatula.

  4. Step 4:

    Step 4

    Add the canned tomatoes in their juice and your favorite spices to the meat. For me that's Provençal herbs. Season the meat sauce with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer, covered, for another five minutes.

  5. Step 5:

    Step 5

    Make the béchamel sauce. In a separate skillet (or saucepan), melt the butter.

  6. Step 6:

    Step 6

    Add the flour and stir.

  7. Step 7:

    Step 7

    Add a little milk first and break up all the lumps with a spatula. Then pour in the rest of the milk.

  8. Step 8:

    Step 8

    Add grated nutmeg to the sauce, salt to taste, and bring to a boil. Cook the sauce a couple more minutes, until it thickens.

  9. Step 9:

    Step 9

    Grease the baking dish you'll bake the lasagna in with a little of the meat (Bolognese) sauce.

  10. Step 10:

    Step 10

    Lay the dry lasagna sheets in to cover the bottom of the dish. Spread some of the meat sauce on top. Add béchamel. Sprinkle with a little finely grated sharp Parmesan. Repeat the layers until you run out of ingredients.

  11. Step 11:

    Step 11

    The top layer should be meat sauce, béchamel, and a generous amount of grated Parmesan. Bake the lasagna in a preheated 400°F (200°C) oven for half an hour. An appetizing golden crust should form on the surface.

  • Depending on the size of your dish and how tall you want the lasagna, you can vary the number of layers. I always build it like this: lasagna sheets, meat sauce, béchamel, grated Parmesan. If I feel like it, I also add coarsely grated carrot and finely chopped celery stalks to the meat sauce. I always make a lot of lasagna, because it's a huge hit with my family. Enjoy!
  • Keep in mind that ovens differ. The temperature and cooking time may differ from those in the recipe. To make any baked dish a success, use the helpful information on the quirks of ovens!
  • Every oil is good only up to a certain temperature — its smoke point, beyond which it starts to burn and forms toxic compounds, including carcinogens. For how to choose the right frying temperature and the best oil for frying — and which ones are better avoided entirely — read here.
  • If you use ready-made spice blends, be sure to read the ingredients on the package. Such blends often already contain salt; keep that in mind, or you risk over-salting the dish.

Caloric content of the products possible in the composition of the dish

  • Tomatoes - 23  kcal/100g
  • Melted beef fat - 871  kcal/100g
  • Fat beef - 171  kcal/100g
  • Lean beef - 158  kcal/100g
  • Beef brisket - 217  kcal/100g
  • Beef - rump - 380  kcal/100g
  • Beef - lean roast - 200  kcal/100g
  • Beef shoulder - 137  kcal/100g
  • Beef - ribs - 233  kcal/100g
  • Beef - leg - 104  kcal/100g
  • Beef - tail - 184  kcal/100g
  • Boiled ham - 269  kcal/100g
  • Beef corned beef - 216  kcal/100g
  • Whole cow's milk - 68  kcal/100g
  • Milk 3.5% fat content - 64  kcal/100g
  • Milk 3.2% fat content - 60  kcal/100g
  • Milk 1.5% fat content - 47  kcal/100g
  • Concentrated milk 7.5% fat content - 140  kcal/100g
  • Milk 2.5% fat content - 54  kcal/100g
  • Butter 82% - 734  kcal/100g
  • Amateur unsalted butter - 709  kcal/100g
  • Unsalted peasant butter - 661  kcal/100g
  • Peasant salted butter - 652  kcal/100g
  • Melted butter - 869  kcal/100g
  • Salt - 0  kcal/100g
  • Onion - 41  kcal/100g
  • Wheat flour - 325  kcal/100g
  • Ground hot pepper - 21  kcal/100g
  • Parmesan cheese 45% fat content - 389  kcal/100g
  • Lasagna sheets - 337  kcal/100g
  • Nutmeg - 556  kcal/100g
  • Italian herbs blend - 259  kcal/100g

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