Classic recipe
Lasagna is a tasty and satisfying dish that any admirer of Italian cuisine can prepare, because every store sells ready-made lasagna sheets.
Ingredients:
- kilo of minced meat;
- 280 g hard cheese;
- 60 g Parmesan;
- 220 g sheets;
- half a kilo of fleshy tomatoes;
- 150 g of onions and the same amount of carrots;
- five garlic cloves.
Ingredients for Bechamel sauce:
- liter of milk;
- 110 g flour and the same amount of butter;
- 0.5 tsp each, spoons of nutmeg and salt.
Cooking method:
- The first stage of preparing the dish is to fry the vegetables and minced meat. Chop the onion and garlic cloves, grate three carrots, remove the skin from the tomatoes, the pulp can be chopped with a blender or on the same grater.
- In heated oil, first sauté the onions and garlic, then fry them with carrots, add minced meat, salt and pepper. After 20 minutes, add the grated tomatoes and simmer the food for another five minutes.
- The next stage is Bechamel sauce with milk. Melt the butter in a saucepan, then add the flour, saute it a little and pour in the raw milk. Cook the sauce until thickened, seasoning with salt and nutmeg.
- All that remains is to grate the hard cheese on a coarse grater, and the Parmesan on a fine grater, and you can move on to the last stage - assembling the lasagna.
- Take a mold, lay out the sheets, and distribute the meat filling on top. This is followed by Bechamel sauce and grated hard cheese. We cover it with sheets and repeat the process. We lay it out so that the last layer is meat; there is no need to sprinkle it with cheese.
- Cook the lasagna for 45 minutes, then remove, sprinkle with Parmesan and return to the oven for another ten minutes.
Recipe
In order to prepare a delicious lasagna according to the classic recipe with bechamel sauce, you need to take a couple of small onions, chop them and fry them in a hot frying pan until golden brown. As soon as this happens, you should send 250 g of minced pork there (you can also use pork and beef). Stirring constantly, fry the mixture for 5 minutes. And then, adding a teaspoon of tomato paste and the same amount of sugar, continue the cooking process for a few more minutes. As soon as the frying is ready, you need to add grated tomato, as well as ground pepper and salt to taste, dried basil and other desired spices. After stirring, the mass should be removed from the heat.
Separately, you need to prepare the pita bread by cutting it into pieces, and also grating hard cheese (100 g). Next, you should begin the process of laying out all the components. First of all, you need to grease the selected baking sheet or baking dish with oil and cover it with parchment paper, and then place the pita bread on it. It is covered with a layer of minced meat and then topped with a little bechamel sauce. Next you need to lay out another sheet of pita bread. This sequence is repeated 3-4 more times. After all the ingredients have been laid out, generously sprinkle the contents of the mold with grated cheese and place in the oven.
Lasagna must be baked at 190 degrees for 10 minutes - this is the only way the finished dish will turn out incredibly juicy. Lasagna prepared according to the classic recipe with bechamel sauce can be served either hot or cold.
With chicken and cheese
Such a tasty and appetizing dish as lasagna with minced meat and Bechamel sauce is loved by not only Italians, but also residents of other countries. And now we will tell you how to prepare such a dish with chicken meat.
Ingredients:
- 650 g poultry breast;
- sheets;
- 280 g cheese;
- three ripe tomatoes;
- two onions.
Cooking method:
- Grind the poultry breast into small pieces, grate the cheese, and chop the onion. Peel the tomatoes and cut the pulp into small squares.
- Sauté the onion in oil, then add the meat, fry it for five minutes, add salt and pepper and leave the stove on for another quarter of an hour.
- Assembling lasagna. Coat the mold with refined oil and sauce. Then we lay the sheets, again apply the white composition on them, then lay out the frying of meat and onions. Sprinkle all this with cheese and lay out tomato cubes. Cover them with sheets and repeat the steps until the ingredients run out. The last layer should be grated cheese.
- Cover the future lasagna with foil so that the cheese does not burn, and put it in the oven for 30 - 35 minutes.
Tips for housewives
If you decide to make this sauce for the first time, you will benefit from advice from experienced housewives and cooks:
- Melt the butter over low heat. Overheated oil can change the color and taste of the gravy. Add flour as soon as the butter has melted, do not wait until it turns golden.
- Add milk or cream gradually, in small portions, without ceasing to stir.
- The sauce prepared for future use can be stored in the refrigerator, but no more than three days.
- It is not forbidden to add grated cheese and herbs to the sauce.
- For dishes that you plan to bake in the oven, add a beaten egg to the bechamel and brush the top of the mixture with the sauce. It turns out a very beautiful and pleasantly crispy crust.
- To reduce the calorie content of the gravy, use low-fat milk.
- If you add several types of cheese to bechamel, you will get a very tasty sauce for pasta and macaroni.
Although we were looking at bechamel served with lasagna, this sauce is so versatile that it goes well with many types of dishes. Nutritionists believe that the products mixed in the gravy are well absorbed and do not affect the gain of kilograms. Housewives are also attracted to bechamel by the economic benefits due to the minimal product composition.
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Step-by-step preparation with vegetables and ham
If you don’t really like dishes with the addition of minced meat, then this ingredient can be replaced with ham. Lasagna turns out just as tasty, because the ham goes well with vegetables, sauce and cheese.
Ingredients:
- 320 g ham;
- 260 g of semi-hard cheese;
- three fresh tomatoes;
- 350 g of the same vegetables in their own juice;
- ten sheets of lasagne;
- large onion;
- three garlic cloves.
Cooking method:
- Finely chop the onion and garlic cloves, cut the ham into thin strips. Instead of ham, you can also take boiled smoked ham, neck or carbonate. We pass the cheese through a grater, cut the tomatoes into rings, cut them carefully so that the pulp does not “run away”.
- Sauté the onion and garlic in olive oil until transparent, then add the tomatoes from the can, salt, pepper and simmer the vegetables for ten minutes.
- At this time, prepare the Bechamel sauce for the lasagna (see above).
- Assemble the lasagna by layering the ingredients in the following order: sheets - tomato sauce - ham - cheese - white sauce, and repeat.
- Place the dish in the oven for 25 minutes (temperature – 180 °C). Then we take it out, lay out slices of fresh tomatoes, sprinkle with shavings of cheese and cook the lasagna until ready for another ten minutes.
Bechamel sauce for lasagna - secrets and useful tips from the best chefs
Classic Bechamel sauce for lasagna keeps well in the refrigerator for two days. To prevent a crust from appearing on the surface and the sauce not to dry out, it is recommended to pour melted butter on top.
If you didn’t have enough flour when preparing the sauce and it is runny, you don’t need to add more flour to it. It is better to be patient and continue stirring the sauce over low heat; after a few minutes it will boil down and become thicker.
You need to pour milk or broth into the saucepan in a thin stream to make the process easier; you can use, for example, a special glass with a “spout or groove”, this will help control the amount of liquid.
Useful links:
With Lenten Bechamel Sauce
Italian lasagna can be prepared in different ways. It is permissible to use not only minced meat, but also mushrooms, seafood, and vegetables. The recipe for Bechamel sauce can also be changed if you want to prepare a lean dish.
Ingredients:
- lasagna sheets;
- three tomatoes;
- one onion and a clove of garlic;
- carrot;
- 120 g zucchini;
- sweet pepper fruit.
Ingredients for Lenten Sauce:
- 120 g flour;
- 95 ml water;
- a pinch of salt.
Cooking method:
- Cut tomatoes, onions and sweet peppers into cubes, zucchini into pucks. Press down a slice of the spicy vegetable with a knife and finely chop it.
- Sauté onion and garlic in sunflower oil. As soon as they become transparent, add carrots, and after 5 - 7 minutes - peppers and tomatoes. Season everything with spices and simmer the vegetables for 10 - 15 minutes.
- Prepare lean Bechamel sauce from water and flour in a frying pan.
- We assemble the dish: first we put the sheets, pour lean sauce over them, lay out the zucchini circles, stewed vegetables on top, and repeat the process. You can add vegan cheese to the recipe.
- Bake lasagna for 30 minutes (temperature – 200 °C).
Basic bechamel sauce recipe
Compound:
- premium wheat flour – 100 g;
- fresh milk (at least 3.2% fat) – 0.5 l;
- butter – 90 g;
- salt - to taste;
- nutmeg - a pinch.
Cooking method:
- Add flour to the pan. Fry it over low heat, stirring with a wooden spatula, until it becomes creamy.
- Add butter, fry flour with it for 3-5 minutes, stirring vigorously with a spatula.
- Pour the milk into the pan in a thin stream, while whisking the sauce. There should not be a single lump in the sauce.
- Add salt and nutmeg and stir the sauce.
- Continue cooking the sauce, whisking, for another 8 to 12 minutes, until it is thick enough.
After this, the sauce can be used. It should be used hot. If it cools down, the bechamel sauce must be reheated before pouring over the lasagne or brushing the dough.
Cooking with cream
Lasagna can be prepared with cream, or rather, we will use it to make Bechamel sauce. To do this, we recall the classic recipe for preparing a dish with minced meat and immediately move on to the sauce.
Ingredients:
- 50 – 60 g butter;
- 180 ml cream (10%);
- spoon of flour;
- seasonings
Cooking method:
- Place oil in a saucepan. Once it has completely melted, add the flour and stir quickly to avoid any lumps.
- As soon as the flour is slightly toasted, pour in the cream. If they are too fatty, then dilute the ingredients with two tablespoons of broth.
- Add a mixture of peppers, salt and a little nutmeg. Cook the sauce until thick, three minutes will be enough.
How to make bechamel sauce for lasagna
The classic Italian supplement is prepared on the basis of milk or heavy cream. During the cooking process, it is important to pour the milk (broth) into the saucepan in a gentle stream. If that doesn’t work, you can use a special container with a thin spout. Do not rush to add flour to the container; if the consistency of the dish is too liquid, it is better to cook the additive a little and the excess water will evaporate. Ready-made bechamel sauce for lasagna can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 48 hours. To prevent weathering and the formation of a crust on the surface, pour melted butter over it.
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Classic recipe
Even inexperienced housewives can cope with preparing bechamel sauce according to the classic recipe. With a little time and effort, your family can enjoy an amazing Italian dish. Based on the classic recipe, a variety of savory sauces with the most unexpected additives are created. If you follow the cooking technology, you will definitely get a wonderful gravy.
Ingredients:
- milk (fat content 2.5%) – 1 glass;
- butter – 20 grams;
- flour – 2 tbsp. spoons;
- spices;
- salt.
How to cook:
- Melt the butter in a frying pan or in a saucepan.
- Carefully pour well-sifted flour into it, constantly stirring the mixture.
- After the mixture turns golden, pour in milk in a thin stream.
- Bring the gravy to a boil, do not forget to stir constantly.
- Add spices and salt.
- Warm up the composition for another three minutes.
- After this, you can add a little cognac or vermouth to the composition for sophistication.
With minced meat
If you like Italian traditional pasta with bechamel sauce, then you can easily prepare it in your kitchen. The gravy with the luxurious name “Bolognese” is prepared with the addition of minced meat. It is recommended to use a coarse or medium grind so that the taste of the meat is pronounced. If everything is done correctly, then you and your household will be satisfied with this dish.
What components are needed:
- minced pork and beef – 600-800 g;
- onions – 2 pcs.;
- tomatoes – 400 g;
- garlic – 2 cloves;
- chilli.
Cooking process:
- Finely chop the onion, place it in a frying pan, and fry.
- Add minced meat and fry for 10 minutes.
- The tomatoes are blanched and chopped.
- Add all remaining ingredients to the pan and simmer the mixture until all ingredients are cooked.
- The finished Bolognese is placed on sheets of dough and topped with classic bechamel sauce for lasagna.
- Bake everything in the oven for half an hour.
With mushrooms
Mushrooms of various varieties go well with the creamy taste of Italian gravy. If you prepare the gravy with the addition of champignons, chanterelles or white mushrooms, it will acquire a special refined taste, and its nutritional value will also increase. This addition is perfect for classic lasagna, meat or fish dishes. Below is a recipe for mushroom gravy for two people (if you have more people in your family, increase the ingredients accordingly).
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What you will need:
- milk – 2.5 cups;
- porcini mushrooms – 300 g;
- butter – 3 tablespoons;
- flour - 3 tbsp. l.;
- egg yolk – 2 pcs.;
- meat broth - 1 glass.
You can cook the gravy in a slow cooker or the traditional way on the stove in a saucepan. How to cook:
- Melt the butter over low heat, add flour, sauté until characteristic color (golden brown).
- Carefully pour in milk (2 cups), constantly stirring the mixture until you get a homogeneous thick mixture.
- Whisk the remaining milk with the egg yolks and add to the saucepan.
- Keep it on the fire for a while, then add broth and spices.
- Bring everything to a boil, add chopped mushrooms.
- Simmer the gravy over low heat for 15 minutes.
- When you remove the saucepan from the stove, add 1 more tablespoon of butter to the mixture.
Tomato
For 6 servings of flavorful tomato bechamel lasagna sauce you will need:
- butter – 60 g;
- flour – 2 spoons;
- sunflower oil – 2 tablespoons;
- milk – 3 glasses;
- tomato paste – 1 spoon.
Cooking instructions:
- Melt butter and sunflower oil in a saucepan.
- Add flour, constantly stirring the mixture.
- Pour in milk, stir everything, bring to a boil.
- Add spices, salt and cook for about 10 minutes.
- Before serving, dilute the mixture with tomato puree (or paste), at the rate of: 3 parts gravy, 1 part tomatoes.
From sour cream
This recipe is perfect for lasagna stuffed with poultry. In addition, the gravy will decorate a variety of vegetable or meat dishes, because the pleasant sour cream taste goes well with many ingredients. You can use this recipe or supplement it with suitable ingredients as you wish, either way the taste will be delicious.
What you will need:
- flour – 80 g;
- vegetable broth - 1 glass;
- sour cream – ½ cup;
- butter – 50 g;
- seasonings, salt.
How to cook:
- Melt the butter, add flour, mix the mixture.
- Pour in the broth, stir everything until it has a homogeneous consistency without lumps.
- Add all other ingredients and cook the gravy to the desired thickness and consistency.
- When everything is cooked, you can add fried onions, mushrooms or dried herbs for taste.
With mushrooms and tomatoes
The filling of lasagna can be very diverse; some people prefer meat, while others prefer vegetables. Now we will tell you how to prepare such a dish with mushrooms and, of course, with Bechamel sauce.
Ingredients:
- 650 g champignons;
- two onions;
- two garlic cloves;
- three ripe tomatoes;
- 180 g cheese;
- lasagna sheets (12 pcs.)
Cooking method:
- Sauté onion half rings and chopped garlic in oil, then add chopped forest products and keep the food on the fire until all the moisture is gone, add salt and turn it off.
- Prepare Bechamel sauce. Grind the tomato pulp (without skin) in a blender and add spices.
- Before assembling your lasagna, look at the package of lasagna sheets to see if they need pre-cooking.
- We lay out the components of the dish in this order: sheets - white sauce - fried mushrooms - tomato sauce. The last layer is grated cheese.
- Bake in the oven for 40 minutes (temperature – 180 °C).
Classic or al forno lasagna
The calling card of Italian cuisine is, of course, lasagna. The classic recipe is prepared on the basis of wide sheets of pasta, bechamel and bolognese sauces. The cooking process is time-consuming. But an amazing dish will be a worthy reward.
What you will need for the paste:
- All-purpose flour – 450 gr.;
- Eggs – 4 pcs.;
- Salt – a pinch (to taste);
- Sunflower oil – 30 ml;
- Water – 15-30 ml.
Classic or al forno lasagna
How to cook:
- We'll have a big lasagna. For a homemade recipe, start with the dough. Sift the flour into a bowl, add salt, make a small well in the center.
- Break the eggs inside, add water and oil.
- Mix the liquid ingredients by hand, gradually adding flour.
- Knead the dough to a relatively loose consistency.
- Dust the surface with flour, transfer the dough and knead until smooth.
- Wrap the formed ball with film.
- Before making lasagna at home, let the dough rest for an hour. During this time, prepare the remaining ingredients.
What you will need for bechamel sauce:
- Butter – 60 gr.;
- Onion – 1 pc. weighing about 20 grams;
- Flour – 100 gr.;
- Milk - 1.5 l;
- Nutmeg – ½ whole;
- Salt – 1 tsp. (or to taste);
- Ground white pepper - to taste.
Bechamel sauce
How to cook:
- Melt half the butter in a deep saucepan.
- Add flour, fry slightly.
- Add onions to the sauce to create a flavorful lasagna. The recipe is simple: separately fry finely chopped onion in the remaining butter until half cooked.
- Add the onion to the flour, simmer everything together for a couple of minutes.
- Gradually pour in the milk in a thin stream.
- Whip the mixture with a whisk so that there are no lumps.
- Bring the sauce to a boil, stirring.
- Reduce heat to low and simmer for another 15 minutes until thickened.
- Grate half or more nutmeg, add white pepper and salt to make a tasty and aromatic lasagna. Continue the classic recipe with step-by-step photos by preparing bolognese.
What you will need for Bolognese meat sauce:
- Bacon panachetta – 50 gr.;
- Butter - 15 g;
- Tomato paste – 40 gr.;
- Olive oil – 15 ml;
- White wine – 240 ml;
- Onion – 2 pcs. medium size approximately 140 g;
- Pork pulp – 230 gr.;
- Beef pulp – 230 gr.;
- Carrots – 1 small per 40 g;
- Celery – 40 gr.;
- Cream – 240 ml;
- Broth – 380 ml;
- Salt, pepper, nutmeg to taste.
Bolognese meat sauce
How to cook:
- There is no classic lasagna without Bolognese ragu. For the recipe with photos, start by frying the bacon. Cut the piece into cubes, place in a saucepan, add olive oil and butter and fry until golden brown.
- While the panachetta is frying, peel the vegetables and chop.
- Add celery, carrots and onions to the bacon and fry until half cooked.
- Pass two types of meat through a meat grinder.
- Add the minced meat to the vegetables, cook over low heat for 5-7 minutes.
- Add wine and simmer until the liquid has almost completely evaporated.
- Then add broth to create a rich, meaty lasagna. The classic recipe with photos of step-by-step preparation is coming to an end. Cook for about 30-40 minutes to concentrate the flavor.
- Salt, pepper, add nutmeg and tomato paste.
- Before turning off, add cream, do not bring to a boil. Remove from heat.
What you will need for tomato sauce:
- Olive oil – 20 ml;
- Onion – 1 medium;
- Garlic – 20 gr.;
- Tomatoes – 1 kg;
- Basil leaves – 30 gr.;
- Salt and pepper to taste.
Needed for tomato sauce
How to cook:
- Before making lasagna at home, cook the tomato sauce in advance. To do this, peel and chop the onion, place in a saucepan with olive oil and fry.
- Add the peeled garlic cloves and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
- Peel the tomatoes and chop with a blender or knife.
- Add tomatoes to the saucepan.
- Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer until sauce-like consistency (about 40 minutes).
- Chop the basil leaves, add to the tomatoes, simmer for another 5 minutes and turn off.
All main components are ready. But to repeat the lasagna recipe at home, it is identical to the restaurant serving, except for the main ones, use additional ingredients. Prepare the assembled dish “al forno”.
You will need for lasagna:
- Cooked pasta – 900 gr.;
- Bolognese meat sauce – 1.2 l.;
- Bechamel sauce – 1.5-2 l.;
- Parmesan – 150 gr.;
- Butter – 50 gr.;
- Tomato sauce – 0.9-1 l.
Lasagna recipe classic
How to cook:
- A little more and the meat lasagna will be ready. To assemble the recipe, start with the dough. Divide the ball into equal parts. Roll out layers 1.5 mm thick. The approximate size of the rectangles is 13x30 cm. Also, be guided by your baking dish.
- Bring water to boil in a large saucepan.
- Add salt and place the sheets in boiling water for 10 seconds. Remove each to another container of cold water for 2 minutes.
- Drain the water and place the sheets on paper to absorb excess moisture.
- Grease the pan in which the lasagna will be baked. Continue the step-by-step recipe with photos with meat sauce. Pour a few spoonfuls into the bottom of the mold and smooth it out.
- Lay out the bottom in layers with a slight overlap.
- Apply a few spoons of bechamel.
- Grate the cheese and sprinkle a pinch of cheese on the sauce.
- Repeat the same sequence of layers 5 more times.
- The last layer is bechamel with grated cheese.
- Bake in the oven for 15 minutes at 200 degrees.
How to cook from pita bread
Lasagna is a delicious dish, but quite troublesome. However, there is a recipe for preparing food from pita bread, which many housewives have already appreciated. Minced meat and, of course, the famous sauce are used for the filling.
Ingredients:
- two pita breads;
- ½ kg minced meat;
- 60 g tomato puree;
- 110 g cheese.
Cooking method:
- First of all, fry the minced meat, seasoning it with salt and pepper.
- Then take a glass of water and stir the tomato puree in it.
- Prepare Bechamel sauce (see above).
- Lubricate the pita bread with tomato sauce, lay out the fried minced meat, which we pour over with white sauce. Cover the workpiece with the second pita bread, sprinkle with cheese and cook the dish in the oven for 20 minutes (temperature - 180 °C).
Vegetable lasagna with Bechamel sauce
For vegetable lasagna, you can use any vegetables, but to make the dish more filling, be sure to use eggplant.
Ingredients:
- ready-made lasagna sheets (250 g);
- 220 g cheese;
- bulb;
- two tomatoes and sweet peppers each;
- one zucchini and one eggplant;
- seasonings, herbs.
Cooking method:
- First of all, cut the eggplant into cubes. Let's salt them and wait half an hour. This is necessary to remove any possible bitterness from the vegetable. Then rinse the slices and dry lightly.
- Finely chop the onion and greens, and also cut the remaining vegetables into cubes.
- Sauté the onion in heated oil, then add the eggplants, bell peppers and zucchini. After seven minutes, add the tomatoes and fry everything together for three minutes. Afterwards, season the vegetables with spices and add herbs.
- Prepare Bechamel sauce.
- Assembling lasagna: sheets - vegetable filling - sauce. Place the future dish in the oven for 40 minutes, sprinkle with grated cheese 10 minutes before.
As you can see, making lasagne at home is not that difficult, although the process of preparing it is quite long. But for such an appetizing dish, it’s not at all a waste of time or money.