Béchamel Lasagna
Béchamel lasagna is a culinary masterpiece that harmonizes ingredients and techniques from both Italian and French cuisines. While lasagna itself is a time-honored Italian classic, béchamel sauce, a crucial component in this dish, finds its roots in France. This hybrid dish emerged in the late 19th or early 20th century, a testament to modern, cross-cultural cuisine exchanges.
This dish incorporates an additional white sauce between its layers, typically made with flour, butter, and milk, known as béchamel. In this recipe, I change the sauce by incorporating English double cream, which lends a thicker and creamier texture.
Introduced to me by my Persian mother-in-law during her last visit, this dish holds a cherished place in our family's heart. With a tradition dating back to my husband's childhood, it has swiftly become a household staple for us. Ideal for festive occasions, this dish also excels as a freezer-friendly option for meal prepping.
While this dish is often paired with white wine, my husband and I opt for a red blend. It also complements beautifully with a simple bread and olive oil seasoned with dried herbs. The loaf pictured above is a medieval farl loaf, but a cottage loaf would be just as delightful.
Baking Tip: Ensure that you cover the corners and edges of your lasagna noodles with filling. Neglecting to do so may result in firmer or harder edges compared to the rest of your noodles.
Ingredients:
1 medium onion
1 3/4 lb ground beef
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
5 tbsp tomato paste
3/4 cup water
1/8 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp thyme
4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 pack of oven-ready lasagna noodles NET WT. 9OZ (255G)
Béchamel Sauce:
3 tbsp butter
4 tbsp flour
1 1/4 cup milk
6 oz English Double Cream
Directions:
Peel and grate one onion. Roll into a ball with your hands, press out, and discard the majority of the onion juice. Place the grated onion pieces into a large frying pan.
In the frying pan, mix together the grated onion, ground beef, salt, pepper, and garlic powder by hand for 2 minutes.
Turn on medium heat and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently with a spatula. When the mixture starts to brown, add tomato paste, vegetable oil, and thyme. (You can add an additional 1-2 tbsp of tomato paste if more red sauce is desired.)
Add 1/2 cup of water, mix thoroughly, and cook for another 5-10 minutes until the meat is done. Take off the heat, set aside, and let cool for assembly.
Get out a medium-sized saucepan for the béchamel sauce. Turn on medium-low heat, melt the butter, and slowly whisk in the flour. Whisk in the English Double Cream and milk until the béchamel sauce mixture is smooth. Set aside.
Preheat the oven to 355°F (180°C).
Get out a baking dish, sized around 14x8 inches. Pour a thin layer of béchamel sauce on the bottom of the pan, focusing the majority of the sauce in the middle. Leave a 1/2 - 1 inch gap free from any ingredients around the perimeter of the pan while assembling layers.
Layer dry lasagna noodles over this layer without overlapping them. Add a layer of tomato paste meat sauce over the noodles. Pour about 1/4 of the béchamel sauce mixture over this layer, and then sprinkle shredded mozzarella cheese on top. Repeat until all ingredients have been layered into the dish. Don’t drench the layers; just add enough to cover the previous one.
Pour 1/2 cup of water around the perimeter of the lasagna and 1/4 cup evenly on top. Cover the dish with tin foil and poke a few holes in it with a knife.
Place in the preheated oven for 40-45 minutes. Remove the tin foil and keep in the oven for an additional 15 minutes.
Let cool for 10 minutes, serve, and enjoy!
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