Go Back
Print

The Ultimate Lasagna

Upgrade your basic lasagna recipe by adding a béchamel sauce.

Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 3 hours 39 minutes
Total Time 3 hours 49 minutes
Servings 12 people

Ingredients

Meat Sauce

  • 2 lbs ground turkey
  • 1 small onion chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 (28 ounces) diced tomatoes
  • 2 (8 ounces) cans of tomato paste
  • 2 (15 ounces) cans tomato sauce
  • 2 cups water may need more or less depends on how long you want to simmer. If you don't want to simmer longer than 2 hours use less water
  • 3 teaspoons basil fresh, if possible
  • 2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes
  • 2 teaspoons brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
  • 1/4 cup red wine make sure to use a good cabernet

Béchamel Sauce

  • 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 4 cups whole milk warmed
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 2 cups mozzarella cheese Freshly Grated
  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
  • pepper to taste
  • 2 boxes of lasagna (24 noodles needed,please do not get no boil noodles)
  • 2 cups finely grated parmesan
  • unsalted butter, room temp (for dish)

Instructions

To make the meat sauce:

  1. In a large stock pot, add ground turkey meat with seasonings. I don't measure out my seasoning I just put a little bit of each of the following: salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, etc. and brown the meat.

  2. Place onion and garlic in food processor. If you don't  have a food processor (get you one soon lol), but finely chop the onion and mince the garlic.

  3. Add garlic and onion to the pot with the meat, and let cook for about 4 minutes. Stirring occasionally until onions are cooked.

  4. Add diced tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and water. Stir

  5. Add chopped basil, parsley, brown sugar, salt, crushed red pepper flakes, and ground black pepper

  6. Bring mixture to a slight boil, and add wine.

  7. Lower heat, and let the sauce simmer for a minimum of an hour. Make sure to stir frequently to avoid any burning. The longer you let this simmer, the more flavorful your sauce will turn out. I let mine simmer for 2 1/2 hours.

To make the béchamel sauce:

  1. Add butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat until foaming.

  2. Add the flour and cook, constantly whisking for about 1 minute.

  3. Whisk in the warm milk 1/2 cup at a time. Bring the sauce to a boil, and reduce heat and simmer.

  4. Whisk the mixture often until it is the consistency of cream. This process will take about 8-9 minute. Add in the fresh nutmeg, garlic, pepper, and salt. Turn off heat and stir in the mozzarella one cup at a time, until melted (if it doesn't entirely melt, turn back the heat on a low setting and stir until just melted and smooth). Taste and adjust seasonings to your liking. Transfer to a medium-sized bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let cool. *If making ahead of time, you can chill until ready to use.

  5. Cook lasagna noodles according to package, make sure not to overcook the noodles. You want this al dente especially since this is going to continue to bake in the oven.

Assemble the lasagna:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and coat your 13X9 dish with butter

  2. Add 1/4 cup béchamel to the bottom of the dish. Top with a layer of noodles, spread a light coating about 3/4 cup of sauce, then about 1/2 cup of the béchamel sauce and top with 1/4 cup of Parmesan. Repeat this process 7 more times. You will have a total of 8 layers starting with the noodles and ending with the Parmesan cheese.

  3. Cover the lasagna with foil and place the baking dish on top of a baking sheet. Bake the lasagna until it starts bubbling about 40 minutes, remove the foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes until the top of the lasagna begins to brown. Let lasagna sit for 45 minutes before serving.

  4. You can NOW finally enjoy this dish!