Bechamel Cheese Sauce Recipe Instead of Ricotta Cheese Lasagna
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Lasagna is one of the most famous dishes in the world. It was created in ancient Rome. In some philosophical writings, Cicero mentions his passion for lagum, which, you guessed it, means lasagna.
Traditionally, lasagna was a plate of strips of long pasta accompanied by a meat stew.
With the expansion of the Roman Empire, this delicious dish spread throughout Europe. There are records of its existence in recipes from 1,300 in different regions of Europe.
Over time, lasagna became the layers of noodles, meat sauce, and ricotta cheese that we know it today.
Many recipes use either bechamel or ricotta, but we decided to go the extra-indulgent route and make this lasagna recipe with bechamel and ricotta.
How Is Lasagna Prepared?
The preparation of lasagna is somewhat laborious and involves the conjunction of three recipes.
- You must first prepare the meat ragú sauce, to which we will dedicate a section to later.
- The bechamel sauce is the second step to prepare.
- Finally, the pasta is cooked a little and with everything ready.
- We proceed to assemble the lasagna and bake it for 45-60 minutes.
One of the recommendations that we can give you is to cook the ragú sauce over low heat the day before the preparation, the result will be delicious because it will allow the aroma of the seasonings to really show through in the final dish.
As a bonus, you can also assemble the lasagna quicker because you don't have to make the ragú sauce the same day as you prepare the lasagna.
How to Make Ragú Sauce Like an Italian Nonna
The success of your lasagna will depend mostly on the ragú sauce, so you should give it special attention.
The first versions of ragú sauce were used to spread bread and were consumed as an aperitif in countries like France. The word ragú comes from the French verb ragouter, which means "whet your appetite."
According to the recipe preserved by the Italians, the meat must be beef, and it must be finely chopped with a knife, although nowadays machine-ground meat is used. The ground beef is traditionally cooked in milk, but we don't do this in our lasagna recipe.
You'll then add finely chopped vegetables, such as carrot, tomato, celery, and onion.
When you have the meat sauce ready, you should proceed to make the bechamel sauce.
How to Make Bechamel Sauce
Bechamel sauce is one of the most famous white sauces in world cuisine. Bechamel is usually widely used as a side dish for pasta and is without a doubt one of the most important elements of a good lasagna.
The preparation of the bechamel is extremely simple:
- Melt a generous amount of butter in a pot.
- Add sifted wheat flour to form a very dense paste.
- Add milk. The flour dissolves in the milk, forming a delicious white cream.
- Add salt, pepper, and a pinch of nutmeg to the sauce.
To prevent a hard layer from forming on the surface of the bechamel sauce, it is recommended to cover it with plastic wrap. The plastic wrap should be in direct contact with the sauce.
If you do not have plastic wrap, you can use a piece of plastic bag.
Some cooks make variations of the bechamel and add coriander or parsley, blended with the milk. With this, you get a green bechamel sauce and a very characteristic flavor. It is an interesting variation that is worth trying.
Substitute Ideas for Ricotta
If you've ever been on a low-fat diet, you know how healthy and delicious this cheese is. Although I admit that I don't like the salt-free version, salted ricotta is very tasty.
I recommend adding 2 cups of ricotta to this lasagna recipe – 1 cup to the bechamel and 1 cup to layer between slices of pasta.
Remember that ricotta cheese has very little fat, so it does not melt easily. When combining it with the bechamel, it helps to whisk or blend it with an immersion blender to make sure you end up with a creamy (not a chunky) sauce.
Should You Cook The Pasta Ahead of Time?
On the box, most lasagna pasta indicates that it does not need pre-cooking. Indeed, you can place them in the lasagna raw, which is a little faster.
However, I recommend cooking the pasta sheets for about 3 minutes in water before assembling the lasagna. I do this to avoid those hard bits of noodles that form when they aren't fully covered in sauce.
How to Make Lasagna With Bechamel and Ricotta
So let's get started on this delicious lasagna recipe! We'll start with the ragu sauce, move on to the bechamel sauce, then we will assemble the lasagna.
Ragu Sauce
Step 1: Gather your ingredients.
Step 2: Prep the vegetables.
Peel the onions and carrots and cut them finely into very small pieces.
Wash the celery very well and cut it into small pieces.
Peel the tomatoes, extract the seeds, and then finely dice them.
Peel the garlic and crush it.
Step 3: Saute the carrots, onion, celery, and garlic.
Place the two tablespoons of oil in a large saucepan and add the finely chopped onion and minced garlic.
Cook for about three minutes, stirring occasionally until the onion becomes transparent.
Add the carrots and the celery. Cook about five minutes more, until they begin to brown.
Step 4: Add the meat and spices, followed by the tomato mixture and broth.
When the vegetables are golden brown, add the meat, oregano, french herbs, and pepper.
Separate the pieces of meat while cooking. For lasagna, it is important that the meat does not have large lumps.
Continue cooking and stirring until the meat loses its deep pink color. Pour over the chopped tomato, the tomato paste, the broth, and the bay leaf. Stir very well.
When it starts to bubble, put on a lid, and simmer for about three hours.
If you are in a hurry, leave it uncovered and cook over medium heat for 45 minutes or until you notice that the meat is low in liquid.
Salt and stir the sauce when it is ready. Turn off the stove and reserve the ragu sauce for later.
Note: Ragu sauce has a lot of liquid, so add the salt after it has simmered. If you add the salt at the beginning, when the excess juices evaporate, the ragu will be too salty.
Bechamel Sauce
Step 5: Gather your ingredients for the bechamel sauce.
Step 6: Blend the milk and ricotta cheese.
In a blender (or a bowl if you're using an immersion blender), place the three cups of milk and the ricotta cheese.
Blend for about 5 minutes, until you don't feel any lumps in the mixture.
Step 7: Make the base for the bechamel sauce in a saucepan.
Place the butter in a willow pan over medium-low heat. When it is melted, add the sifted flour.
If you don't have a sieve, use a strainer. Stir vigorously, without stopping, until the flour and butter are mixed.
Step 8: Add the blended milk and ricotta to the pot along with the spices.
Pour the milk into the pot, and stir with a whisk until the mixture thickens. While whisking, stir in the pepper and nutmeg.
Stir for a few minutes, until, after passing the whisk, you can see the metal bottom of the pot.
Taste and add a pinch of salt if desired. This will depend on the amount of salt in the ricotta.
Turn off the stove and reserve the sauce for later. If you won't make the lasagna right away, cover the sauce with plastic wrap, directly in contact with the cream.
Lasagna
Step 9: Preheat the oven and cook the lasagna noodles.
Preheat the oven to 325 F.
In a saucepan put enough water, add two tablespoons of oil, and a teaspoon of salt. Turn the stove on high heat.
When the water starts to boil, add the sheets of pasta, a maximum of five sheets at a time, as they tend to stick together.
Step 10: Assemble the lasagna.
Place two tablespoons of bechamel in the bottom of the baking dish and then a layer of pasta.
Cover with enough meat sauce, then a thick layer of bechamel sauce, and sprinkle with a bit of ricotta cheese. If desired to add a layer of mozzarella cheese.
Step 11: Continue layering the lasagna.
Restart with a new layer of paste and repeat the entire procedure until you run out of ingredients.
It should end in a layer of bechamel with ricotta cheese. Sprinkle parmesan cheese on top.
Step 12: Bake the lasagna.
Bake the lasagna for about 45 minutes. If it's not golden on top when you remove it from the oven, bake for another 15 minutes.
Remove from oven, and let rest at least 15 minutes before serving. If you serve it very hot, it tends to melt onto the plate without holding its shape.
Serve with bread.
Lasagna With Béchamel and Ricotta
Yield: 1 lasagna
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
This is our best classic lasagna recipe with bechamel and ricotta. It is savory and oh-so-filling, which is exactly how an Italian lasagna should be!
Ingredients
For the ragu:
- 2 pounds of ground beef, 5-10% fat
- 2 tbsp oil
- 2 medium onions
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 large carrots
- 10 ripe tomatoes
- ½ cup tomatoes
- 2 celery stalks
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 tsp French herbs (Herbs de Provence)
- ½ tsp of black pepper
- 3 cups of beef broth
- Salt to taste
For the bechamel:
- 3 cups of milk
- 7 tablespoons wheat flour
- 7 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup of ricotta cheese
- A pinch of nutmeg
- Salt and pepper to taste
For the lasagna assembly:
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese (optional)
- ½ cup parmesan cheese
- 1 package of lasagna pasta
- 2 tbsp of oil
- 1 tbsp of butter
- 1 tsp salt
Instructions
For the ragu sauce:
Peel the onions and carrots and cut them finely into very small pieces.
Wash the celery very well and cut it into small pieces.
Peel the tomatoes, extract the seeds, and then finely dice them. Peel the garlic and crush it.
Place the two tablespoons of oil in a large saucepan and add the finely chopped onion and minced garlic.
Cook for about three minutes, stirring occasionally until the onion becomes transparent.
Add the carrots and the celery. Cook about five minutes more, until they begin to brown.
When the vegetables are golden brown, add the meat, oregano, french herbs, and pepper.
Separate the pieces of meat while cooking. For lasagna, it is important that the meat does not have large lumps.
Continue cooking and stirring until the meat loses its deep pink color. Pour in the chopped tomato, the tomato paste, the broth, and the bay leaf. Stir very well.
When it starts to bubble, put on a lid, and simmer for about three hours.
If you are in a hurry, leave it uncovered and cook over medium heat for 45 minutes or until you notice that the meat is low in liquid.
Salt and stir the sauce when it is ready. Turn off the stove and reserve the ragu sauce for later.
For the bechamel sauce:
In a glass blender, place the three cups of milk and one cup of ricotta cheese. Blend for about 5 minutes, until you don't feel any lumps in the mixture.
Place the butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat. When the butter is melted, add the sifted flour.
If you don't have a sieve, use a strainer. Stir vigorously, without stopping, until all the flour and butter are mixed.
Pour the milk into the pot, and stir with a hand mixer, until the mixture thickens. While whisking, stir in the pepper and nutmeg.
Stir for a few minutes, until, after passing the whisk, you can see the metal bottom of the pot.
Taste and add a pinch of salt if desired. This will depend on the amount of salt in the ricotta. Turn off the stove and reserve.
If you won't make the lasagna right away, cover the sauce with plastic wrap, directly in contact with the cream.
For the lasagna assembly:
Preheat oven to 325 F. Spread butter in the pan where you will assemble the lasagna so it doesn't stick.
In a saucepan with enough water, add two tablespoons of oil, and a teaspoon of salt. Turn the stove on high heat.
When the water starts to boil, add the sheets of pasta, a maximum of five sheets at a time, as they tend to stick together.
Place two tablespoons of bechamel in the bottom of the baking dish and then a layer of pasta.
Cover with enough meat sauce, then a thick layer of bechamel sauce, and sprinkle with a bit of ricotta cheese. If desired, add a layer of mozzarella cheese.
Restart with a new layer of paste and repeat the entire procedure until you run out of ingredients.
It should end in a layer of bechamel with ricotta cheese. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese on top. Bake the lasagna for about 45 minutes to an hour.
Remove from oven, and let rest at least 15 minutes before serving. If you serve it very hot, it tends to melt.
Serve with bread.
Notes
Ragu sauce has a lot of liquid, so add the salt after it has simmered. If you add the salt at the beginning, when the excess juices evaporate, the ragu will be too salty.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 15 Serving Size: 1 slice
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 454 Total Fat: 29g Saturated Fat: 13g Trans Fat: 1g Unsaturated Fat: 13g Cholesterol: 104mg Sodium: 779mg Carbohydrates: 18g Fiber: 2g Sugar: 4g Protein: 30g
Up Next: Beef Stroganoff Without Sour Cream
Jaron
Hey, I'm Jaron and I'm a self-proclaimed food expert and author of this website! I'll be honest with you, I started this website because someone told me I couldn't and I needed to prove them wrong. Along my journey, I actually really fell in love with writing about food. I hope you found value from whatever article you read, and if you have any remaining questions, don't hesitate to contact me!
Bechamel Cheese Sauce Recipe Instead of Ricotta Cheese Lasagna
Source: https://foodsguy.com/lasagna-with-bechamel-and-ricotta/