Here's a fun fact, I don't use Mozzarella cheese in my lasagna. My lasagna is layered with delicious bolognese sauce, parmesan cheese, and sinfully smooth and delicate bechamel sauce. For those of you that are hesitant to give up Mozzarella, you can still sprinkle some in between the layers.
I also prefer to use fresh pasta, which you can get at any grocery store in the refrigerated section, because it comes in sheets rather than those annoying hard to use strips, it tastes much better, and there is no need to parboil.
What you need:
1 package Lasagna sheets (found in the refrigerated section, should contain 6 sheets)
4 cups of your favourite tomato based pasta sauce
0.5 lbs of medium ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
Bechamel sauce (recipe here)
Fresh Basil (optional)
Mozzarella cheese (optional but not recommended)
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt & pepper to taste
What to do:
In a skillet, heat the olive oil on medium heat and add the onions. Cook the onions until translucent, approximately 3-5 minutes then add the ground beef and brown.
Once the meat is cooked, add the tomato sauce. Cook until the tomato sauce starts to bubble up, you can add some roughly chopped fresh basil to the sauce mixture at this point if you are using it.
Remove the sauce mixture from the stove add salt and pepper to taste and set aside.
Spread a very small amount of the sauce at the bottom of an oven safe baking dish. Then place a lasagna sheet on top. My dish was a little longer than the sheets of lasagna so I cut a small strip of another sheet and added it to cover the entire base of the dish.
***Note : Because I had to cut 1 of the sheets into strips to make up the difference in length, I had five layers. If you do not need to do this, adjust the below directions to be 1/5th of the tomato mixture, 1/6th of the parmesan cheese, and 1/7th of the bechamel sauce. This doesn't have to be an exact science, just make sure you have enough of all the stuff for each of the layers and a bit more bechamel sauce for the very top layer
Preheat oven to 400 F.
Spread a thin layer of the meat mixture on top of the lasagna sheet (about 1/5th of the mixture). Then spoon a small amount (approximately 1/7th) of the bechamel sauce on top. Sprinkle with 1/6th of the parmesan cheese (see note above).
If you are using mozzarella cheese, sprinkle on a small amount here.
Continue layering with the rest of the lasagna sheets, sauce mixture, and cheese until all the lasagna sheets are done.
On the very top layer, do not add any more of the sauce mixture, spoon on the remaining bechamel sauce, which should be slightly more than what you put in the layers and sprinkle with the remaining parmesan cheese.
Place the lasagna uncovered into the preheated oven. Cook for 45 minutes or until the cheese on top just starts to brown. Carefully remove from the oven and allow the lasagna to rest for 20 minutes before cutting into it. This will allow the lasagna to set so it doesn't fall apart when you serve it. You can set up a loose foil tent to help keep it warm while it rests.
The bechamel sauce, is truly the star ingredient in this lasagna, it makes it so creamy, smooth and soft, it just melts in your mouth! If you try it without the cheese, I'd love to hear your feedback.
