Homemade Lasagna With Bechamel Sauce Recipe

This recipe by Dont Go Bacon My Heart on YouTube is a fantastic take on the famous lasagna recipe that you surely won’t be able to resist! It is loaded with a delicious ground beef mixture, lots of cheese, and yummy bechamel sauce. Try it out now and see for yourself.

Ingredients:

Ragu

• 2.2 pounds of ground beef
• 3.5 ounces of pancetta, finely diced
• 2 cups + 2 tbsp of tomato paste
• 2 cups of beef stock
• 1 cup of red wine
• 2 ribs of celery, finely diced
• 2 medium carrots, grated on a box grater
• 1 medium white onion, finely diced
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 bay leaves
• ¼ cup each of fresh basil and parsley, finely diced, plus extra to garnish
• 1½ tsp of sugar, or to taste
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Olive oil

Bechamel sauce

• 4 cups of milk, at room temperature
• 5 tbsp of flour
• 4 tbsp of unsalted butter
• ½ small nutmeg, grated
• 3.5 ounces of parmesan, grated, reserve some for garnish
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Lasagne

• 12 ounces of fresh lasagna sheets
• 2 cups of mozzarella, shredded

Directions:

Step 1

Place a large pot on a stove over medium heat, then heat up a tablespoon of olive oil, and add the beef breaking it up with a wooden spoon. Season the beef with a pinch of salt and pepper, then fry it until nice and brown. Pour the meat into a dish making sure to discard any excess fat. In the same pan, add the pancetta, then fry it until it renders fat and starts to brown. Add the onion, celery, and carrot, then give it a good toss, and fry it until softened and started to turn brown. Add the garlic at the last minute, then add the tomato paste, and cook it for a few minutes before deglazing the pan with wine. Let the wine simmer for a few minutes until it has reduced, then put the beef back into the pan, and give it a good stir until coated. Pour the beef stock, then add the tomato paste, parsley, basil, oregano, bay leaves, 1 tsp sugar, salt, and pepper, and give it a good stir until well combined. Place the lid on the pot, then let it simmer for at least 1 hour and 30 minutes while stirring occasionally.  Then take the lid off and allow the sauce to reduce for another 20 to 3 0minutes.

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Step 2

Now for the bechamel sauce, melt the butter in a pot over medium heat, then add the flour, and stir them together until they turn into a paste. Gradually pour the milk while whisking consistently to avoid lumps from forming, let the sauce simmer for about 5 to 10 minutes until thickened, then add the nutmeg, parmesan, salt, and pepper. Stir them together, then taste and adjust the seasoning as needed, and remove it from heat. Now, preheat your oven to 356°F or 180°C, then spread a few spoons of ragu at the bottom of your baking dish, then start layering in this order: pasta sheets, ragu, bechamel sauce, and mozzarella, and the final layer should be pasta sheets, bechamel sauce, mozzarella, and parmesan. Put it in the preheated oven and let it bake for about 30 to 40 minutes or until the surface is nice and deep golden. Let it cool down for about 15 minutes, then garnish with some basil or parsley, and serve.

*All these images are credited to Dont Go Bacon My Heart via YouTube. Give his channel a visit and subscribe for more!

Homemade Lasagna With Bechamel Sauce Recipe