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This Italian Bolognese Lasagna is made with a creamy bechamel sauce with layers of meat sauce and cheese. This homemade lasagna is the best lasagna recipe!
Is there anything more comforting than a plate of homemade lasagna? Slow cooked beef bolognese sauce, a creamy parmesan bechamel sauce, and freshly grated parmesan and mozzarella cheeses makes this Italian Bolognese Lasagna one of the most popular dinner recipes of all time.
Why you will love this Lasagna with Bechamel:
I have tried so many versions of lasagna — from sausage to ricotta to meatballs and still didn’t find my ultimate lasagna recipe. I am pleased to tell you that after much trial and error, I finally created a sinfully good recipe!
What makes this lasagna different from many recipes out there? Most lasagna recipes call for ricotta cheese. Even though I am a huge fan of ricotta cheese, many times it ends up dry and grainy after it bakes. There had to be a better way! The rich, velvety bechamel sauce is the difference maker.
A few years ago I went over for dinner at a friend’s house. She made a lasagna using a rich bechamel cream sauce that used heavy cream, milk, garlic, and cheese. The lasagna was so creamy and literally melted in my mouth. I knew this was just the ticket for the perfect lasagna.
Lasagna Ingredients:
The Italian Bolognese Lasagna is bursting with flavor. It starts off with a slow cooked beef bolognese made with sautéed onions and garlic, ground beef, and fresh marinara sauce. It is layered with the creamy cheese sauce, lasagna sheets, and topped with mozzarella and parmesan cheeses. It is baked until golden brown and bubbly.
There are two options with lasagna noodles. You can use the lasagna noodles you cook in salted boiling water or the oven ready lasagna sheets (which means there is zero prep). If you want to save time, choose the Barilla oven ready lasagna sheets. If you want to ensure tender pasta every single time, use the uncooked pasta sheets. My FAVORITE is to buy fresh lasagna sheets. I find them at Whole Foods and I don’t even have to cook them ahead of time.
Baking Tip:
Let lasagna sit for at least 15 minutes after baking to allow it to set up properly.
How to make the Best Lasagna:
- Heat large skillet over medium high heat. Add oil and saute onion for 6-7 minutes. Add ground beef, garlic, salt and pepper and cook until browned. Drain grease. Stir in marinara sauce. I suggest using Rao’s marinara sauce. Let simmer on low heat.
- In a medium saucepan, bring the cream and milk to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce the heat to low. Add 1 1/2 cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese and whisk until melted and the sauce is smooth. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the basil and garlic. Season with salt and pepper.
- If using lasagna noodles that need to cook beforehand, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain and set aside. You can also use oven-ready lasagna noodles. I love to use fresh lasagna noodles from Whole Foods.
- To assemble the lasagna: preheat the oven to 375°. Spray a 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish with cooking spray.
- Spread 1 cup of the marinara sauce in the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Lay 3 noodles over the marinara. Spread 1/3 of the bechamel cream filling mixture evenly over the noodles. Sprinkle with bolognese sauce. Repeat with the remaining noodles, bechamel cream filling, and mozzarella cheese making 3 layers of filling and ending with pasta. Spoon the remaining marinara sauce on top and sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese and Mozzarella cheese. Drizzle with olive oil and cover with foil.
- Bake covered for 25 minutes until the lasagna is heated through. I suggest spraying the foil with non-stick cooking spray to keep the cheese from sticking to the foil. Remove foil and let the cheese melt and bubble — about 5-10 minutes longer. Allow to cool for 15-20 minutes before serving. Cut into squares and serve.
Substitutions and Variations:
You can use Italian sausage in the place of ground beef or use half ground beef and half Italian sausage.
You can make your own homemade marinara sauce or use a high-quality marinara sauce from Rao’s.
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Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 Onion diced
- 2 lbs. Ground Beef *
- 4 Garlic Cloves minced (or 1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder)
- 2 teaspoons Salt
- 1 teaspoon Pepper
- 40 ounce jar Marinara Sauce
- 1 cup Heavy Cream
- 1 1/2 cup Milk
- 2 cups Parmesan Cheese divided set aside 1/2 cup for topping
- 1/4 cup Fresh Basil chopped
- 2 Garlic Cloves or 1/4 teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1 package Lasagna Noodles
- 2 cups Mozzarella Cheese can use more if you like it extra cheesy
Instructions
- Heat large skillet over medium high heat. Add oil. Saute onion for 4-5 minutes. Add ground beef, garlic, salt and pepper and cook until browned. Drain grease.
- Stir in marinara sauce. Let simmer on low heat.
- In a medium saucepan, bring the cream and milk to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce the heat to low. Add 1 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese and whisk until melted and the sauce is smooth. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the basil and garlic. Season with salt and pepper.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain and set aside. You can also use oven-ready lasagna noodles.
Assemble the Lasagna:
- Preheat the oven to 375°. Spray a 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish with cooking spray.
- Spread 1 cup of the marinara sauce in the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Lay 3 noodles over the marinara. Spread 1/3 of the bechamel cream filling mixture evenly over the noodles. Sprinkle with bolognese sauce. Repeat with the remaining noodles, bechamel cream filling, and mozzarella cheese making 3 layers of filling and ending with pasta. Spoon the remaining marinara sauce on top and sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese and Mozzarella cheese. Drizzle with olive oil and cover with foil.
- Bake covered for 25 minutes until the lasagna is heated through. Remove foil and let the cheese melt and bubble — about 5-10 minutes longer. Allow to cool for 15-20 minutes before serving. Cut into squares and serve.
Notes
- May use half ground beef and half Italian sausage
- I suggest using Rao’s marinara sauce
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This Italian Bolognese Lasagna will knock your socks off! It’s the perfect warm meal for the cold evenings ahead.
Happy Cooking, my friends! xo
This sounds promising. I know some old recipes use to add egg to their traditional ricotta mixtures I assume to add body/creaminess. So this cream sauce (Bechamel/Alfredo?) would definitely be better. I want to try this but unfortunately I can’t have that much salt. Lovely recipe though.
Hi! If you need to reduce the salt you can reduce to 1 teaspoon. I hope you love this recipe!
LOVE this recipe!!
Thank you for making this recipe, Anna!
Hands down the best lasagna ever! Like stupid good! I even use whole grain pasta to make it better for me and it is still so good! My whole family will devour this yumminess!!!
That sounds delicious Susan! Thank you so much for making this recipe.
First time making anything like lasagna. I don’t cook much, and it turned out perfectly. LOVE IT.
This will be the only Lasagna I make from now on! I made it today for father’s day and my husband had 4 servings! I also made your French bread. So easy and delicious!
Can you add ricotta cheese when layering the lasagna?
You can always add Ricotta layers to any Lasagna if you wish… but, that kind of defeats the purpose of this recipe, which was to make a Lasagna with a Bechamel Sauce Instead of Ricotta….. Don’t you think?
I’m heading to the kitchen to make this right now actually…. along with her Chocolate Mint Cookies..
So, when you said in the instructions to add the “Bolognese sauce,” did you mean Bechamel?
Did you ever receive an answer to your question because I was wondering the same thing? LOL
Hi Roz! Great question! I either make my own homemade sauce or buy the Victoria brand at Costco. There are so many good ones on the market these days and I tend to choose ones with pure, simple ingredients without all of the fillers. Have a great night! – Melissa
What marinara sauce do you use? There are so many to choose from.