This delicious bechamel lasagna recipe is comfort food at its finest! Made from a simple meat sauce, bechamel sauce and layered to lasagna perfection. Enjoy!
The BEST Bechamel Lasagna
Sounds fancy, tastes amazing — but oh so easy to make! You’re going to absolutely love this bechamel lasagna recipe. Let’s make it for dinner tonight, shall we cheese lovers?!
why you’ll love it!
- It is easy to prepare ahead of time! You can make it the night before or you can freeze it for another time.
- This lasagna is nutrient-packed.
- Pasta is a dish that the whole family loves.
- You can feed a crowd or have enough for leftovers throughout the week.
What is bechamel sauce?
A traditional bechamel sauce is a white sauce made from a white roux and milk. Think of it this way, pretty much every cheese sauce (including our famous mac and cheese sauce) is made from the base of a bechamel sauce!
Roux + Milk = Bechamel Sauce
Why use a bechamel sauce in lasagna? Bechamel sauce is a replacement of the classic ricotta cheese sauce that is found in many lasagna recipes.
Ingredients for Bechamel Lasagna
The ingredients you’ll need for this bechamel lasagna fall into 4 simple elements: the pasta, the meat sauce, the bechamel sauce, and the toppings. You’ll need:
Pasta
- Uncooked lasagna noodles
Meat Sauce
- Ground beef
- Italian seasoning
- Salt
- Diced yellow onion
- Minced garlic
- Crushed tomatoes
- Tomato paste
italian seasoning pro tip!
We used this homemade Italian seasoning that includes garlic powder, red pepper flakes, and flavorful spices.
If you are using a store bought classic Italian seasoning: we recommend adding an additional 1 teaspoon of garlic powder and ½ teaspoon of red pepper flakes to your Italian seasoning for optimal flavor.
Bechamel Sauce
- Unsalted butter
- All-purpose flour
- Whole milk
- Salt
toppings
- Shredded mozzarella cheese
- Grated parmesan cheese
- Fresh parsley or basil
Easy Swaps or Add-ins
Feel free to make this lasagna recipe your own by substituting ingredients or adding some in. All we care about is that you enjoy your dinner! Here are some of our go-to swaps and add-ins:
Swaps
Ground beef –> ground turkey, Italian sausage or a plant-based ground
Fresh basil –> Fresh parsley
Parmesan cheese –> romano cheese
Add-ins
Vegetables: add in in some of your favorite veggies like spinach, bell peppers, or mushrooms.
Our Favorite
Casserole Dish
This le creuset casserole dish is our all time favorite casserole dish! The white color rocks, it has a cover, and it’s great for so many dishes.
How to Make Bechamel Lasagna
cook the lasagna noodles
Boil the lasagna noodles to a little under al dente. Why? They’ll continue to cook in the oven! Then, lay the lasagna noodles flat on a tea towel and drizzle them with olive oil so they do not stick together.
Prepare the meat sauce
Heat a large deep skillet or Dutch oven over medium/high heat, and add the ground beef. Break the ground beef up into small pieces and cook the beef for 2-3 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons of Italian seasoning, salt, and onion to the skillet and toss the ingredients with the beef.
Add the garlic to the meat, toss, and cook for 1 minute and then add the crushed tomatoes and the tomato paste to the pan. Whisk the tomato paste into the crushed tomatoes and toss all the ingredients together.
Bring the meat sauce to a boil and then turn the heat to low and allow the sauce to simmer for 15-20 minutes or until the tomato sauce reduces by about half. You want the sauce to be more meat than liquid.
make the bechamel sauce
Heat a medium saucepan over medium heat, and add the butter to the saucepan.
When the butter is melted, add the flour to the saucepan and whisk the two ingredients together to create a roux. Allow the roux to cook for 1-2 minutes and then slowly drizzle the whole milk into the saucepan while whisking.
The milk should thicken within a few minutes and turn into a beautiful bechamel sauce. Add the salt to the sauce and stir. When the sauce is thick and creamy, remove the sauce from the heat.
Prepare cheese topping
Add the mozzarella, parmesan, and the last two tablespoons of Italian seasoning to a bowl and toss to combine. Set aside.
Assemble Lasagna
Preheat the oven to 350ºF and spray a 9×13-inch casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray or wipe the casserole dish with olive oil. Assemble the lasagna by repeating the following:
- Scoop ½ cup in the meat sauce onto the bottom of the casserole dish and spread it out.
- Next, lay 4 lasagna noodles on top of the meat sauce, making sure they overlap at the edges.
- Pour another ½ cup of the meat sauce on top of the noodles and spread it out with a spatula.
- Add ½ cup of bechamel sauce over the meat sauce and spread it out with a spatula.
Repeat this layering until you reach the top of the casserole dish, and then sprinkle the mozzarella cheese mixture on top of the lasagna.
Bake Lasagna
Cover the lasagna with tin foil and bake at 350ºF for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, remove the cover and bake for an additional 20-25 minutes or until the top of the lasagna is golden brown and the edges are bubbling.
Slice, Garnish & Enjoy!
Remove the lasagna from the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes before slicing it into large pieces. Garnish the lasagna with fresh chopped parsley or basil, and enjoy.
try it!
Cheesy Lasagna Dip
If you love lasagna, you’ll absolutely adore our cheesy lasagna DIP!
What to Serve with Bechamel Lasagna
Complete your Italian dinner with a salad and some bread! Here are some favorites:
Beet and Goat Cheese Salad: Make a big beet goat cheese salad for an easy and veggie-packed meal! This salad is made with pears, goat cheese, walnuts, spinach, and a delicious salad dressing.
Caprese Salad: This caprese salad is made with fresh mozzarella, fresh basil, and delicious juicy tomatoes! You can’t go wrong with a simple balsamic and olive oil drizzle.
Stuffed Mushrooms: These cream cheese stuffed mushrooms are the perfect savory appetizer! Whip up this bite-sized goodness in 5 easy steps, and ENJOY.
Air Fryer Texas Toast: This air fryer Texas toast is garlicky, cheesy, and a perfect addition to your bechamel lasagna dinner.
How to Store Bechamel Lasagna
After your lasagna is baked, let it cool completely before placing it in an airtight container. Store it in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
To reheat bechamel lasagna, let the lasagna come to room temperature and then reheat in the oven at 350ºF until the cheese melts and the middle of the lasagna is warm.
To Freeze Lasagna
Let the lasagna cool completely before covering the entire dish with plastic wrap and then aluminum foil. Place the lasagna in the freezer for up to 3 months.
To reheat the lasagna, let the dish come to room temperature and then heat it up in the oven at 350ºF until the cheese melts and the middle of the lasagna is warm.
Bechamel Lasagna
Ingredients
- 16 oz. uncooked lasagna noodles we used 18 noodles
- Red Sauce
- 1 lb. ground beef
- ¼ cup Italian seasoning separated
- 2 teaspoons salt
- ½ small yellow onion diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 28 oz. crushed tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- Bechamel Sauce
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 3.5 cups whole milk
- 1.5 teaspoons salt
- Other Ingredients
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- ¼ cup finely grated parmesan cheese
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley or basil leaves
Instructions
- First cook the lasagna noodles. Bring a large pot (that is big enough to submerge lasagna noodles) of water to a boil. Add the lasagna noodles and stir periodically. Strain the noodles from the water when they are a bit undercooked (a little less than al dente). The noodles will continue to cook in the oven.
- Lay the lasagna noodles flat on a tea towel and drizzle them with olive oil so they do not stick together. Set them aside for later.
- Prepare the meat sauce. Heat a large deep skillet or Dutch oven over medium/high heat. Add the ground beef.
- Break the ground beef up into small pieces and cook the beef for 2-3 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons of Italian seasoning, salt, and onion to the skillet and toss the ingredients with the beef. Cook for an additional 2 minutes.
- Add the garlic to the meat, toss, and cook for 1 minute and then add the crushed tomatoes and the tomato paste to the pan. Whisk the tomato paste into the crushed tomatoes and toss all the ingredients together.
- Bring the meat sauce to a boil and then turn the heat to low and allow the sauce to simmer for 15-20 minutes or until the tomato sauce reduces by about half. You want the sauce to be more meat than liquid.
- Meanwhile, make the bechamel sauce. Heat a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the butter to the saucepan.
- When the butter is melted, add the flour to the saucepan and whisk the two ingredients together to create a roux. Allow the roux to cook for 1-2 minutes and then slowly drizzle the whole milk into the saucepan while whisking.
- The milk should thicken within a few minutes and turn into a beautiful bechamel sauce. Add the salt to the sauce and stir. When the sauce is thick and creamy, remove the sauce from the heat.
- Prepare the cheese for the top of the lasagna. Add the mozzarella, parmesan, and the last two tablespoons of Italian seasoning to a bowl and toss to combine. Set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF and spray a 9×13-inch casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray or wipe the casserole dish with olive oil.
- Assemble the lasagna. Scoop ½ cup in the meat sauce onto the bottom of the casserole dish and spread it out.
- Next, lay 4 lasagna noodles on top of the meat sauce, making sure they overlap at the edges. Pour another ½ cup of the meat sauce on top of the noodles and spread it out with a spatula. Add ½ cup of bechamel sauce over the meat sauce and spread it out with a spatula. Repeat this layering until you reach the top of the casserole dish.
- Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese mixture on top of the lasagna.
- Cover the lasagna with tin foil and bake at 350ºF for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, remove the cover and bake for an additional 20-25 minutes or until the top of the lasagna is golden brown and the edges are bubbling.
- Remove the lasagna from the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes before slicing it into large pieces.
- Garnish the lasagna with fresh chopped parsley or basil and enjoy.
This looks amazing-can it be made with the no boil lasagna noodles?
Hi Nancy, We haven’t tested this recipe with no boil noodles, but it should work! Let us know how it goes 😀
Nice!😋 I can’t wait to try this out! I really like lasagna but, I have an equally strong dislike for ricotta. And feta. And tbh…cottage cheese isn’t really a good sub!🙄Not to be eaten in any way, other than by its’ self! LOL ok I’ll stop😂 It’s just a texture thing.