This classic Italian Lasagna made with béchamel sauce is an insanely delicious, hearty, and cheesy lasagna recipe that you need in your life this Fall and Winter.
There’s nothing as comforting and satisfying as this classic lasagna with béchamel sauce. That’s right, white creamy sauce layered in with lasagna pasta sheets and bolognese meat sauce. Without ricotta but topped with loads of mozzarella cheese.
Lasagna with Béchamel Sauce – the best lasagna!
I am obsessed with lasagna, especially when it comes to lasagna with creamy béchamel sauce.
Nothing against ricotta. In fact, I love ricotta in a lot of things! Like this Baked Ziti, Spinach Lasagna, or even in sweet items like this yummy Italian cheesecake recipe.
But lasagna with béchamel sauce? Definitely the far superior lasagna.
Something about that creamy, yet still fairly light cream sauce sandwiched between chewy pasta and tomato meat bolognese sauce just takes lasagna from good to amazing.
Lasagna with béchamel sauce is also the more traditional Italian way of making lasagna. Here in the United States, most lasagna that you come across doesn’t have béchamel sauce in it, which is really unfortunate, because I personally believe béchamel sauce takes a lasagna from good to great.
This béchamel lasagna recipe is inspired by:
- My favorite childhood Italian restaurant’s lasagna: One of our favorite special-occasion restaurants growing up is this cute little Italian place with dim lighting, soft music, and white table cloths. My favorite thing on their menu is their melt-in-your mouth lasagna (yes, lasagna made with the best béchamel sauce).
- All the glorious lasagna in Italy: Italy is one of my favorite countries to visit and I have also completely fallen in love with their food and pasta. This lasagna recipe is a nod to all the incredible Béchamel Lasagna I’ve had the chance to indulge in in Italy.
I modeled this lasagna with béchamel sauce recipe after some of the best lasagna I’ve ever tasted, and I truly think it is some of the best lasagna recipe out there!
Kitchen Tools
To make this delicious lasagna recipe with béchamel sauce, you will need:
- 1 large pot – for the bolognese meat sauce
- 1 medium pot – to make the béchamel sauce
- 1 whisk – to mix up the béchamel ingredients
- 1 deep 9″ x 13″ baking dish – to assemble the lasagna in
Ingredients
There are basically three key groups of ingredients when making Lasagna with Béchamel Sauce:
For the béchamel sauce (white sauce):
- Butter – use unsalted butter and then add salt to taste to have a good control of the amount of salt in your béchamel
- milk – use 2% milk or whole milk for a creamier texture.
- flour – this is used as the thickening agent for the sauce
- salt – adjust accordingly to open up the flavors.
For the bolognese meat sauce (red meat sauce/ragu):
- peeled tomatoes (canned) – the base of the traditional red sauce.
- tomato paste (canned) – tomato paste intensifies the tomato flavor without adding too much liquid. You do not want your lasagna to sit in a pool of liquid when it bakes, so definitely use tomato paste and avoid substituting with something else.
- basil – a classic Italian herb. You can use dried or fresh basil
- oregano – classic Italian herb #2….again you can use dried or fresh oregano.
- garlic – so important to really flavor the sauce. Use fresh garlic cloves and mince it, and avoid using garlic powder.
- onions – white, sweet or yellow onions work well
- carrot – finely minced. You can do this by hand or with a food processor.
- celery – finely minced. You can do this by hand or with a food processor.
- beef bouillon – powder or paste is fine. If you don’t have it, chicken bouillon will work too. This is to bump up the flavor profile in the bolognese sauce.
- salt and pepper – to really open up the flavors in the sauce. Adjust to taste at the end as needed!
Others:
- lasagna pasta – there are actually two types of lasagna pasta:
- pre-boiled lasagna noodles: unless specified, most lasagna noodles will need to be boiled briefly before layering into the casserole. Be careful not to over-boil the lasagna noodles!
- oven-ready lasagna noodles – these noodles are still hard but can be layered into the casserole without pre-boiling or even soaking them. I love using these because they are so much easier, plus one less pot to wash! Make sure these noodles are well covered in sauce when layering them if not they will not be fully cooked in the oven.
- mozzarella cheese – this is used to top off the lasagna at the end!
How to make it
Lasagna may seem like a daunting task to take on, but let me assure you it is not as difficult as it seems!
My goal is to break this recipe into a few key parts so you will find this more digestible (pun intended).
In all seriousness, follow along and you will see that you can totally make this delicious Lasagna Béchamel Sauce. And when you taste the fruit of your labor, you will know why I say this is totally worth it!
Bolognese Meat Sauce
First, make the meat sauce by sautéing the aromatics and beef in a pot first, then adding carrots and celery and sauté until they are tender.
After that, add the tomatoes and tomato paste, followed by the other seasonings including basil, oregano, beef bouillon, salt and black pepper.
Bring everything to a boil, lower to medium low heat and cook till the sauce thickens.
Bolognese sauce should come out chunky and not watery.
Béchamel Sauce (White Sauce) for Lasagna
Next, let’s make that glorious béchamel sauce that I have been raving about non stop.
Bring a medium pot onto the stove, and melt the butter on medium heat.
Add flour, followed by milk.
Whisk the sauce and keep stirring while it cooks. Whisking will remove the clumps formed by the flour and continuous stirring will prevent the béchamel sauce from burning and sticking to the bottom of the pot.
Béchamel sauce should come to a boil and then slowly thickens (lower to medium low heat once it boils). Add salt and adjust to taste. P/S: You’ll need quite a bit of salt and you’ll find that it will really open up the flavors of the béchamel.
When sauce is done, it should be thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon.
Lasagna Pasta
Cook the lasagna pasta according to instructions. Easier still, use oven-ready, no-need-to-precook pasta and save yourself a pot!
Assembling lasagna
Once the béchamel sauce, meat sauce, and pasta are prepared, it’s time to start assembling your lasagna with béchamel sauce!
You will need a deep 9″ x 13″ baking dish. Start with a thin layer of red sauce to coat the bottom of the casserole dish.
Then add on these layers (in this order):
- Lasagna noodles (bottom)
- Bolognese sauce
- Béchamel sauce (top)
Then repeat the layers.
There should be a total of three sets of the noodle-bolognese-béchamel layers.
Once all the layers are completed, last but not least, sprinkle the top with shredded mozzarella cheese before sending it into the oven to bake.
When it is done, Lasagna with Béchamel Sauce should be bubbly, gooey, slightly charred on the top. 😍
Let it sit for 20 minutes so that the layers would settle and the lasagna cools.
Takes a little patience to wait on this yummy Béchamel Lasagna, but it’ll be easier to cut into it that way – trust me. 😉
How to Serve
My favorite thing to serve with this lasagna with bachemel sauce? Red wine. It pairs together like a dream.
A simple bread and salad side is also goes perfectly with pasta.
More delicious recipes to pair this with:
– Roasted Lemon Garlic Broccoli
– Cheesy Garlic Rolls
– Honey Butter Rolls
– Bruschetta with Tomatoes and Balsamic Vinegar
– Italian Caprese Salad (by Savor The Best)
Reheating and Storage
If you want to make this lasagna a few days ahead, I recommend cooking it entirely, letting it cool, and then freezing it whole. Bring lasagna to a complete defrost overnight in the refrigerator, then reheat in the oven (you probably want to cover it halfway through baking
If you have refrigerated leftovers, simply cut out slices you want to eat and reheat in the microwave. Good news is lasagna keeps and reheats in the microwave really well!
Tips and Tricks
A few things to note while you make this classic béchamel Lasagna:
- Drain Excess Grease: A fattier ground beef can bring access liquid to the sauce so drain the excess grease from the meat before adding carrots and celery when making the bolognese sauce.
- Consistency of Bolognese Sauce: Bolognese sauce should be nice and thick so that lasagna will not turn out watery. Cook bolognese sauce for longer if it is still runny – take your time to let all the flavors meld together!
- Whisk Bechamel While Cooking: When making béchamel sauce, whisk continuously using a whisk so that lumps are removed and sauce will be smooth. Whisking also prevents burning at the bottom of the pot. Once sauce thickens, remove from heat promptly to prevent it from thickening further.
- Layering Lasagna Well: When layering the lasagna, if using oven-ready lasagna sheets, make sure they are well covered in sauce if not they will not soften when baked.
- Catch Drippings in Oven: If lasagna is filled up to the brim, place a cookie sheet underneath the casserole dish in the oven to catch drippings.
- Let Lasagna Cool Before Cutting: Let your cooked lasagna sit for 15-20 minutes so it can set before cutting it. This will make it much easier to cut into without the insides oozing out too much.
Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely! Or, you can use half and half if prefer.
Yes! Nutmeg is a common add to béchamel sauce and can really open up the flavors so feel free to add it if you’d like and have it at hand. It is not necessarily to go out of the way to get the ingredient if you don’t already have it.
Yes you can layer everything ahead of time and store it in the fridge for up to two days before cooking it in the oven. Let it sit in room temperature for an hour or two before baking. If it is still cold when you bring it to the oven you will need to extend the cook time.
You can also layer and freeze, but with how large the casserole is it will take a while to defrost completely, and you want to defrost completely before baking the lasagna.
Not necessary! I don’t usually, and don’t find the tops burning. But you can if you’d like.
ENJOYED THIS RECIPE? Tell us what you think by leaving a rating and review below! 🤍
Other delicious Italian Recipes
If you like this lasagna recipe, you will probably enjoy these as well!
- The Best Spaghetti and Meat Sauce
- Creamy Tomato Pasta with Italian Sausage
- Creamy Lemon Chicken Pasta
- Bruschetta with Tomatoes, Basil and Balsamic Vinegar
- Lemon Garlic Parmesan Pasta
- Baked Ziti
- Skillet Chicken Parmesan
Lasagna with Béchamel Sauce (without ricotta)
Equipment
- 1 Large pot
- 1 Medium pot
- 1 whisk
Ingredients
Bolognese Sauce
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 5-8 cloves garlic
- 1 medium white onion
- 2 lbs lean ground beef
- 1 cup carrot finely minced
- 1 cup celery finely minced
- 28 oz canned peeled whole tomatoes
- 6 oz canned tomato paste
- 2 tsp dried basil
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp beef bouillon
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Béchamel Sauce
- 6 tbsp unsalted butter
- 3/4 cup all purpose flour
- 6 cups 2% milk
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Other
- 9 lasagna sheets boiled or oven ready
- 8 oz mozzarella cheese shredded
- 1 tbsp parsley chopped, garnish
Instructions
Bolognese Sauce
- Heat a large pot under medium heat. Add olive oil, garlic and onions. Sauté until fragrant, for a minute or two, avoid browning. Then add ground beef.
- Sauté ground beef until it is no longer pink. Add carrot and celery, and sauté for about one minute.
- Add the liquids – peeled tomatoes and tomato paste. Stir to combine. Heat it on medium high heat and let it come to a boil.
- Add the rest of the seasonings – basil, oregano, beef bouillon, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine. Lower heat to medium heat and let it cook for another ~10 minutes, or until sauce thickens.
- Remove from heat and set aside.
Béchamel Sauce
- Add butter to a medium pot and heat under medium heat.
- Once butter is melted (avoid browning butter), add flour to pot. Using a whisk, whisk to combine. Mixture will be slightly clumpy.
- Immediately add milk into the pot and bring to medium high heat so that it comes to a boil. Whisk continuously until mixture thickens and is smooth.
- Once mixture reaches desired thick consistency, add salt and pepper. Stir to combine, then remove from heat.
Assemble Lasagna
- Pre heat oven to 375°F.
- Bring a thin layer of bolognese sauce to the bottom of a deep 9" x 13" dish.
- Start layering with three sheets of rectangular lasagna sheets (see Note 1), then add 1/3 of the bolognese sauce, and then 1/3 of the béchamel sauce.
- Repeat Step 2 two more times. There should be a total of three sets of lasagna sheets/bolognese sauce/béchamel sauce layers.
- The top layer should be béchamel sauce. Sprinkle it with mozzarella cheese to top it off.
- Bring casserole dish to oven and place a cookie sheet under the casserole dish to catch any potential drippings. Bake for 45 minutes, then (optional) broil for 2 minutes to brown the top.
- Remove dish from oven and let it sit for 20 minutes before cutting into lasagna.
- Garnish with parsley and serve! Enjoy!
I had lasagne with bechamel sauce at a restaurant in Ravenna, Italy. It was delicious. I’m looking forward to trying your recipe.
I hope you enjoy this recipe!
This might be the best lasagna I’ve ever had. Aside from pastelón, but that’s entirely different
I’m thrilled to hear that! So glad it turned out so well!
Do you put the canned whole tomatoes in with the liquid?
Yes! Use the whole canned tomatoes, including the liquid.
I was very afraid to make this lasagna because my boyfriend is mainly used to eating the ricotta cheese filed lasagna with tons of sauce and tons of salty spices. Not that it’s not great, it is, but I wanted to try a homey feeling lasagna and I’m so glad I did. It was just wondering. The directions are extremely clear and simple, although, I’m not exactly an amateur in the kitchen either but I had never made bechamel sauce and I was nervous that the flour flavor hadn’t cooked enough while whisking but I just trusted my instinct that it was thick enough and that the oven would help with the flavor of the sauce. The only mistake I made was not making enough meat sauce but it still worked out it just happened to have thinner layers rather than thick filled layers. Still, every flavor was so present and I’m just glad I gave it a try. My boyfriend also loved it which I was so happy about. Highly recommend trying.
Note; I didn’t use celery. I personally do not enjoy the taste of it. Maybe the dish would’ve ended up different had I used it but I didn’t and I still loved it. Glad the recipe is customizable and doesn’t fall apart shall an ingredient not be used.
Thank you so much for letting me know how the lasagna recipe turned out for you! I appreciate your thorough and kind feedback and I’m thrilled that you and your boyfriend enjoyed it. It truly is one of my favorite recipes 🙂
🔥😊
This lasagna was so good. I shared with friends who also enjoyed it. Definitely not as filling as a regular lasagna so I will definitely be making it again
That’s wonderful Louise! So happy to hear you enjoyed this lasagna recipe.
Can the sauces be froze separately, defrosted then assembled with the noodles later?
Yes! That should be fine. Let me know how it goes!
If you grate nutmeg into the Béchamel sauce, you will make Norwegian Lasagne. Bless you for sharing.
Yum! I do love a touch of nutmeg in bechamel!
Do you break up the whole tomatoes after adding them to the sauce pan?
Yes!
Fantastic recipe! I was a bit intimidated at first after seeing not one but two sauces. But we gave it a try and it was well worth it for how hearty and flavorful this lasagna was!
I’m so glad you gave it a try anyway and enjoyed it! Thank you for sharing 🙂
I’m a good Cook. Italian, no problem. Except nobody likes lasagna! I’ve tweaked it so many times to no success. I just dropped off your recipe to my daughter and son-in-law. They loved it!! Thank you so much; this one goes in the family recipe book. ❤️
Yay! I’m so happy they liked this lasagna recipe! Thank you for sharing – made my day! 🙂
Don’t forget add 3/4 tsp of nutmeg to the béchamel
Yess!!!
Can you make this a day or two before needing to cook it and just keep in fridge until ready or will the sauce not be good then?
Yes! That should be fine!
Been there,,done that. I turned out just fine. Just remember to let the premade lasagna sit out on the counter for 30 to 45 min. Then preheat over. BUT if you forget that step, the bake time will be longer..
Do you need to drain the canned tomatoes?
No, the liquid should cook down. Let me know how you like the recipe!
I don’t have any beef granules I only have better than bouillon. How much better than bouillon do I use for 1 teaspoon of granules and do I need to dissolve it?
You can add 1 tsp of better than bouillon into the ground beef and tomato mixture. No need to dissolve beforehand.
Thank you for developing, and then posting this recipe! I was short on ground beef, had only a pound, so I substituted the other with half ground lamb, half sweet Italian sausage. (YUM!) Then, without permission, I cut the salt in half, added a SMALL splash of Maggi Seasoning, and a slightly rounded teaspoon of Cylon Cinnamon. Every thing else was completely by the letter. I even omitted the nutmeg. It’s ready to come out of the oven now and it is GORGEOUS!
Thanks for sharing, Scott! I never would have thought about adding Maggi Seasoning but can see how that would bring some complex and delicious flavors. So glad you enjoyed this recipe!
I was craving lasagna so badly. Just me to cook for a whole lasagna is usually too much. This was so delicious, I’m gonna freeze the leftovers!
Wonderful! And this freezes so well! Enjoy!
I made this last night for Father’s Day and it was a big hit. I halved the béchamel and it was still plenty creamy and gooey.
That’s wonderful! Definitely one of my favorite recipes.
WOW WOW WOW!
This recipe and method, it wasn’t difficult and it worked – absolutely delicious.
my first time following this one, and I doubled the recipe to use for lunches as freezing.
I had a couple of substitutes, transferring the Oz to Grams, I forgot to double the Canned tomato’s, but I had 5 fresh in the fridge so used them as well.
I forgot to add the Beef Bouillon to my shopping list, thinking I had some. I used stock instead and used double the amount to try get the same flavour.
Added in grated Zucchini.
Already excited to make this again, and planning to make for family, like my nan who loves lasange but doesn’t want to cook it for herself only.
Would love to hear some tips on freezing this. If using the oven ready lasange sheets, do you follow the recipe and freeze – not putting in the oven. Or do you cook entirely so that pulling out of the freezer is just reheating?
Hi Nicaela! I’m thrilled to hear that you enjoyed this recipe – it is definitely one of my all time faves as well. Thanks for sharing your modifications! As for freezing, I would recommend cooking it entirely, letting it cool, and then freezing. When ready to reheat, bring lasagna to a complete defrost overnight in the refrigerator, then reheat in the oven (you probably want to cover it halfway through baking). Hope that helps!
This was a big NO for this family. Tons of work for a bland and tasteless dish. I suppose this was a good reminder of why I stopped making anything with bechemel years ago. It is really nothing more than tasteless bland white goop. Nothing in the ingredients actually is there to provide flavour except for salt. It’s like making mac n cheese but not adding the cheese to the sauce. I had to make one of my son’s an entirely different meal, as he really disliked it that much. Lesson learned, bechemel has not gotten more flavourful over the years, lol. Nothing against this recipie specifically as every one would be just as bland and tasteless. But as a note, the recipie probably makes way too much bechemel. Half would probably be plenty.
HI Sam, that’s too bad that béchamel didn’t work for you. The idea is to let the creaminess from the béchamel contrast the more intensely flavor red meat sauce. I hope you do find a lasagna recipe you love though!
I always always intended to comment on this Lasagna, I made it last winter, family loved it! We were too anxious to eat it so it kind of was all over the place, next time I will wait to serve it like you said. Next day leftovers was amazing according to my 19 yr old grandson. And also add nutmeg 🙂
Nutmeg is a fabulous add! Definitely gives an extra dimension to the flavor of the sauce! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe.