The Easiest Lasagna Recipe (with a CHEAT!)

Описание: Creamy, saucy, cheesy—this from-scratch LASAGNA delivers restaurant results at home. We build a quick, glossy meat sauce and a Mornay-style (cheesy) béchamel so you get clean slices (not watery) and a bubbly, ultra-golden top. Don’t skip the cheesy béchamel—this is the game-changer.

Stay to the end for the double-mozzarella finish and a fast parmesan blast for that caramelized, speckled crust.

Ingredients:
Meat Sauce:
3 small onions, finely diced
4 carrots, grated
2–3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
500 g ground beef (or beef/pork mix)
1–2 tsp dried oregano (or Italian seasoning)
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp sweet paprika
½–1 tsp black pepper, 1–1½ tsp salt (to taste)
700–800 g tomato passata (or finely crushed tomatoes)
~200 ml water

Cheesy Béchamel (Mornay-style):
60 g butter
60 g all-purpose flour
700 ml milk
Pinch nutmeg, plus salt & pepper
30–40 g finely grated parmesan (in the sauce)
80–100 g shredded low-moisture mozzarella (in the sauce)

Pasta & Topping Cheese:
Lasagna sheets (fresh or no-boil)
50–80 g shredded mozzarella (topping)
20–30 g grated parmesan (topping)
1 × 125 g fresh mozzarella, torn (topping)

If using only ~250 g meat, reduce passata to ~500–600 g and season slightly lighter.

Method:
1. Sweat the veg: In a pot, cook onions + carrots with olive oil and a pinch of salt until soft and sweet.

2. Brown the meat: Add ground meat; cook until grey-brown and crumbly. Stir in garlic powder, paprika, pepper and oregano.

3. Build the sauce: Pour in passata + ~200 ml water. Simmer gently 20–30 min until thick, glossy and flavorful. Adjust salt.

4. Cheesy béchamel: Melt butter, whisk in flour 1–2 min (roux). Gradually whisk in milk until smooth; simmer to silky. Off the heat, whisk in parmesan + shredded mozzarella until fully melted and glossy. Season with salt, pepper & nutmeg.

5. Assemble: Thin layer of meat sauce (anti-stick). Layer sheet → meat sauce → cheesy béchamel; repeat for height.

6. Cheese top: Finish with shredded mozzarella + torn fresh mozzarella. Cover tightly with foil.

7. Bake: 190–200 °C (375–392 °F) 25–30 min covered, then 10–15 min uncovered until bubbling and golden.

8. Parmesan & rest: Sprinkle parmesan near the end for color. Rest 10–15 min before slicing so layers set.

Pro tips:
If using no-boil sheets, keep sauces a touch looser so pasta hydrates.
If béchamel thickens while standing, loosen with a splash of warm milk.
Sauce still looks thin at 20 min? Give it 5 more—glossy is the goal.

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