Lasagna with Bechamel Sauce

Me: Marion, I will cook lasagna today.
Marion: Mommy, pagkain ng pusa yan (Mommy, that's cat food)
Me: Ano?! (What?!)
Marion: That's what Garfield eats!

Does this look like cat food? I'm sure cats would eat this cheesy, meaty goodness but this sure is safe for humans too.

I actually forgot where I got this recipe from (if you know, please message me and I'll acknowledge the chef/cook).

Edit: I found the chef!!! This recipe is from Pinoy Food Blog! Thank you Ms. Noemi Lardazabal-Dado for making this on Mother's Day! (And thank you to Facebook for the regular updates hihihi)

Lasagna with Bechamel Sauce

Bechamel Sauce

• 3/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup flour
• 2 cans evaporated milk (1 can is equivalent to 225 ml or 1 cup)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg

1. Melt butter in a pan.
2. Blend in flour until bubbly.
3. Gradually stir in evaporated milk.
4. Cook until bubbly and a bit thick. Make sure not to burn the milk by lowering the flame.
5. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.
6. Set aside

Cooking the bechamel sauce. This should come out thick and bubbly.

Tomato Meat Sauce

• 3/4 kilo ground beef
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup butter
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
• 6 tbsp white wine (optional) - I did not use this as I obviously skip every optional ingredient in every recipe (that's just me being lazy)
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/3 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp salt
• 4 tbsp basil leaves, shredded - I used dried basil
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 cup beef broth
• 2 cans tomato paste (150 grams each)
• shredded mozzarella cheese to add in between layers and for topping - I did not use this, you can see my explanation below.

1. Heat olive oil and butter.
2. Brown the garlic, add the onions and cook until soft.
3. Put in the ground beef, wine and spices.
4. Allow to cook for a while then pour in the beef broth and tomato paste.
5. Simmer gently until thick. A little flour may be needed to thicken the sauce. - I didn't need the flour as the sauce was already thick.
6. Set aside.

Very tasty meat sauce

Lasagna cooked according to package directions

I was scared to cook lasagna pasta for fear of breaking the pasta. It's so easy pala! And you only need 4 minutes :-) Don't overcook or you'll have soggy pasta when you take the lasagna off the oven.

Assemble the lasagna

1. Grease a rectangular dish (around 10X17 inches) with butter.
2. Pour 1/3 of bechamel sauce.
3. Arrange a layer of pasta. Spoon in tomato meat sauce and sprinkle with cheese.
4. Repeat number 3. End with bechamel sauce on the top layer.
5. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.
6. Bake 350F until golden brown.
7. Let stand 5 to 10 minutes to set before serving.

To explain myself - I did not use mozzarella cheese because we don't have it available anywhere near my house. I would give a reward to anyone who can find mozzarella cheese near our town. So I used quickmelt cheese instead (I know, so cheap). Plus cream cheese (not so cheap). I still got the cheesy gooeyness I wanted.

Next time, I would use a bigger (or deeper dish) so I can use the entire box of lasagna pasta. And I will double the meat sauce recipe. I find the meat sauce not enough for a 4 layer lasagna. I had to be careful in proportioning the potful of meat sauce so I have enough to put on top.

Serve this during family reunions, parties or dinner with friends and you'll be instant bida! Guaranteed bestseller! Best served with crusty bread :-)

Pawis rating: 1 of 5 super easy, no need to use your brains :-)