| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 2 hr 15 min |
| Prep: | 30 min |
| Inactive: | 15 min |
| Cook: | 1 hr 30 min |
| Yield: | 6 to 8 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 slice bacon, chopped
- 1/2 onion, finely chopped
- 1 carrot, gratedKosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/ 2 pound ground beef
- 1/4 cup red wine
- 1 (20-ounce) jar prepared marinara sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 4 cups milk
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1/3 cup flour
- Pinch ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 cups (4 percent milkfat) cottage cheese
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Vegetable cooking spray
- 9 sheets boil-free lasagna noodles
- 3 cups total grated mozzarella and Cheddar (according to preference)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- For the meat sauce: In a large saucepan or small Dutch oven, cook the bacon over medium-high heat until nearly crisp, about 5 minutes. Add the onions and carrots, season with salt and pepper, and cook until softened, another 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook another minute. Add the ground beef and cook until the beef is no longer pink, 6 to 7 minutes. Deglaze the pan with the wine and add the marinara sauce and cinnamon. Fill the jar one-quarter full with water, swish it around to pick up any sauce left behind, and add it to the pot. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- For the bechamel sauce: Heat the milk in the microwave for 2 minutes. In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter, and then whisk in the flour. Cook, whisking constantly, for 2 minutes. Whisk in the warm milk and cook until thickened, whisking frequently, about 10 minutes. Add the nutmeg, garlic, salt, and pepper and set aside.
- For the cottage cheese layer: In a blender or food processor, add the cottage cheese, egg, and Parmesan, and pulse until the cottage cheese curds are small (the mixture will resemble ricotta). Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
- To assemble: Spray a 9 by 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Spread 1/4 cup water plus 1/4 cup meat sauce in the bottom of the pan. Lay 3 noodles crossways in the pan. Divide the cottage cheese mixture in half. Divide the remaining meat sauce in thirds. Divide the grated cheese into fourths. Divide the bechamel into thirds. Add the layers in the following order: cottage cheese, meat sauce, grated cheese, and bechamel. Then, add another layer of noodles, cottage cheese, meat sauce, grated cheese, and bechamel. Finally, add the remaining 3 noodles, meat sauce, grated cheese, and bechamel. Spray a large piece of foil with cooking spray and cover the lasagna tightly. Bake for 50 minutes. Remove the foil and top with the remaining grated cheese and cook an additional 10 minutes, or until the lasagna is bubbling. Allow the lasagna to rest 15 minutes before cutting into squares and serving.
Reviews
I followed the recipe exactly and had excellent results. I’ve never put bechamel in lasagna before and based on the results it’s worth the extra step. This is a good jumping off point for various additional ingredients like all the other commenters talk about.
Absolutely amazing. I have made this recipe several times and my family loves it. I use my own homemade meat sauce. Other then that I follow the recipe. My kids would have it daily if I would let them
The Bechamel sauce won’t get thicker with this much milk. It’s out of proportion!
Easy to follow instructions. There a few parts to the recipe so I reccomend prepping ingredients and reading through the instructions a couple of times before starting.
Hubby and I cooked this together for date night!!!!
Everyone loved my sister said it’s the best lasagna she’s ever had. I used a pound of lean ground turkey turkey, skipped the carrots and added more seasonings like basil and oregano in the meat sauce
The best lasagne I have ever tasted – true classic Italian. Would give 5 stars but the prep time was seriously underestimated. It took me 2 hours. Luckily I wasn’t making it for guests or they would have been waiting an extra 1&1/2 hours for dinner!
Ok, before you start yelling at my rating I want you to know I tried this two ways. I tried it with and without the bacon, cottage cheese and ricotta. I also tried it with the jarred marinara and with just my own tomatoes I cooked the way I do (which is much cheaper). I’m just not a fan of this at all. My family likes it better without the cheddar and bacon (adding more meat) and using my tomatoes and ricotta. Sorry, Melissa!
I cooked this for my future husband, and I followed this recipe to a T… let me tell you that this is a terrible excuse for a lasagne. I will never cook lasagne by this recipe again…To the person below that rated this a one star is absolutely correct. This is garbage!
Fantastic recipe!!! The flavors are amazing and very reasonable in cost. This is a recipe that I would make for company. I loved the taste of the cinnamon and nutmeg. I am always learning new tricks every time I watch the show.
Fantastic recipe! The only reason I gave it 4 stars was because of the cinnamon. I only used a dash of it, and my family instantly picked up on the flavor, and asked me to please not put cinnamon in their lasagna again. The cinnamon flavor was not pleasant, and I like cinnamon. It is far cheaper than my recipe for lasagna, and yet delicious. I did use a full pound of hamburger, a 2 cup bag of mozzarella, and a 2 cup bag of sharp cheddar. I like em cheesy. I actually preferred the taste of the cottage cheese over the taste of ricotta.