Italian White Lasagna Recipes

ITALIAN WHITE LASAGNA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F.
• Brown beef (if using), celery, onion and garlic in a 1 tbls. oil; drain.
• Stir in seasonings.
• Add cream cheese and cream.
• Cook over low heat until smooth.
• Add wine, shredded Cheddar and Gouda (or cheese of your choice).
• Stir together egg and cottage cheese, set aside.
• Layer cooked noodles, part of meat (or just vegetable) mixture, cottage cheese, half Mozzarella.
• Repeat until all is used; top with Mozzarella.
• Bake on top rack for 40 minutes. Enjoy!

CLASSIC ITALIAN LASAGNA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Bechamel sauce:
• In a 2-quart pot, melt 5 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. When butter has completely melted, add the flour and whisk until smooth, about 2 minutes. Gradually add the milk, whisking constantly to prevent any lumps from forming. Continue to simmer and whisk over medium heat until the sauce is thick, smooth and creamy, about 10 minutes. The sauce should be thick enough to coat the back of wooden spoon. Remove from heat and add the nutmeg and tomato sauce. Stir until well combined and check for seasoning. Set aside and allow to cool completely.
• In a saute pan, heat extra-virgin olive oil. When almost smoking, add the ground beef and season with salt and pepper. Brown meat, breaking any large lumps, until it is no longer pink. Remove from heat and drain any excess fat. Set aside and allow to cool completely.
• In a medium sized bowl, thoroughly mix the ricotta and eggs. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
• Into the bottom of a 13 by 9-inch baking dish, spread 1/3 of the bechamel sauce. Arrange the pasta sheets side by side, covering the bottom of the baking dish. Evenly spread a layer of all the ricotta mixture and then a layer of all the spinach. Arrange another layer of pasta sheets and spread all the ground beef on top. Sprinkle 1/2 the mozzarella cheese on top of the beef. Spread another 1/3 of the bechamel sauce. Arrange the final layer of pasta sheets and top with remaining bechamel, mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Cut the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter into 1/4-inch cubes and top lasagna.
• Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place lasagna dish on top, cover and put on the middle rack of the oven and bake until top is bubbling, about 30 minutes. Remove cover and continue to bake for about 15 minutes.
• In a large casserole pot or Dutch over, heat oil over medium high heat. Add onion and garlic and saute until soft and translucent, about 5 to 10 minutes. Add celery and carrots and season with salt and pepper. Saute until all the vegetables are soft, about 5 to 10 minutes. Add tomatoes and bay leaves and simmer uncovered on low heat for 1 hour or until thick. Remove bay leaves and check for seasoning. If sauce still tastes acidic, add unsalted butter, 1 tablespoon at a time to round out the flavors.
• Add 1/2 the tomato sauce into the bowl of a food processor. Process until smooth. Continue with remaining tomato sauce.
• If not using all the sauce, allow it to cool completely and pour 1 to 2 cup portions into freezer plastic bags. This will freeze up to 6 months.

WHITE LASAGNA WITH SPICY TURKEY SAUSAGE AND 'SHROOMS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• For the white sauce: Bring a medium saucepan to low-medium heat and add the butter. Once the butter is melted, stir in the flour with a wooden spoon; cook for 2 minutes (do not let it color). Add the milk and bring to a boil, continuing to stir. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 1 minute. Remove the saucepan from the heat. Add in the Parmesan, whisking to incorporate. Season with salt and pepper.
• For the lasagna: In a skillet over medium-high heat, add the olive oil and cook the turkey sausage until just beginning to brown, about 4 minutes. Add the mushrooms and continue to saute until golden brown and the turkey is cooked through, 4 to 6 additional minutes. Season with kosher salt, pepper and granulated garlic. Stir well, and then shut off the heat and set aside to cool.
• In a small mixing bowl, combine ricotta, egg, Parmesan, about 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt and a few rounds of cracked pepper. Spread 1/4 cup of the white sauce in the bottom of a 9- by 13-inch nonreactive baking dish. Begin layering with 3 noodles, followed with about 1 cup ricotta mixture. Layer about half of the zucchini evenly over the ricotta. Follow with half the turkey sausage and mushrooms, finishing with 1 cup white sauce. Sprinkle with 1/3 of the mozzarella. Repeat. Top the second layer with 4 noodles, white sauce and sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella. Bake, covered with foil, for 30 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and remove the foil cover. Heat the broiler to maximum temperature. Broil until the cheese is browned and bubbling, about 1 minute. Garnish with the parsley.

LASAGNA WITH WHITE SAUCE

Steps:

• In a Dutch oven, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink, breaking it into crumbles; drain. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, bouillon and seasonings. Cover and cook over medium-low heat 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. , Meanwhile, melt butter in a large saucepan; stir in the flour, salt and pepper until blended. Gradually add milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir until thickened, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat and stir in half the cheese; set aside. , Pour half the meat sauce into an ungreased 13x9-in. baking dish. Layer with half the lasagna noodles and remaining meat sauce. Top with remaining noodles. Pour white sauce over noodles. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. , Cover and bake at 400° until bubbly and noodles are tender, 40 minutes. If desired, uncover and broil 5-6 inches from heat until lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley as desired.

MOM'S WHITE LASAGNA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°. Cook noodles according to package directions for al dente. In a large skillet, cook sausage, celery, onion and garlic over medium heat 6-8 minutes or until sausage is no longer pink, breaking up sausage into crumbles; drain., Stir in wine. Bring to a boil; cook 3-4 minutes or until liquid is reduced by half. Add cream, cream cheese, herbs, pepper and salt; stir until cream cheese is melted. Drain noodles., In a small bowl, combine egg, cheddar and cottage cheese., In a greased 13x9-in. baking dish, layer three noodles, half of the sausage mixture, half of the cheddar cheese mixture and half of the mozzarella slices. Repeat layers. Top with remaining noodles; sprinkle with Gouda cheese., Bake, covered, 40-50 minutes or until bubbly and cheese is melted. Let stand 15 minutes before serving. If desired, sprinkle with additional basil and oregano.,

MAGNIFICENT WHITE LASAGNA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna in the boiling water, stirring occasionally, until cooked through but firm to the bite, about 8 minutes; drain.
• Mix chicken, artichokes, shredded mozzarella cheese, 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, and sun-dried tomatoes together in a large bowl.
• Beat cream cheese, milk, 1 tablespoon basil, and garlic powder together in a bowl until smooth. Mix 2/3 of the cream cheese mixture with the chicken mixture. Spread remaining cream cheese mixture into the bottom of a 9x13-inch casserole dish.
• Spread a single layer of lasagna noodles over the cream cheese mixture, top with 1/3 of the chicken mixture, and a layer of mozzarella cheese slices. Repeat layering with noodles, chicken mixture, and mozzarella slices 2 times. Top with remaining Parmesan cheese and basil.
• Bake in the preheated oven until golden and bubbling, about 25 minutes.

ITALIAN LASAGNA

Steps:

• Brown bacon and onion in a large pan over medium heat. Stir in fennel seed, 1 teaspoon oregano, Italian seasoning, and tomato sauce. Cover, and simmer on low for 4 to 6 hours, or until thick.
• Brown sausage links in a large skillet. Drain on paper towels. Cut into 1 inch pieces.
• Mix together ricotta cheese, egg, milk, parsley, and 1 teaspoon oregano in a medium bowl.
• Layer 1 cup of sauce on the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch pan. Layer with 1/3 uncooked lasagna noodles, 1/2 ricotta cheese mixture, 1/2 sausage pieces, 1/3 mozzarella, and 1/2 provolone cheese. Top with 1/3 sauce. Repeat layers. Top with remaining 1/3 noodles. Spread remaining sauce over the top, and sprinkle with remaining 1/3 mozzarella cheese.
• Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 1 1/2 hours.

CLASSIC ITALIAN LASAGNE

Steps:

• For the ragu, melt the butter in a large flameproof casserole dish over a medium heat until foaming. Add the celery, carrot, onion, porcini, rosemary and some seasoning, and fry for 5 mins.
• Season the meat, add to the dish and cook for 5 mins until browned. Pour in the wine, add the tomatoes and bring to the boil.
• Reduce the heat to low, put the lid on the dish and cook for 1hr 30 mins, removing the lid for the final 30 mins so the sauce can reduce. The meat should be tender but not too broken up, and the sauce should be thick. Taste for seasoning. You can cook it for longer if you have time - the flavour will only improve.
• For the béchamel sauce, pour the milk into a saucepan with the bay leaf. Bring to a simmer, turn off the heat and set aside. In a heavy-based saucepan, melt the butter over a medium heat, then whisk in the flour and hot milk. Whisk vigorously until smooth, then cook for 10-15 mins until very thick. Remove the bay leaf and season, grating in nutmeg to taste. Stir in the parmesan and egg yolks, then set aside to cool.
• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Working in batches of three, plunge the pasta sheets into a pan of boiling salted water for 20 secs, just to soften, then immediately put in a bowl of ice-cold water.
• Rub oil onto the base and sides of a large baking dish. Put a layer of pasta on the base, then add a layer of ragu, followed by a layer of béchamel sauce. A good tip, for really defined layers, is to pipe the béchamel sauce over.
• Repeat this process until you have used all the pasta and ragu, and finish with a layer of béchamel sauce on top. Sprinkle the top with a generous layer of parmesan.
• Bake in the oven for 40-45 mins or until bubbling and golden brown, then remove from the oven and leave to settle for 10 mins.
• Cut the lasagne into squares and let it sit for another 10 mins before serving - this keeps the layers defined and helps it cool down more quickly.

LASAGNA WITH WHITE SAUCE

Steps:

• Fry beef and onion in a medium saucepan until meat is brown. Drain extra fat.
• Add tomato paste, cubed tomatoes, bouillon cube, Italian seasoning, and first amounts of salt and pepper to the frying pan.
• Cover the pot and simmer for approximately 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Meanwhile, melt butter in a medium saucepan.
• Stir in flour and the second amounts of salt and pepper.
• Gradually add milk. Stir continuously with a whisk.
• Bring the milk to a boil.
• Reduce heat and cook for 1 minute.
• Remove from heat and stir in half the cheese. Set aside.
• Pour 1/2 the meat sauce into a 13"x9"x2" baking dish.
• Cover with 1/2 the noodles.
• Cover with remaining meat sauce.
• Cover with remaining noodles.
• Pour the white sauce over the noodles.
• Sprinkle with remaining cheese.
• Cover and bake for 40 minutes at 400F or until noodles are cooked.