Uploaded November 2022 | Updated September 2026, 2 days ago
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Tomato Sauce Recipe: youtu.be/CXAJ3XD12BE
Herbed Béchamel Recipe: youtu.be/1slKmW9szFQ
This lasagna is based on how I was once shown to produce lots of pans of frozen, ready-to-bake lasagna at a restaurant where I worked back in the early years of the millennium. They ordered custom sheets of pasta which exactly fit into an oven-safe foil takeout container. We would use batches of marinara or bolognese and also béchamel sauce. With a couple dozen pans on the table and a stack of precut pasta sheets, it went very quickly to assemble a bunch of takeout lasagnas. In making this recipe at home I learned that it makes a much messier lasagna than the more traditional recipe, and is perhaps only time-saving if one wants to make a bunch of (smaller) lasagnas, perhaps in order to freeze them or to share them.
We once again use the dry-noodle method here, and concoct the same rich marinara sauce using canned tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, and triple-concentrated tomato paste. In this version we use mushrooms in place of meat in order to present the alternative. I like to use a mix of mushrooms including shiitake mushrooms because I can get fresh ones and I like the complexity they bring to the mushroom party. By all means, use whatever mushrooms you most enjoy. In making the béchamel sauce, make sure not to let the roux get too much color. Feel free to fancify it with chopped herbs and/or grated cheese such as parmesan, asiago or romano. If you grow herbs, this is a great way to get value out of them. Basil, oregano, thyme, parsley, chives, tarragon and chervil are all reasonable additions.
Once finished baking, let the lasagna rest for 10-15 minutes before attempting to cut it. Some feel that it is simply better the next day; I think both fresh and leftover lasagna have their merits. For best results, warm leftover lasagna with up to 90 seconds in a microwave followed by some time in a hot oven or under a broiler; I typically use my toaster oven.
Makes enough for 10 people.
Equipment:
• 13”x9” baking pan (ours is a little larger and worked fine)
• one or more nonstick skillets for browning meat
• saucepan if making sauce
Ingredients:
1 box lasagna noodles perhaps only 3/4 of a box
1 lb mushrooms include some shiitake in the mix for depth of flavor
32-48 oz marinara sauce 1-can recipe of homemade sauce as described above
1 batch Béchamel sauce with cheese and/or herbs added optionally
400 g mozzarella grated and split in half
Procedure:
1. Preheat the oven to 350F.
2. Clean and chop the mushrooms.
3. In one or more skillets, saute the mushrooms until they have a lovely color. Optionally deglaze with cognac and add to the tomato sauce.
4. Butter or oil the lasagna pan to help prevent sticking.
5. Add a little bit of sauce in the bottom of the pan.
6. Place a layer of noodles into the pan, which for me is 4 strips side-by-side.
7. Apply a layer of béchamel sauce over the noodles.
8. Carefully apply a layer of tomato sauce over the layer of béchamel.
9. Apply a thin layer of grated mozzarella; use 1/2 of the total cheese in this fashion between layers.
10. Place another layer of noodles into the pan.
11. Continue with layers of béchamel, tomato sauce, grated cheese, and then pasta until the pan is nearly full, about three layers of noodles including the first, bottom layer.
12. Cover the top of the last noodle layer with béchamel and tomato sauce and then the other half of the grated mozzarella to cover the entire casserole.
13. Cover the baking dish with foil. Try to keep it tented so that it won’t touch the melted cheese.
14. Place into the center of the oven for 50 minutes.
15. After 50 minutes, remove the foil and bake another 10 minutes.
16. After 10 minutes uncovered, check the appearance of the top layer of cheese and if it is not toasty enough, turn on
the broiler briefly, keeping a close eye to prevent the cheese burning.
17. Once done baking, allow the lasagna to rest at least 10 minutes, perhaps a bit longer, to stop simmering and firm up enough to be handled.
Music: bensound.com/royalty-free-music
Check our our Patreon!
patreon.com/loveyourfood
Need a kitchen thermometer? Check out ChefsTemp! Use code LoveYourFood for 15% off a meat thermometer!
shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=2084649&u=3322095&m=111859&urllink=&afftrack=
Tomato Sauce Recipe: youtu.be/CXAJ3XD12BE
Herbed Béchamel Recipe: youtu.be/1slKmW9szFQ
This lasagna is based on how I was once shown to produce lots of pans of frozen, ready-to-bake lasagna at a restaurant where I worked back in the early years of the millennium. They ordered custom sheets of pasta which exactly fit into an oven-safe foil takeout container. We would use batches of marinara or bolognese and also béchamel sauce. With a couple dozen pans on the table and a stack of precut pasta sheets, it went very quickly to assemble a bunch of takeout lasagnas. In making this recipe at home I learned that it makes a much messier lasagna than the more traditional recipe, and is perhaps only time-saving if one wants to make a bunch of (smaller) lasagnas, perhaps in order to freeze them or to share them.
We once again use the dry-noodle method here, and concoct the same rich marinara sauce using canned tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, and triple-concentrated tomato paste. In this version we use mushrooms in place of meat in order to present the alternative. I like to use a mix of mushrooms including shiitake mushrooms because I can get fresh ones and I like the complexity they bring to the mushroom party. By all means, use whatever mushrooms you most enjoy. In making the béchamel sauce, make sure not to let the roux get too much color. Feel free to fancify it with chopped herbs and/or grated cheese such as parmesan, asiago or romano. If you grow herbs, this is a great way to get value out of them. Basil, oregano, thyme, parsley, chives, tarragon and chervil are all reasonable additions.
Once finished baking, let the lasagna rest for 10-15 minutes before attempting to cut it. Some feel that it is simply better the next day; I think both fresh and leftover lasagna have their merits. For best results, warm leftover lasagna with up to 90 seconds in a microwave followed by some time in a hot oven or under a broiler; I typically use my toaster oven.
Makes enough for 10 people.
Equipment:
• 13”x9” baking pan (ours is a little larger and worked fine)
• one or more nonstick skillets for browning meat
• saucepan if making sauce
Ingredients:
1 box lasagna noodles perhaps only 3/4 of a box
1 lb mushrooms include some shiitake in the mix for depth of flavor
32-48 oz marinara sauce 1-can recipe of homemade sauce as described above
1 batch Béchamel sauce with cheese and/or herbs added optionally
400 g mozzarella grated and split in half
Procedure:
1. Preheat the oven to 350F.
2. Clean and chop the mushrooms.
3. In one or more skillets, saute the mushrooms until they have a lovely color. Optionally deglaze with cognac and add to the tomato sauce.
4. Butter or oil the lasagna pan to help prevent sticking.
5. Add a little bit of sauce in the bottom of the pan.
6. Place a layer of noodles into the pan, which for me is 4 strips side-by-side.
7. Apply a layer of béchamel sauce over the noodles.
8. Carefully apply a layer of tomato sauce over the layer of béchamel.
9. Apply a thin layer of grated mozzarella; use 1/2 of the total cheese in this fashion between layers.
10. Place another layer of noodles into the pan.
11. Continue with layers of béchamel, tomato sauce, grated cheese, and then pasta until the pan is nearly full, about three layers of noodles including the first, bottom layer.
12. Cover the top of the last noodle layer with béchamel and tomato sauce and then the other half of the grated mozzarella to cover the entire casserole.
13. Cover the baking dish with foil. Try to keep it tented so that it won’t touch the melted cheese.
14. Place into the center of the oven for 50 minutes.
15. After 50 minutes, remove the foil and bake another 10 minutes.
16. After 10 minutes uncovered, check the appearance of the top layer of cheese and if it is not toasty enough, turn on
the broiler briefly, keeping a close eye to prevent the cheese burning.
17. Once done baking, allow the lasagna to rest at least 10 minutes, perhaps a bit longer, to stop simmering and firm up enough to be handled.
Music: bensound.com/royalty-free-music
