Lasagna With White Sauce

Recipe Ingredients

• Onion and pepper- I use onion and peppers as my base vegetables for the meat. You can also add more vegetables like carrots and peas if you like.
• Sofrito & tomato sauce– I used a tomato sauce, which can be substituted for tomato paste. I also use sofrito to give the meat more flavor.
• Ground beef- I used 70/30 ground beef. You can use lean ground beef if you like, but I like the flavor that the 70/30 meat gives. The only downside of using a high fat beef is that it will have more excess fat that you’ll have to remove after cooking.
• Seasonings- I used all-purpose adobo seasoning to give flavor and sazon to add color to the meat.
• Pasta sauce- For convenience, I like to use a canned pasta sauce. You can use your favorite pasta sauce brand.
• Cheeses- I use a mix of shredded mozzarella and parmesan cheese. Both cheeses are great because they add saltiness to the dish.

• Cream cheese bechamel- The cream cheese bechamel is made with the traditional ingredients of a bechamel sauce. It is made with butter, flour, milk, and seasonings, plus cream cheese.

How to Make A Lasagna With White Sauce

• Photo 1: First, if you want to save time, you can cook the pasta while you prepare the meat. Start by peeling the onion. Chop the onion and green peppers into small cubes.
• Photo 2: In a large pan, add the oil, onion, and pepper. Sauté for 3 minutes. The onions should be translucent and have a light brown color. Add the sofrito and cook for one minute.

• Photo 3: Add the meat, sazon, and adobo. Break the meat apart while it cooks for 8 minutes. Then, remove any excess fat that the meat may have by straining it or just removing it with a spoon. You can also absorb all the fat with a paper towel.
• Photo 4: Reduce your heat to medium-high, add the pasta sauce, and cook for 6 minutes. Stir a few times so the sauce doesn’t burn.

• Photo 5: You need a big pot with enough water to cover the pasta. You also want to add the salt to the water so it can have a slight salty taste. Turn the heat to high, and once the water boils, add the pasta. Cook for 12 minutes.
• Photo 6: After the pasta is done, drain it and run it under cold water. This will stop the cooking process. What I like to do next is to place the pasta flat on a tray. But make sure they are not one on top of the other. On the first layer, put 3 sheets, then 2, and repeat. This is so the sheets won’t stick.

• Photo 7: Now, the last thing I like to make is the bechamel sauce. First, in a small pan over medium-high heat, add the butter. Cook for 30 seconds while stirring or until your butter is melted. Then add the flour and cook for 1 minute and 30 seconds while constantly stirring. Then, while stirring, add the milk a little bit at a time.
• Photo 8: Cook 8 minutes and stir all that time to make sure you have no lumps and your sauce doesn’t burn. Add the cream cheese and cook for 3 minutes.

• Photo 9: If you’re cooking this right away, preheat the oven to 400℉. Then assemble the lasagna. I used a 9×3 baking pan, but you can use another size you like. Add ½ cup of the cream cheese sauce to the bottom of your pan. Then place 3 sheets of pasta, then add ½ of the meat mixture. Add ½ cup of the sauce over the meat, add ⅓ of the parmesan cheese, and about 1 ounce of the mozzarella cheese. Repeat the same steps for the next layer.
• Photo 10: For the top layer, add 3 sheets of pasta, 1 cup of the white sauce, and the rest of the parmesan and mozzarella cheese. Cover the lasagna with foil and bake for 40 minutes. Uncover and broil for 2 minutes if you want a crunchy top.