Lasagna 3 Ways

I was skeptical at first; it seemed heresy to use an English cheese in a typically Italian dish. But the depth of flavor that a true Cheddar brought was indeed head-turning. There was something else in the recipe, too—slathers of white sauce adding a creamy lusciousness that I had never before experienced in the dish.

A few years later, I found myself in Paris swooning over a French version of lasagna, this one made with a white sauce and Comté cheese (a French Gruyère). The waiter asked me why I was making such a fuss; after all, didn’t we have lasagna in America? Yes, I told him but many recipes don’t include a white sauce. And we certainly didn’t use Comté. “Well, then, what’s the point?” he asked.

A trip to Italy confirmed the same thing—luscious lasagna lies in the creamy béchamel sauce, and Italy’s famed Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Enjoy them all.

Cheese Whizzes
The key to most great cheeses is aging. That’s what creates the intense, complex flavors, as in these three:

Parmigiano-Reggiano: The real Parmigiano-Reggiano comes only from the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy, where it has been crafted for nearly 700 years. Distinguished by its granular texture and intense, sharp flavor, it’s the quintessential grating cheese for cooking.To find an authentic version of the cheese, look for the words Parmigiano-Reggiano stamped on the rind.

English Cheddar: If you want a bolder, sharper and more complex flavor in your Cheddar, try one from England—and preferably an aged one. Originally from the village of Cheddar in southwestern England, this cheese is now made in other areas of England. A Cheddar from Vermont will make a tasty substitute. Some Cheddars are creamy white (like the one we used), while others are orange in color (from a natural dye). Either will work fine in this lasagna.

Comté: (Kon-tay): One of France’s best-selling cheeses, Comté is sometimes called French Gruyère. This richly flavored cheese is made only in the Franche-Comté, a region of France near the Swiss border. It’s a great melting cheese, which is why it’s the classic ingredient in fondue and the much pedigreed cousin to Swiss.

Lasagna with Cheddar Cheese

Mark Boughton

Printer Friendly Version

Do you like to print recipes and add them to your collection? You're in luck. Use our printer friendly version of this recipe.

Find more recipes with:
lasagna , cheddar , cheese , sauce , pepper

Ingredients

Meat Sauce:
1 pound lean ground beef
1/2 pound Italian sausage
1 cup chopped onion
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 (15-ounce) can crushed tomatoes in purée

Béchamel Sauce:
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3 cups 2% reduced-fat milk

12 sheets no-boil lasagna noodles
3 cups shredded aged Cheddar cheese

Instructions

1. For the meat sauce, brown beef and sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat about 10 minutes, breaking into small pieces. Spoon out most of the fat. Reduce heat to medium. Add onion and garlic; saute 5 minutes. Add wine; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until wine is nearly evaporated. Stir in tomato paste, chives, parsley and crushed red pepper. Stir in crushed tomatoes. Bring to a simmer; reduce heat. Simmer 10 to 15 minutes or until sauce thickens.
2. For béchamel sauce, melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Cook and stir for 1 minute. Gradually whisk in milk. Cook and stir with whisk about 10 minutes or until thick and bubbly. Cool 10 minutes.
3. Preheat over to 400F.
4. Spread 3/4 cup meat sauce in bottom of a 13-by-9-inch baking pan. Place 4 sheets of lasagna crosswise in pan over sauce, overlapping slightly. (The sheets will not reach all the way across the pan, but they will expand as they bake.) Top with one-third of the meat sauce (spreading evenly to cover noodles) and then one-third of the bechamel sauce. Top with one-third of the cheese. Repeat layers (starting with noodles) twice.
5. Bake, uncovered, 35 to 40 minutes, covering loosely with foil during the last 10 minutes if top browns too much. Let stand 15 minutes before cutting. Serves 10 to 12.

VARIATIONS:
French-Style Lasagna: Substitute Comté (French Gruyère) cheese for the Parmigiano-Reggiano. Substitute 1 tablespoon crushed dried rosemary for the parsley. Use ground pork instead of the Italian sausage.

Italian-Style Lasagna: Substitute Parmigiano-Reggiano for the Cheddar cheese. Substitute 2 teaspoons dried basil and 2 teaspoons dried oregano for the parsley.

Recipes by Wini Moranville, "Relish a Classic Dish," March 2007.

Nutritional Information

Per serving: 260 calories, 24g fat, 24g prot., 31g carbs., 2g fiber, 710mg sodium.

By Wini Moranville, Relish magazine’s wine columnist.

Related Stories

• The King of Cheese: Unlocking the Secrets of Parmigiano-Reggiano
• The Big Cheese
• Made for Each Other—Apples and Cheese
• A New Mac and Cheese
• Say Cheese

email to a friend

digg this

add to del.icio.us

Post your comments on this article