Bechamel lasagna
Binging with Babish · ♥ 38.2K likes · 1.3M views · 8 min video
Read about lasagna sheets in the BrightCulinary Book
Timestamp
Ingredients
Method
Techniques
Saute the finely chopped onion in olive oil one to three minutes until soft and translucent.
- ¼ whole Spanish onion
- olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic
Add the crushed garlic and let it take a little heat.
- 3 tbsp tomato paste
Add the tomato paste and saute about 30 seconds until fragrant and beginning to stick to the pan.
- ¾ tsp dried oregano
- 1 can whole peeled San Marzano tomatoes
Add the canned whole peeled tomatoes.
Mash the tomatoes with a potato masher or pastry cutter for a chunky marinara.
- water
Bring to a simmer, lower the heat and cook gently 45 minutes to an hour, adding as little water as necessary.
- 1 whole fresh basil
Add the whole sprig of basil and cook over low heat to a mellow sweet tomato sauce.
- dried lasagna noodles
Alternative: parboil dried lasagna noodles about five minutes until al dente, then layer with sauce and cheese and bake.
Dried noodles, or fresh pasta dough
- 5 whole large eggs
- 2 tsp kosher salt
Add the eggs and kosher salt to the well and beat with a fork, drawing in flour, until a thick slurry forms.
If the dough is tough, knead only until no dry patches remain, wrap in plastic and rest 30 minutes so the gluten relaxes and the flour hydrates.
Alternative: divide into four pieces and pass each through the roller on its widest setting, fold into thirds and pass again to laminate; once or twice for well-kneaded dough, no more than three times.
Roll out to about an eighth of an inch, the second thinnest setting, and trim into lasagna sheets as long and wide as possible.
Rolling and cutting the sheets
Dust each sheet generously with flour, stack and keep soft under a moist kitchen towel.
- 63 g all purpose flour
Whisk in the flour to a thin paste and cook the roux over medium heat one to two minutes until it smells nutty.
- 4½ cup cold whole milk
Add the cold milk a splash at a time, fully incorporating each addition before the next.
Bring to a simmer, reduce the heat and cook three to five minutes until thick and glossy.
- ¾ tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp ground white pepper
- ¼–½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
Season with kosher salt, ground white pepper and freshly grated nutmeg.
Cover the bechamel with plastic wrap pressed onto the surface and cool about 30 minutes; scoop off any skin that forms.
- 1 lb low moisture full fat mozzarella
Grate the mozzarella by hand.
Optional: blitz the sauce with an immersion blender or food processor, without over-processing.
- 1 lb Italian sausage
- kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
Optional: crumble and brown the Italian sausage just to a little color, add the sauce and bring to a simmer to finish cooking the sausage; season with kosher salt and black pepper.
- 1 oz freshly grated Parmesan
Layer with about a quarter of the sauce, a quarter of the grated mozzarella and about an ounce of Parmesan per layer.
Cover with foil or a lid and bake at 375F for 30 to 45 minutes, until the cheese is fully melted and the edges bubble.