Shelly's Recipe

LASAGNA WITH CHEDDAR CHEESE

Category: Pasta - Baked

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

Bechamel Sauce
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper and ground nutmeg
3 cups milk

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

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.

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.

Preheat over to 400. Spread 3/4 cup meat sauce in bottom of a 13x9 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. 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.