This is not the lasagna that I ate growing up, which had ricotta and eggs in it- this has a white sauce called a béchamel which is handy to learn how to make because it is also the base for mac and cheese. It is very rich, and very special.
Ingredients
1 package no cook lasagna pasta, or fresh lasagna pasta (don’t but the old school dried stuff because it takes too many steps)
1 jar marinara sauce
1 bunch fresh basil leaves
2 cups fresh spinach leaves (optional)
2 balls fresh mozzarella (or shredded in a bag is OK too)
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
Béchamel Sauce
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 cups whole or 2% milk, heated
Pinch salt
Pinch peper
Pinch nutmeg (optional)
Instructions
For béchamel-
Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until the paste cooks and bubbles a bit, but don’t let it brown — about 2 minutes. Add the hot milk, continuing to stir as the sauce thickens. Bring it to a boil. Add salt and pepper to taste, lower the heat, and cook, stirring for 2 to 3 minutes more. Remove from the heat. To cool this sauce for later use, cover it with plastic (right in top of the thick sauce) to prevent a skin from forming.
Assemble the lasagna
Preheat oven to 375
Pour 1/2 cup marinara sauce in bottom of lasagna pan
Add a layer of lasagna to cover pan
Pour 1/2 cup marinara over lasagna
Pour 1/2 cup béchamel sauce on top
Layer with 1/3 mozzarella cheese, sprigs of basil, spinach leaves and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese.
Add another layer of lasagna, sauce, béchamel, cheese, basil, spinach, parmesan two more times until you have three layers of lasagna.
Top layer get marinara sauce and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese.
Cover tightly with foil and bake for 35 minutes. Uncover and bake for 10-15 more (until pasta is cooked. Eyeball it, it might be more, it might be less.
Let sit for at least a half hour before slicing.
Advanced tip: Omit the marinara sauce and add pesto for white lasagna. Add sliced mushrooms (that you have sautéed first) for mushroom lasagna. Add pieces of Italian sausage for meat lasagna.