Lasagna With Béchamel (Italian White Sauce Style)

What Makes This Recipe Work

Warming the milk before whisking it into the roux prevents lumps, and a long, gentle simmer cooks out the raw flour taste. Layering the bechamel over the noodles (not mixed into the meat sauce) keeps each stratum distinct and sliceable.

Ingredients for Lasagna With Béchamel (Italian White Sauce Style)

• 12 no-boil lasagna noodles (or 12 boiled regular noodles)
• 3 tbsp unsalted butter
• 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 3 cups (720 ml) whole milk, warmed
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 lb (450 g) bolognese sauce (about 3 cups)
• 1 1/2 cups (150 g) shredded mozzarella
• 3/4 cup (75 g) grated Parmesan
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 1/4 tsp white pepper or black pepper

How to Make Lasagna With Béchamel (Italian White Sauce Style)

1. Heat the oven to 375°F (190°C) and lightly butter a 9x13 baking dish.
2. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat, whisk in the flour, and cook the roux for 1 minute until it smells biscuity but has not browned.
3. Whisk in the warm milk a splash at a time, letting each addition thicken before adding more, then simmer gently for 5 to 8 minutes until the sauce coats the back of a spoon.
4. Season the bechamel with nutmeg, salt, and pepper, then remove it from the heat.
5. Spread a thin layer of bolognese over the bottom of the dish, top with a single layer of noodles, then spoon over a third of the bechamel and a third of the remaining bolognese, and scatter a little mozzarella.
6. Repeat the layers until the noodles, bechamel, and meat sauce are used up, finishing with a layer of noodles topped with the last of the bechamel, the mozzarella, and the Parmesan.
7. Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes, then uncover and bake 20 to 25 minutes more until the top is golden and the sauce bubbles at the corners.
8. Rest the lasagna for 15 minutes before cutting so the bechamel firms enough to hold clean slices.

Tips for the Best Lasagna With Béchamel (Italian White Sauce Style)

• Warm the milk in the microwave or a small saucepan first; cold milk into a hot roux is the most common cause of lumps.
• If lumps do form, blitz the bechamel with an immersion blender for 15 seconds before layering.
• No-boil noodles work well here because the bolognese and bechamel supply plenty of moisture, but do not skip the covered bake time.
• Make the bolognese a day ahead so assembly night is genuinely fast.

Variations and Substitutions

• Swap the bechamel layer for the cheese layer from the classic lasagna recipe for an American-style bake.
• Use this same bolognese and bechamel combination in slow cooker lasagna if you want the oven free.
• For a white version, skip the meat sauce and fold sautéed spinach into the bechamel, or check vegetable lasagna.
• A smaller crowd-friendly option is to bake half the batch in a loaf pan and freeze the rest.

How to Store and Reheat

• Covered leftovers keep in the fridge for up to 4 days; reheat slices at 325°F (160°C) until warmed through, about 20 minutes.
• Assemble the lasagna through the layering step, cool, wrap tightly, and freeze for up to 3 months; bake covered from frozen for 50 to 60 minutes, then uncover to brown.

Lasagna With Béchamel (Italian White Sauce Style) FAQ