Lasagna al Forno

Lasagna al Forno with Bechamel Sauce

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I will not lie to you. This Lasagna al Forno with Bechamel Sauce is utterly fantastic. First off, it is the Pomodoro sauce made of only fresh Roma tomatoes, onions, garlic, basil, and oregano. No matter what dish you make, a homemade tomato sauce makes any meal on point. Then, a meat layer mixture simmered slowly in a wine cream sauce adds a level of distinct flavor that most lasagnas do not have. Finished off with a creamy Bechamel sauce marks this lasagna above all others.

But I have a word of warning about it. WARNING! WARNING, WILL ROBINSON!

It is not only addictive dinner, but it takes a good while to prepare. It isn’t the 1-2-3 put-together lasagna. Be prepared to wash a bunch of dishes while you cook and to be standing in the kitchen for at least an hour and a half. Don’t tell me I didn’t warn you.

Tricks and Tips

MAKE AHEAD: You can make this recipe ahead instead of the entire thing in one day. Like any lasagna, I love to make the entire batch a day ahead, set it in the refrigerator, and bake the following day. Or you can make just the Pomodoro sauce and creamy wine meat mixture ahead. Putting them in separate bowls, covering them, and setting them in the refrigerator for later.

I love to make a double or even triple amount of Pomadoro sauce the day before and have it with spaghetti then use the leftovers for the lasagna.

WHAT TO NOT MAKE AHEAD: I highly recommend not making the bechamel sauce ahead of time. The butter will eventually separate from the rest of the sauce, and there is not a darn thing you will be able to do to save it besides making another batch.

SAVE A LITTLE FOR SERVING: I always seem to have extra Bechamel sauce in the pot. And if you do, then that is okay. Sometimes it is hard to judge how much to spread on the layers when you are assembling the lasagna. I like to keep the Bechamel sauce warm on the stovetop and serve the extra with the lasagna. That way if anyone wants to drizzle a little more on top of their slice, they can.

SEASONING AS YOU GO: This recipe is not at all healthy, not gluten-free, nor lactose-free, but we watch the salt intake. I do this on all my recipes so you will not see a salt measurement. I suggest you taste and season as you cook. Just remember the mozzarella cheese will have some salt content.

Similar lasagna recipe to try

Cost to make this recipe

Even for this quite involved lasagna recipe, the cost remains pretty decent. For everything, I calculated my Lasagna al Forno to be a little over $17 or about $2 per serving slice.

As a homesteader, I grew a lot of these ingredients in the backyard like tomatoes, onions, garlic, herbs, and carrot. I have reduced our price closer to $13.63 or $1.51 per serving slice. It’s not monumental savings, but it is savings.

Recipe adapted

Lasagna al Forno recipe has been adapted from The Disney Chef online food blog. All images and text are all my own and original to Vintage Mountain Homestead. Please visit our disclaimer page for more information.

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Lasagna al Forno

Ingredients

Pomodoro Sauce

• 2 lbs. Roma tomatoes chopped…[$2.68]
• ½ cup olive oil …[$0.75]
• ½ large onion chopped…[$0.40]
• 4 cloves garlic minced…[$0.10]
• 3 Tbsps. fresh basil …[$0.20]
• 3 Tbsps. fresh oregano …[$0.20]

Cream Meat Mixture

• 2 Tbsps. olive oil …[$0.10]
• 2 cloves garlic minced…[$0.10]
• ½ large onion minced…[$
• 1 medium carrot finely chopped…[$0.10]
• 1 lb. ground beef …[$4.00]
• ½ cup white wine …[$0.88]
• ½ cup heavy cream …[$0.58]

Bechamel Sauce

• 1/4 stick butter …[$0.50]
• 3 Tbsp. all purpose flour …[$0.06]
• 1 cup milk …[$0.92]
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 tsp. nutmeg …[$0.34]

Remaining Lasagna

• 16 oz mozzarella cheese shredded…[$4.50]
• 12 whole lasagna noodles …[$1.00]

Instructions

Pomodoro Sauce

• In a medium-size pot, add all Pomodoro sauce ingredients. Cover and let simmer for about 30 minutes. Stir often.
• When cooked for 30 minutes, divide it in half. Keeping one half set in a bowl and aside for later.With the other half, blend with an immersion blender or stand up blender until smooth and set aside for later.

Cream Meat Mixture

• In a medium-size pot, add 2 tbsp. Olive oil, chopped onion, minced garlic, and chopped carrots. Saute over medium to high heat for 10 minutes. Make sure you don’t burn the garlic.
• Add white wine to the softened and sauteed vegetable mixture and cook on medium heat for another about 15 minutes.
• Brown the ground beef in a large skillet thoroughly. Drain grease and return to skillet.
• Add heavy cream, sauteed vegetable mixture, and the unblended Pomodoro sauce which was set aside earlier. Return to low-medium heat and simmer for 30 minutes.

Bechamel Sauce

• In a separate saucepot, melt butter on medium heat. Whisk in flour until a thick paste mixture is made.
• Slowly whisk in milk and cook until sauce thickens. Add nutmeg and salt to taste. Keep warm until ready to use.

Assembly & Bake

• Boil the lasagna noodles if you have not done so. Boil them so they are underdone. They will be easier to handle and put in a baking dish.
• Preheat the oven to 375 °F and take out a 13×9 deep baking casserole dish or specific lasagna pan.
• 1. Coat the bottom of the pan in a thin layer of blended Pomodoro sauce.2. Lay down 3 cooked noodles.3. Coat noodles with a thin layer of blended Pomodoro sauce.4. Sprinkle some meat mixture on top of Pomodoro sauce.5. Drizzle some Bechamel sauce over meat.6. Sprinkle on mozzarella cheese.7. Lay down 3 cooked noodles. And repeat starting with step 3.
• Finish the top layer with the remaining Pomodoro sauce and mozzarella cheese.
• Cover lasagna with foil and bake for 1 hour.
• After an hour, uncover and broil the top mozzarella cheese to brown just slightly.
• Take the lasagna out of the oven and let it cool for 15 minutes before serving so it won’t fall apart when you cut into it.