This beautiful, satisfying and unusually tasty dish can be considered a hallmark of original Italian cuisine. Lasagna is a pasta baked in the shape of a circle, rectangle or square. For its preparation according to the classical recipe, layers of various fillings are used, mainly based on stew and minced meat, traditional Italian bechamel sauce, sprinkled with grated hard or soft cheese on top of the dish. How to cook real Italian lasagna with cheese? What ingredients will be needed for this? Which lasagna cheese is best? How complicated is cooking technology? Let's talk about this in our article.
Lasagna with cheese: the basics of cooking
Modern lasagna is prepared from several layers of dough. On each of them, the filling is laid out, for which mushrooms, minced meat or vegetables are used. Each of the layers is poured with bechamel sauce, on top the treat is sprinkled with grated cheese.
Most often, Italians use such types of cheeses as parmesan, mozzarella and ricotta to prepare the dish. The classic combination of mozzarella and parmesan makes the lasagna juicy and tender, while at the same time the use of these two types of cheese gives the dish a special aroma and pungency. However, experts do not recommend being limited in this strict framework. Parmesan is only required to create the classic Lasagna Bolognese. But sometimes it is replaced with another hard cheese, necessary for the formation of a crispy golden crust. Any kind of this product is suitable for lasagna, soft cheeses (creamy) are especially well combined with seasoned hard cheeses with a pungent taste and a sharp aroma. For example, mozzarella can also be replaced with other types of cheese (soft), for example, feta cheese or suluguni.
Cheese lasagna dough is made from durum wheat flour used to make pasta. Layers of dough are sold as dry sheets. The dish is baked in the oven at t = 220 ° C for half an hour.
Classic recipe: cheese and mince lasagna
The calorie content of this dish is 965 kcal. The nutritional value of the product is:
- proteins - 50 g;
- fats - 72.6 g;
- carbohydrates - 23.9 g.
To make lasagna with minced meat and cheese in the oven you will need:
- 600 g of minced meat;
- 600 g of Bolognese sauce;
- 60 g butter (butter);
- 2.5 tbsp. l flour (wheat);
- 2 tbsp. l of olive oil;
- 750 ml of milk;
- 10 sheets of lasagna (finished dry);
- 500 g of cheese (hard).
Cooking features
According to this recipe, lasagna with cheese and minced meat is prepared as follows:
- In accordance with the recipe, put a little butter in a stew-pan and two tablespoons of vegetable, melt. Gradually add flour and stir, making sure that there are no lumps left.
- After all the flour is intervened, milk is poured. They reduce the heat and simmer until the mixture acquires the consistency of low-fat sour cream.
- Next, olive oil is heated in a pan. Add ground meat (preferably a mixture of pork and veal). Stuffing is fried until half cooked. Pour bolognese sauce into it, salt and pepper to taste.
- The oven is heated to 180 degrees. The mold is lubricated with a small amount of butter (butter). A little sauce is poured onto the bottom - so that the bottom is covered. Lay out layers (do not cook!). Forcemeat is spread on the layers, cheese (grated) is placed on it. Bechamel sauce is placed on the cheese, on top of it - dry sheets of dough. The procedure is repeated. The last layer is smeared with bechamel sauce and sprinkled with enough generously cheese. Before baking, the lasagna should be infused for 7–10 minutes.
According to this recipe, lasagna with cheese in the oven is baked for half an hour. Tip: you should definitely smear the edges of the sheets well, otherwise the dish will turn out to be rather dry.
Chicken and Cheese Recipe
The dish is a multi-layer casserole, sprinkled with a sharp cheese sauce. To prepare the toppings, chicken fillet, carrots, celery and cheese are used.
Lasagna with chicken and cheese is cooked for about 40 minutes. Ingredients for 4 servings:
- 230 g of chicken breast;
- one celery;
- one carrot;
- 8 g of butter (butter);
- 110 g cream cheese;
- one clove of garlic;
- 360 ml of milk (nonfat cow);
- 0.2 tsp ground black pepper
- 210 g mozzarella;
- 60 g of Tabasco sauce;
- 6 sheets of lasagna.
The calorie content of the dish is 133 kcal. Nutritional value is:
- proteins - 10.19 grams;
- fats - 8.82 grams;
- carbohydrates - 3.51 grams.
A photo of lasagna with cheese and chicken is presented below.
Cooking technology
The dish is prepared as follows:
- Boil the chicken, cool. Finely chopped celery and carrots.
- Preheat the oven to 175 degrees. In a saucepan over medium heat melt the butter. Cream cheese (low fat), garlic (minced), milk and black pepper are added. Stir for 5 minutes until the cheese melts.
- Add mozzarella (grated) and stir until it melts.
- Then add hot sauce (1 tablespoon).
- Chicken fillet is divided into fibers using two forks and put in a bowl.
- Add hot sauce (two tablespoons or more), mix thoroughly.
- Spread all the ingredients in layers on a small baking dish. Each layer consists of 2 sheets of lasagna, a third of chicken, a small amount of celery and carrots, and a third of cheese (grated). The layers are repeated twice more.
- If desired, add more hot sauce (a little).
- Top with lasagna and cheese sauce, then bake for about half an hour at a temperature of 175 degrees.
Next, the dish is taken out of the oven and left to “rest” for several minutes.
Cooking Lasagna with minced chicken
This dish is cooked for an hour and a half. For 6 servings use:
- one onion;
- three cloves of garlic;
- two tomatoes;
- 700 g of minced chicken;
- 50 g of paste (tomato);
- two teaspoons of salt;
- one teaspoon of ground black pepper;
- one teaspoon of Tabasco red sauce;
- one bunch of dill;
- 100 g butter (butter);
- four tablespoons of wheat flour;
- 600 ml of milk (2.5%);
- 12 pieces of lasagna sheets (finished dry);
- 400 g of cheese;
- 30 ml of oil (vegetable).
The calorie content of the dish is 736 kcal. Nutritional value is:
- proteins - 42.9 g;
- fats - 50.9 g;
- carbohydrates - 27.2 g.
Cooking features
Act as follows:
- Bolognese sauce is first prepared. Onions are peeled and chopped. Garlic is peeled and chopped. In a pan heated with vegetable oil, fry the garlic and onions for about 3 minutes. Add minced meat and fry, stirring regularly and kneading with a fork for 10 minutes. Peel the tomatoes and chop them in a blender with Tabasco sauce, tomato paste, pepper and salt. Ready bolognese sauce is added to the minced meat, covered with a lid and, stirring, cook for about 15 minutes. Remove from heat, add greens, mix and cover.
- Then bechamel sauce is prepared. Milk is heated in the microwave. In a stewpan, melt a little oil (butter). Add flour, cook with constant stirring. Milk is poured gradually (it is necessary to constantly stir so that no lumps form). Cook over low heat for about 5 minutes. The consistency of the sauce should resemble thick sour cream. One third of the resulting bechamel sauce is added to the bolognese.
- Then, water is poured into a deep pan, a little salt and vegetable oil are added. Bring to a boil. Boil the sheets of lasagna for 1-2 minutes (it is better to boil two sheets, because otherwise they can stick together). Remove the sheets from boiling water and immediately lower them into a bowl of water (cold).
- A baking sheet is greased with oil and spread sheets of lasagna on it. Next, spread the bolognese sauce, and then sprinkle with cheese (grated). Lay another layer of lasagna, cheese and bolognese sauce. Thus, the layers alternate until all the sauce and all the lasagna sheets are used. The last layer is laid out with bechamel sauce.
- Climbing with cheese is baked in the oven, heated to 200 ° C, for 40-50 minutes, until a crust forms. The finished dish is taken out of the oven and cooled for about 15 minutes.
Another recipe (with chicken and mushrooms)
The calorie content of the dish is 765 kcal. Nutritional value is:
- proteins - 52.6 g;
- fats - 37 g;
- carbohydrates - 54.3 g.
The following is a description of the recipe with a photo of lasagna with cheese, mushrooms and chicken fillet. Ingredients:
- 250 g sheets of lasagna (finished dry);
- 700 g of chicken;
- four tomatoes;
- one can of champignons (canned);
- 300 g of cheese;
- one head of onion;
- greens (1 bunch);
- 100 g butter (butter);
- 5 tbsp. l flour (wheat);
- 1 liter of milk;
- to taste - salt and spices.
Description of the method of preparation
Prepare lasagna with cheese, chicken and mushrooms as follows:
- For the filling finely chopped onions, mushrooms and chicken.
- The onions are fried in oil (vegetable), then the fillet is added and fried for 5 minutes. Add mushrooms, salt, pepper and fry for about 15 minutes.
- To create a bechamel sauce, melt the butter, add flour, lightly fry. Then pour milk, salt, pepper and cook over medium heat with constant stirring until the consistency of thick cream or liquid sour cream.
- Tomatoes are peeled and ground in a blender. Greens are chopped and mixed with tomatoes.
- In a form, 5 cm high and 17x25 cm in size, lay out the sheets of lasagna (in one layer). You should carefully read the instructions on the packaging: some manufacturers suggest using dry sheets of lasagna, others recommend boiling them.
- On the sheets lay out 0.5 of all the mushrooms with the fillet, then half the finished sauce, then again put the lasagna sheets, then the mushrooms (left) and the fillet, then the sauce (left), lasagna sheets, tomatoes and greens.
- All put in the oven, heated to 180 ° C, about twenty minutes.
- Cheese is rubbed on a grater (coarse) and sprinkled with lasagna. After this, the dish should be baked for another 20-25 minutes.
Cheddar Lasagna Recipe
Calorie portion - 872 kcal. Nutritional value is:
- proteins - 40.6 g;
- fats - 49.1 g;
- carbohydrates - 65.4 g.
In the composition of:
- one tablespoon of olive oil;
- onion head;
- 750 g ground beef;
- Two stalks of celery;
- 400 g canned tomatoes;
- two tablespoons of tomato paste;
- one teaspoon of sugar;
- 60 g butter (butter);
- one tablespoon of provence herbs;
- three tablespoons of wheat flour;
- milk (750 ml)
- 375 g sheets of lasagna (finished dry);
- 125 grams of cheddar cheese.
Instruction manual
Prepare the dish like this:
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Half a olive oil is heated in a large frying pan and ground meat is fried. Transfer from the pan to another dish.
- Add the oil (remaining) and fry chopped celery and onions until soft. Return the meat to the pan and add the pasta, tomatoes, sugar and herbs. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, lid, about 20 minutes.
- Then, over a small fire, melt the butter (butter), add flour and fry for 1 minute. Remove from heat and gradually pour milk. Put on fire, bring to a boil and, not forgetting to stir, let the mixture thicken. Reduce heat and cook for 2 minutes.
- Refractory dishes are oiled. Spread a third part of meat sauce on it, put lasagna sheets on top (in one layer), then spread a third part of bechamel sauce. The layers are repeated twice.
Top with lasagna sprinkled with cheese (grated) and baked in the oven for 25 minutes until a golden crust appears.
Vegetable Lasagna
To prepare 9 servings of the dish you will need:
- 250 g eggplant;
- 250 g of zucchini;
- a tomato;
- pepper (red sweet);
- pepper (yellow sweet);
- two carrots;
- to taste - salt and pepper (ground);
- milk (600 ml);
- 40 g of flour (wheat);
- 40 g butter (butter);
- 200 g of cheese;
- 15 pieces of lasagna (ready-made dry).
The calorie content of the dish is 234 kcal. It contains protein - 10.3 g, fat - 13 g, carbohydrates - 19.3 g.
How to cook?
Act as follows:
- A baking sheet is oiled.
- Cut all the vegetables and stew for 7-10 minutes. Salt and pepper.
- Melt the butter and add flour (it is better to use a strainer to avoid the formation of lumps).
- Then, stirring constantly, a little milk is poured. Bring to a boil. Put on a small fire and cook until the mixture thickens.
- If it is recommended to cook the sheets, they are placed in a deep container and poured with water (hot) for 10-15 minutes.
- Lay out the sheets on a baking sheet, grease the sauce and spread the vegetables. Repeat this process, at the end sprinkle with grated cheese on top.
- Bake at a temperature of 180 ° C for about half an hour.
Tip: if you add two to three tablespoons of cream, the vegetables will become more juicy and get a slightly different taste.