This lasagna recipe comes from my brother-in-law, Peter, who lived in Italy for a couple of years. While I’ve made a couple of minor changes for sheer convenience, it is still the same, genuine lasagna recipe he brought home with him, and it’s the very best lasagna I’ve ever had! Do yourself a favor and make the Lasagna Sauce a day ahead of time!
Ingredients Needed
This is just a preview of ingredients and method, keep scrolling for full printable recipe.
- Béchamel sauce
- Real butter – no substitutions!
- All-purpose flour
- Milk
- Peter’s Pasta and Lasagna Sauce – You’ll want to make a recipe of this Lasagna Sauce a day ahead of time!
- No-boil lasagna noodles
- Shredded mozzarella cheese
- Shredded Parmesan cheese
- Egg
- Ricotta cheese
How to Make Peter’s Lasagna
- First you’ll make the Béchamel sauce by melting some butter, whisking in some flour, and then whisking in flour until well combined. This gets heated gently until bubbly and thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon.
- This is where I tinkered slightly with the recipe. It can be hard to layer red sauce and Beéhamel consistently. It’s all going to end up in the same place so, for sheer convenience, I simply mix them together. Set that aside.
- Next you’ll mix up some ricotta, Parmeasan, and a beaten egg.
- You’ll layer sauce, noodles, and cheese until you have 4 layers, with a layer of sauce of top. That gets topped with even more cheese, then you cover the whole thing in foil and pop it in the oven.
- When it’s done baking, you’ll pull that foil off and let the Lasagna sit for about 20 minutes. This is an important step, as it allows the sauces to thicken so they don’t ooze out when you cut into your lasagna!
Storing and Other Tips
- Store leftover lasagna, tightly covered, in the refrigerator and enjoy within 4-5 days for best results.
- You can prep this lasagna up to 24 hours in advance and bake when ready.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make this ahead of time?
Absolutely. Assemble, wrap tightly, and store in the fridge a day ahead of time then bake when you’re ready!
Can I freeze this lasagna to bake later?
We have had readers report this works well, but your baking time will be significantly longer. I recommend freezing in a metal pan so it won’t be shocked by oven temperatures.
Peter’s Genuine Italian Lasagna
This delicious lasagna takes a bit of time to pull together but the final product is well worth it!
Servings people
Ingredients
Béchamel Sauce
- ¼ cup real butter (½ stick) NO SUBSTITUTES
- ¼ cup white flour
- 2 ½ cup milk
Other Ingredients
- 1 recipe pasta and lasagna sauce
- 12 no-boil lasagna noodles
- 8 ounces shredded mozzarella divided
- 4 ounces shredded fresh Parmesan
- 1 egg lightly beaten
- 1 16- ounces Ricotta
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉.
- To prepare Béchamel sauce, melt butter over medium-low heat in a medium saucepan. When melted, whisk in flour until combined. Slowly add milk, whisking constantly. Heat until bubbly and thickened to a medium consistency that coats the back of a spoon.
- To make things easier, I prefer to mix my Béchamel in with the red sauce. Once mixed, set aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine 6 ounces shredded mozzarella (about 1 ¾ cup), the ricotta, the Parmesan, and the beaten egg.
- Using a ladle that measures ½ cup (or a ½ cup measuring cup), spread 1 cup of sauce onto the bottom of a 9×13 pan. Add 3 noodles. Spread a layer of the cheese mixture. Spread 1 ½ cups sauce and then repeat so you have 4 layers of noodles. You should end with a layer of sauce on top. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella (and some extra Parmesan if you have some left over).
- Cover tightly with foil and bake about 50 minutes.
- Remove from oven and remove foil. It will probably look a little runny. Don’t be scared–you still need to let it stand about 15-20 minutes. During that time, it will thicken up nicely and should hold up well when cut and served.
Nutrition
Calories: 340kcal, Carbohydrates: 24g, Protein: 21g, Fat: 18g, Saturated Fat: 11g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 5g, Trans Fat: 0.2g, Cholesterol: 90mg, Sodium: 654mg, Potassium: 438mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 5g, Vitamin A: 868IU, Vitamin C: 4mg, Calcium: 337mg, Iron: 1mg
Calories: 340kcal
Cost: $24
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Questions & Reviews
I made this yesterday and it was awesome! My entire family loved it. I am so thankful for oven ready lasagna noodles! Thank you for this post! This is my new lasagna recipe!!
Whoah! Diety and awesome? I’m so in!
That lasagna looks so good! It has been too long since I last had lasagna.
Hey Sara, I used to do the SAME thing with the red and white sauce at the Cougareat. It just isn’t the same there anymore.
BUT anyway… that lasagne looks very yummy and beautiful too ;). You know what I like to do with my lasagnes? I like to make 2 in 8×8 pans instead of 1 9×13. Then we eat one and freeze one. We get really sick of eating leftover lasagne for days and days so it works out better.
Yummy!
Mmmm, that looks SOOO good. I haven’t made that in at least a month! ;o) I think mixing the bechamel sounds normal because the sauces and cheese all kind of melt together and mix anyway. By the way, I’ve had so many people ask us for the recipe and I always try my best to explain how I make it, but I don’t have any exact measurements. Now I can just point them toward your site! So, thanks!
Remember that little pasta place in the Cougar Eat? My favorite thing was going there and getting a plate of pasta with half marinara and half white sauce, and then I would mix them together and get a creamy-tomato-ish concoction that was so yummy! What I’m trying to say is combining the Béchamel and red sauce? Brilliant my dear.
Love that first picture too, I just want to stab a fork in that sucker. Yum!
Ok I have to admit, I am not usually a huge fan of tomato sauce based foods (spaghetti, pizza, etc) but this really does look delicious!
That looks amazing. I love lasagna, I’m going to give this one a try! Thanks….
looks delish!