Ever have one of those days where you just want the dinner meal to be something that you *know* everyone will devour?
This past week just about did me in, and come Friday I just wanted to make something for dinner that would not only give me a good, comforting *high five* for making it to Friday, but also something that everyone would come to the table excited for.
I admit that I have really good eaters in my house, but not every person in my house is in love with every single meal I make. That is just not possible in such a house full of people!
But lasagna is one of those things you really can’t go wrong with!
I stretch our grassfed beef budget by just using a half pound of beef for the meat sauce and making one of the layers of the lasagna buttery sautéed mushrooms. It is pretty much heaven – if you have never done this before – oh! You must give it a try!
This recipe also has instructions for making a good basic béchamel (cream) sauce – it is much easier than it sounds and it makes the lasagna rich and so delicious. Don’t get discouraged by the number of ingredients/directions – there are some time saving tips at the bottom and you really can get everything into the pan within 20 minutes or so!
Product links in this section are affiliate links. It does not cost you anything and helps maintain the free information on this site, as well as answer the questions of “what brand do you use?” Please know I never personally recommend any product I wouldn’t use on my own family.
Family Favorite Lasagna :: Gluten Free
Ingredients
- 1 box lasagna rice noodles par cooked (I timed them the last couple times I have made this and they go for about 8 minutes. Always put a little avocado or olive oil in the pot of boiling water before adding the noodles so they don’t stick. I always cook my noodles right before I want to assemble the lasagna so they don't get stuck to each other as they cool. After you drain them you can rinse a little cold water over them to stop the cooking and make them easier to handle)
- 2 TB butter to cook the mushrooms
- 1/2 lb mushrooms of choice sliced
- Cheese to top the lasagna
MEAT SAUCE ::
- 2 TB butter to cook in
- 1 small onion chopped
- 1/2 green pepper chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 lb grassfed ground beef browned
- 1/2 jar spaghetti sauce
BECHAMEL SAUCE ::
- 1/3 cup butter
- 1/3 cup rice flour
- 2 ¼ cups whole milk
- 2 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
Instructions
MAKE THE MEAT SAUCE ::
- Saute the onion and pepper in the butter for about 7 minutes with a pinch of sea salt to bring out their juices and sweeten. Add the garlic and cook for a minute. Add the browned ground beef and the spaghetti sauce and stir to combine. Simmer a few minutes and then set aside.
MAKE THE BECHAMEL SAUCE: ::
- Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Stir in the flour until it thickens. Add the milk, salt, and pepper and whisk to combine. Continue whisking over medium/high heat for about 5 or so minutes until the sauce thickens. Set aside.
SAUTE THE MUSHROOMS ::
- Saute the mushrooms in the butter for about 10 minutes on medium, with a few pinches of sea salt to bring out their juices. Set aside.
ASSEMBLE THE LASAGNA ::
- Spread a little of the bechamel sauce in the bottom of a small baking dish. Put one layer of the par cooked lasagna noodles over the bechamel sauce. Spread meat sauce over the noodles and dollop some of the bechamel sauce over the meat sauce. Lay down another layer of noodles. Spread bechamel over the noodles and then scatter the sauteed mushrooms over top. Lay down another layer of noodles. Spread meat sauce over the top and dollop the bechamel over top. Layer the final noodles over the top and then sprinkle the cheese over the top.
- Bake at 375 degrees for 40-45 minutes.
- TIME SAVING TIP!!! I usually make the bechamel sauce and the mushrooms at the same time. While those are cooking I chop the veg for the meat sauce and use the mushroom pan to make the meat sauce when they are done. And I boil the noodles while I am making the meat sauce. This all takes me about 20 minutes start to finish to make - once these parts are done the assembly goes really fast! You can even make the sauces and mushrooms the night before.
Also! You can double up this recipe into a 9×13 pan if you are feeding a bigger crowd – this amount feeds my family of 5 for 2 dinners. Keep me posted on how lasagna night goes!
You can find more dinner fun on my Dinner Ideas board on Pintrest!
We love lasagna. 🙂 I will try your version soon.
I want this for dinner tonight! Yum! I always forget about making lasagna, but it’s a favorite. Thanks for inspiring me to make it soon. Mmm this recipe sounds so good!
This looks delicious! Does it freeze well? I am thinking of making 2; one for dinner tonight and another to freeze and have in reserve. I am thinking I would just take it out and bake from frozen for an hour or so…
Hi Sarah! I yes that should work!