lamb skillet lasagna
I have a love, hate relationship with lasagna. Reason being when I was younger, my dad who is amazing on the grill, was not that great of a cook lol. He stuck to his tried and true recipes and one of them was lasagna and it was Stouffer’s lasagna and let me tell you lol..I WAS OVER IT!
I never really got into lasagna because I had it soooo much, so it was never really appealing to me. Until I started making it on my own. A couple of years ago, my sister friend Janell aka Nelly took me to a lasagna making class at Cecconi’s and I’ve been hooked ever since.
The reason being….drumroll please…BECHAMEL SAUCE!
Bechamel is one of the “mother” sauces in French cooking. It is a a white sauce made from milk. flour and butter and is the secret to creamy mac n cheese and in this case, lasagna. It' starts off as a roux from flour and butter and adding milk makes it a bechamel sauce. When the chef at Cecconi’s did this I was blown away and it really makes a difference!
This is not a healthy meal - it’s decadent, rich, cheesy and creamy! I like to add it to a skillet and break the lasagna pieces so it’s not your traditional boring sheet pan of lasagna. If you don’t want to use lamb (which I really hope you do because it’s so good), feel free to use ground beef 80/20…totally up to you!
Try it below!
Ingredients
1lb ground lamb
2 celery stalks, chopped finely
1 large whole carrot, peeled & chopped finely
1/2 large yellow onion, chopped finely
1 28oz can whole steamed tomatoes, crushed in a bowl with your hands ( I love San Marzano brand)
2 rosemary springs, finely chopped
1/2 cup red wine (Cabernet Sauvignon)
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional if you like a little spice)
1 teaspoon onion powder & garlic powder (optional but I like amped up flavors)
16 oz whole milk mozzarella, shredded (block cheese)
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese (block cheese)
1 32 oz container whole milk ricotta cheese
1lb lasagna cheese, ready to cook & torn into pieces
1 cup spinach leaves, optional
Kosher salt & fresh cracked pepper, to taste
parsley for garnish
EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
Bechamel Sauce
1/2 cup AP flour
8 tablespoons unsalted butter (the whole stick)
3-4 cups of whole milk, room temperature (take out the milk about an hour before)
salt and pepper, to taste
Directions
Pre heat your oven to 350 degrees and set aside a cast iron pan
Bechamel Sauce:
Step 1: First we’re making a roux which is flour and butter. In a wide sauté, pan melt the butter on medium low heat. When it is fully melted add 1/2 cup of AP flour and stir to well combined. It will start to bubble and thicken up. It will look almost like a paste and you’re probably going to think to yourself “Am I doing this right?” - yes, you are!
Step 2: Gradually add in the milk and stirring continuously. I like to slowly add in the milk, cup by cup. Add in the first cup and stir until smooth and it will start to get thick then add in the other cup.
NOTE: It will clump up because that is the milk reacting to the hot roux. Don’t worry it will become smooth!
This step is turning the roux into the bechamel sauce. The milk, flour and butter is cooking together and it will start to become a thick white sauce (the beauty of science!). Keep stirring and gradually adding in your milk. Once it is a thick white sauce, almost comparable to a thick pancake batter, take the back of your wooden spoon (the one your stirring it with) and swipe your finger down the middle, once it separates and there is a clean line…you're done! Be sure to add some salt into your roux to season it! GOOD JOB!
The cheeses - In a bowl, add the ricotta cheese, mozzarella & parmesan, stir to combine and set aside.
The meat sauce - In a deep wide stock pot on medium heat, add about 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Add in the carrots, celery and onion and sauté until all veggies are soft about 5—8 minutes. Add salt & pepper.
Add in the ground lamb and cook until done. Add more salt & pepper. This is where I add red pepper flakes, onion powder and garlic powder.
Add the tomatoes (that you already crushed with your hands), rosemary, red wine and balsamic vinegar. Let the meat sauce cook down for 30-40 minutes covered on low heat. Be sure to taste to adjust seasonings. You will more than likely add more salt & pepper.
Alrightttt! Time to assemble the lasagna!
We are building layers here! First layer - In a cast iron pan, add the meat sauce to the bottom of the pan, lasagna pieces more meat sauce, dollops of bechamel then dollops of the cheese mixture!
If you’re adding spinach for some greenery, add it between the meat & cheese/bechamel sauce layer.
Repeat steps - meat sauce, lasagna pieces, spinach cheese mixture. Repeat until the top layer is the cheese sauce & I like to grate more parmesan cheese on the top.
Add to the oven for 35 minutes until the lasagna is bubbly and cheese is golden brown!
Garnish with parsley & ENJOY!