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Karenfood, Home, lifestyle, recipes, Uncategorizedbéchamel sauce, Dinner, food, four cheese lasagna, Italian American recipe, Italian dinner recipes, lasagna, pasta, Recipes69 Comments
Take the time to prepare this lasagna, layered with creamy béchamel sauce, four kinds of cheese and a flavorful tomato sauce. Classic Italian comfort food at its best, this light and luscious recipe will become a favorite with your friends and family.
Popular around the world, lasagne is great anytime of the year and can feed a crowd. It is relatively easy to assemble and bake a lasagna with just a few store bought ingredients. However, if you want to serve something really outstanding when you are entertaining then take the time to prepare my four cheese lasagna recipe. I think you will discover that my lasagna is worth the extra work when you start receiving compliments from all your dinner guests.
One of my friends who had my lasagna last year called me recently saying “you don’t have your cheese lasagna recipe on your blog, just one for lamb lasagna“. She was having friends for dinner and wanted to make my recipe. I told her how to prepare it. Now her dinner guests want the recipe and she asked if I could share my recipe here on the blog. I’m happy to oblige Barbara and thank you for being a fan of my recipes.
I believe what makes the lasagna special is mascarpone cheese and béchamel sauce giving the lasagna a light, creamy texture. I also believe that using a good homemade tomato or “Sunday sauce” is very important. I like to add meatballs and sausages to my tomato sauce while it cooks for a complex, flavorful sauce but that is entirely up to you, a good marinara sauce will do.
Four Cheese & Béchamel Lasagna (Quattro Formaggi Lasagna)
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Recipe serves 12
- 8 oz. box of oven ready lasagna (I used Barilla)
- 1 c. freshly shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
- 16 oz. ricotta cheese (2 cups)
- 8 oz. mascarpone cheese
- 1/4 c. grated Locatelli Romano or Parmesan cheese
- a pinch of nutmeg
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 egg, beaten
- 6 c. more or less, homemadeSunday Gravy”or your favorite tomato sauce (more if you want additional to serve on the side)
- Béchamel sauce, recipe below
- basil leaves for garnish, optional
Prepare the Béchamel
- 2 1/4 c. milk
- 3 Tbsp. butter
- 3 Tbsp. flour (I used Wondra)
- 4 Tbsp. grated Pecorino-Romano or Parmesan cheese
- a pinch of nutmeg
- salt and pepper to taste
Melt butter in a sauce pan on medium heat. Sprinkle in the flour and whisk until smooth. Slowly add the milk, continuing to whisk until thickened. Add the seasonings and cheese and whisk until cheese melts.. If the sauce gets too thick, add a little milk.
Prepare thecheese mixture
Combine a 1/2 cup of the mozzarella, ricotta, mascarpone, and locatelli cheese in a bowl. Season with nutmeg, salt and pepper then taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary. Add the beaten egg and mix well.
Assemble the lasagna
Start with a thin layer of sauce in the bottom of a 9 x 13 x 3 inch pan then place 3 pieces of pasta on top. Dollop on a 1/3 of the cheese mixture, top with tomato sauce then drizzle on some of the béchamel. Continue this layering process two more times then end with layer of pasta. Spread the last of the tomato sauce and drizzle with the remaining béchamel sauce. Finish with the remaining 1/2 c. mozzarella cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 35 minutes. Uncover and bake until the top is golden about 10 more minutes. Let stand for 15 to 20 minutes before cutting so the lasagna firms up.
To make life easy, you can prepare all of the components of the lasagna ahead of time and refrigerate until you are ready to assemble your lasagna. Once assembled, you can cover and refrigerate or freeze until ready to bake.
If you are freezing the lasagne, use parchment paper between the lasagna and aluminum foil as the foil can react with tomatoes.
You can add well drained, chopped spinach or any other green to the cheese mixture if you wish.
notes from the kitchen
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When entertaining friends. I like to serve crowd pleasing comfort food and this lasagna is a standout. Start with an antipasto then serve the lasagna along with meatballs, sausage or other meats that simmered in the tomato sauce., crusty bread and a bottle of your favorite Italian red wine..
Sounds like heaven!
JennaReply
Thank you Jenna, my dinner guests seem to think so.
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Delicious and perfect for this time of year.
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I have to agree with you Kay, this comforting dish is great this time of the year. I’m glad you like it, thank you.
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Karen, lasagne is the perfect comfort food for a winter dinner. Bechamel is a favorite with my family. Thank you for sharing your wonderful recipes!
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My pleasure Pam, if your family enjoys Béchamel this should be a winner.
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I love the idea of serving lasagne with meatballs and sausage. I’ve never had that before – how delicious!
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Hi Mad Dog, I don’t think I could make lasagna for my husband without the meatballs and sausages. He loves the meal and I think you would as well.
I’m sure I would!
Never made lasagna with a Bechamel sauce – will have to try 🙂
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Do try making the lasagna, the Béchamel really lightens up the dish and I believe you would enjoy it.
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Delicious, Karen! I love the combination of the mozzarella, ricotta, mascarpone, and locatelli cheese.
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Thank you Amy, the combination of the cheese and béchamel makes the lasagna light and creamy.
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I love that you include mascarpone — I can just imagine how smooth and silky that makes the filling. This is my favorite kind of lasagne — with the béchamel sauce. I’ll need to plan a party so I can make this!
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Thank you for the compliment David. I believe the mascarpone and the béchamel are what make this lasagna so good. If you have a dinner party, I hope you and your guests enjoy it.
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I adore it, Karen, but it’s just not the same without cheese.
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Thank you Jo and you will be happy to know that the lasagna has four different kinds of cheese plus béchamel and a delicious tomato sauce.
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This looks like perfect January comfort food!! We have snow flurries dancing outside my window and it’s the perfect day to whip up a delicious lasagna!
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Hi Liz, Snow flurries, yes that does sound like a perfect time for this lasagna.
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I haven’t made lasagna in a while, and this makes me wonder why! It’s simply mouthwatering! 🙂
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Thank you for your compliment Ronit. Lasagna is one of my favorite meals to serve when we have a large dinner party.
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The best comfort food!
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I agree Dorothy, thank you.
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That looks so good!
angiesrecipes
http://angiesrecipes.blogspot.comReply
Thank you Angie, it really is a delicious lasagna.
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This sounds so wonderful I am wishing I had the four cheeses on hand!
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I appreciate the compliment Amelia, perhaps in the future.
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Mmm… lasagna is one of those ultimate comfort foods and the richness of yours Karen would indeed be extraordinarily comforting.
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See AlsoHomemade LasagnaThank you for the lovely compliment from my meat eating friend…it is much appreciated.
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Now I’m craving lasagna in this cold weather.
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Thank you (I believe this is Larry-thanks for letting me know you are having problems with comments). The lasagna is terrine during cold weather evenings.
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That’s my kind of comfort food! I will have to try adding mascarpone in my next lasagna, it sounds delicious!
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Thank you Jan. the mascarpone adds a light creamy texture that is so good.
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Looks and sounds delicious. Thanks so much for sharing your recipe. I will try it. 🙂
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zi Thank you Sylvia, I hope you will enjoy the lasagna…all my friends love it.
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Oh, I love Italian food and this looks wonderful. You are so right — definitely comfort food! Thanks for stopping by and Happy New Year!
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I appreciate you compliment and wish Jeanie, thank you.
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I’d live inside this lasagna if I could. It just looks pillow-y soft and so comforting!
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Love your comment Hannah, it is a very light lasagna. Thank you.
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I want to learn how to make a good lasagna! It’s one thing I don’t have in my cooking repertoire. This sounds wonderful and the Sunday Sauce recipe does too! Susan https://savoringtimeinthekitchen.blogspot.com/
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Hi Susan, I’ve made a lot of different lasagnas over the years but this is my absolute favorite. Thank you for your nice compliment about the recipes.
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Layers of deliciousness!
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Thank you Mary, that is a good way of describing it.
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Wow. Such decadence! This could be my last meal.
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I hope you make it Mimi but I certainly don’t want it to be your last meal. 😊
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Hahahahaha! I’ll make sure to make it sooner. Better odds that way!
I like the pinch of nutmeg and the variety of cheeses. Nice! 💗
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Thank you Eva, I’m glad you like the recipe.
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I like the tips of adding spinach. 🥬.need that magnesium! 🙂
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I do like to add spinach sometimes, I’m happy you like the tip. Thanks
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This is pure comfort! I love this recipe, Karen, and I think I can already taste it! This will definitely please my crowd. 😃
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I do hope you dinner guests will enjoy the lasagna Debra. Thank you for the nice compliment.
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delicious comfort food!…..Abrazotes, Marcela
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Thank you Marcela for your nice compliment.
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Looks delicious, and thanks for sharing.
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Always happy to share my favorite recipes Judy. Thank you!
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I’m coming over for dinner! This looks amazing, and I am so hungry now that I better make myself some lunch 🙂
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It would be a long way but I believe you would enjoy the meal Tandy. Thank you for your compliment.
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Making lasagna with Bechamel lifts it out of the everyday. Thanks for the sophisticated version.
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Happy (belated) New Year!
A special dish for a special dinner. Thanks for sharing…Reply
I’m not a person that craves pasta of any kind but the other day it was so cold and rainy here that I said aloud I wish I had a good lasagna recipe because it always feels like the perfect comfort food! This recipe looks amazing and I love that it doesn’t have meat as a lot of traditional italian recipes do. Thanks so much for the recipe, I’m so excited to try it! Hugs, CoCo
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a delicious and hearty meal to serve one’s family or guests. We don’t eat pasta these days so lasagne is not for us, but i do appreciate the flavours. Mascarpone makes anything delicious I think!
cheers
sherryReply
Sounds delicious! I’m a big fan of lasagna 😊
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This lasagna looks amazing!!! I béchamel puts it over the top!
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Thanks for this lasagna recipe! I have a go-to recipe, but yours differs from mine in some really interesting ways. I’m eager to try yours!
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This lasagna recipe is like a warm hug on a cold day, wrapped in a blanket of gooey cheese and smothered in sauce. I’m calling it now: this is gonna be your new go-to crowd-pleaser, Barbara and beyond!
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Lasagna has to be one of the all-time best comfort foods! I do agree that your combo of mascarpone and béchamel would make for one heck of a delicious lasagna. Now I’m craving this one. Hanging on to this recipe for sure!
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Karen this looks amazing! I love the idea of four cheeses too 😀
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Karen, this lasagna looks absolutely delicious and yes, as you said, comforting. Although we had a brief few days of balmy 60 degree weather, it has been so cold here, very rainy, and just the type of weather that a serving of lasagna is perfect for.
Thank you for sharing the recipe!
RozReply
