This lasagne without ricotta is made with homemade traditional white sauce over layers of rich tomato saucy meat with 3 layers, topped off with a cheesy, crusty top, oven baked until golden brown.  The perfect comfort food for a Sunday night dinner, in a healthy lightened  up version at only 439 calories per serve.

For me, there is nothing like the aroma of getting a freshly cooked lasagne out of the oven on a Sunday evening as the sun goes down, with the anticipation of sitting down to a dinner with family and a good glass of red wine!

Why Lasagne Without Ricotta Is The Perfect Healthy Comfort Food

• My version is naturally low in sugar, with the 8 grams of sugar content coming from the tomatoes in the passata sauce. No added sugar, just the natural sugars found in tomatoes.
• My version is healthier and lighter and won’t weight you down so that you have trouble getting up from the table and you definitely won’t need to loosen any buttons after eating this!
• You can change it up when you want by using other types of mince: lamb, or even chicken or turkey
• Lasagne without ricotta is one of the few foods that can span across all seasons being equally good at any time of year, Summer, Winter, Spring or Autumn
• It freezes well, and is a breeze to defrost, sometimes even tasting better than when it was originally cooked. OK this might have something to do with the kind of mood you’re in when you are down to eating freezer meals!  Especially after a long day at work!
• It goes perfectly with salad to really up the green and healthy factor
• It’s equally yummy as this baked Tuna Mornay Pasta Bake and Spicy Paprika Chicken (one of my all time faves!)

How to Get Your White Sauce Smooth and Lump Free

Ok so there are a few tricks to getting a smooth and lump free white sauce.  Whenever we have lasagne in our household, I am always the one who makes the white sauce, even if it’s my husbands turn to cook.  He has made white sauce a few times, but it always turns out shall we say, a little unappealing with globs of chunky flour, runny in some parts, thick in other parts.

Here’s why I think you might end up with a lumpy white sauce:

1. You don’t measure the ratio of flour to butter correctly
2. The milk is added all at once
3. There is no consistent stirring with a whisk
4. You put the cheese in too early
5. You think that the sauce will cook itself and get distracted playing the latest game on your IPhone

Lump Free White Sauce  – How I do it

1. I never leave the stove, once I have started the sauce making process
2. I carefully measure the butter and flour. Too much flour and yep, you’re gonna get lumps, to little flour, and it won’t thicken.
3. I gradually and slowly add the milk, generally over about 6 or so pours. Adding just a small amount at the beginning and working my way up to gradually pouring in more
4. All the time I am stirring with a whisk
5. Once the milk is hot, then I add the cheese and continue to whisk until it melts.
6. On the rare occasions I feel like a thicker sauce, I will add a tablespoon of cornflour to a teaspoon of water, stir, and add into the white sauce mixture.

It’s really not difficult.  It just needs your full attention for about 12 minutes or so.

Over the years, lasagne seems to feature on our dinner menu at least once a month, and whilst I have tried many variations, funnily though never with ricotta, I think that this is one of my best recipes.  It’s simple and homey and kind of traditional in a healthy and lightened up kind of way.

To me Lasagne is warm, comforting and evokes memories of time with family and friends.

Good company.

Good Wine.

And a thoroughly satisfied belly!

Want to try a variation on traditional lasagne?  How about Shepherds Pie Lasagne for the ultimate comfort food.

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5 from 3 votes

Lasagne Without Ricotta

This lasagne without ricotta is made with homemade traditional white sauce over layers of rich tomato saucy meat with 3 layers, topped off with a cheesy, crusty top, oven baked until golden brown.  

Course - Dinner

Cuisine - Italian

Keyword - healthy lasagna, lasagne without ricotta

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 50 minutes

Servings 4 people

Calories 439kcal

Author Kim

Ingredients

Meat Sauce

• 500 grams / 1 lb. Lean beef mince
• 1 medium Onion diced
• 3 cloves Garlic crushed
• 2 tablespoons Fresh basil finely chopped
• 4 tablespoons Passata
• 3 tablespoon Tomato Paste
• 1 Beef stock cube
• 2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
• ½ teaspoon Garlic salt
• ½ teaspoon Oregano
• ½ teaspoon Chilli flakes

White Cheese Sauce

• 70 grams / 5 tablespoons Butter
• 1 ½ cups / 150 ml Low fat milk
• 2 tablespoons Plain flour
• ½ cup Low fat grated cheese I use Kraft brand

Other

• Oven Ready Lasagne Sheets I used Macro Organic about 5 or 6 sheets
• 1 tablespoon parmesan cheese for sprinkling over the top before putting in oven

Instructions

Meat Sauce

• Preheat oven to 180 degrees C/350 degrees F
• In a medium saucepan sauté the onion and garlic until translucent
• Add in the mince and brown off, squashing out any lumpy bits until you have a consistent lump free mince meat
• Add the passata, tomato paste, stock cube (crumbled), worcestershire sauce, garlic salt, oregano, fresh basil leaves and chilli flakes. Stir until combined
• Reduce heat and stir occasionally until liquid reduces.
• Once liquid has reduced, mince is done.

White Cheese Sauce

• Whilst mince is simmering with the liquid reducing, begin the white cheese sauce
• Add the butter to a new clean small saucepan and gently melt on low heat
• Remove saucepan from heat and add in flour and stir until a paste is formed
• Put back onto heat and turn up to medium high and add milk gradually one bit at a time, whisking continuously as you add it in to break up the lumps for the butter/flour mixture. I generally add the milk in via 4 or 5 pours into the saucepan always stirring as I go.
• As the milk heats it will slowly begin to thicken the sauce mixture. Dip your finger in to test how hot the milk is and when it is warmish to hot (not boiling), add in ¼ of the grated cheese and pepper to your liking.
• Stir in the cheese with the whisk until it melts and continues to thicken further
• Once sauce has reached the desired consistency, remove from heat.

Assembly

• Place 1/3 of meat mixture on base of dish
• Place lasagne sheets over white sauce
• Place 1/3 of white cheese sauce over meat mixture
• Place 1/3 of meat mixture on base of dish
• Place lasagne sheets over white sauce
• Place 1/3 of white cheese sauce over meat mixture
• Place 1/3 of meat mixture on base of dish
• Place lasagne sheets over white sauce
• Place 1/3 of white cheese sauce over meat mixture
• 10. Sprinkle with remaining grated cheese and a tablespoon of parmesan

Bake:

• Bake in oven at 180 degrees C (fan forced)/350 degrees F for 30 minutes
• Let cool for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Notes

• Size of baking dish I used: 25cm x 15cm
• Storing lasagne: Store leftover lasagne in the fridge in an air tight container and eat within 2 days 
• Freezing Lasagne: Cut up lasagne into portions and store in individual containers in the freezer. Make sure the size of the container is just right for the size of the lasagne to maximize freezer space 
• Defrosting Lasagne: Defrost using microwave safe dish on medium (about 80% power) for about 5 minutes. Don’t forget to cover it with a microwave safe lid so id doesn’t splatter everywhere.

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Nutrition

Serving: 1slice | Calories: 439kcal (22%) | Carbohydrates: 23g (8%) | Protein: 33g (66%) | Fat: 21g (32%) | Saturated Fat: 9g (56%) | Fiber: 2g (8%) | Sugar: 8g (9%)

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