Recipe

Easy Meatball Lasagna

Recipe
No Questions Yet

Photo by Sharingplate

This recipe was entered in the contest for Your Best Baked Pasta
Chef
Sharingplate's Notes: There is a constant argument in my house about serving red sauce with any pasta meal. While I like red sauce, I like variety more- so I end up experimenting with different kinds of sauces...
There is a constant argument in my house about serving red sauce with any pasta meal. While I like red sauce, I like variety more- so I end up experimenting with different kinds of sauces or sometimes no sauce at all. My husband is not too happy when the pasta is served without a sauce.

This dish is a compromise since it has the red and white sauce. I had the leftover meatballs from the previous day and I felt quite adventurous. I sliced the meatballs and sauteed them in a little oil and kept them aside. I wanted to make a lasagna with the left over marinara sauce in the fridge. I didn’t have any ricotta cheese- I decided to substitute a bechamel sauce instead. To give the sauce a little body and texture, I sauteed some onions before adding the all purpose flour and creamy fontina cheese. Fontina cheese is a must ingredient in my fridge. It is mild and nutty and melts really well on anything.

I layered the no-cook lasagna noodles (another ingredient found in my pantry) with the two sauces and the meatballs. I topped it all with some shredded cheese and stuck it in the oven. I was very excited to taste this experiment. I was hoping my daughter and husband will feel the same excitement when they taste it- and they did. They both loved it! I was extremely happy and very proud of myself.

It is easy to come up with ideas for left overs if your pantry and fridge are well-stocked. With lasagnas, sky is the limit- you can add as much or as little- as long as the ingredients are good and fresh.

I served it with a salad and a Merlot.

Expand Collapse

Serves 4 people

4 to 5 meatballs, sliced thin and sautéed in 1 teaspoon olive oil Ask a question about this ingredient

1 medium yellow onion, sliced Ask a question about this ingredient

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil Ask a question about this ingredient

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour Ask a question about this ingredient

2 cups milk Ask a question about this ingredient

1 cup fontina cheese, shredded Ask a question about this ingredient

Salt Ask a question about this ingredient

2 cups homemade marinara sauce Ask a question about this ingredient

1 cup shredded cheese (any kind) for the top Ask a question about this ingredient

6 sheets of no-cook lasagna noodles Ask a question about this ingredient

1 8X8 square pan Ask a question about this ingredient

Heat oven to 350 degrees.
Ask a question about this step
In a wide frying pan, heat the olive oil and add the onion. Saute the onions on medium heat for 5-6 minutes or till they are translucent and soft. Add the flour and cook for a minute. Slowly add the milk whisking constantly. Bring the mixture to a boil and stir till it thickens. Add the cheese and salt and turn the heat off. Mix well and keep aside.
Ask a question about this step
Add a quarter cup of white sauce at the bottom of the pan and place two lasagna noodles on top. Spread half cup of white sauce. Sprinkle half of the meatballs on top and cover with half cup of marinara sauce. Repeat process with the second set of noodles. Top the lasagna with the last 2 noodles and cover with one cup of the remaining marinara sauce. Sprinkle one cup shredded cheese on top and cover with aluminum foil. Cook for 45 minutes and serve.
Ask a question about this step

Sign up for our surprise-filled, can't-live-without-them emails!

163 views

0

cooks want to eat this

2

cooks saved this recipe

Easy Meatball Lasagna

This recipe was entered in the contest for Your Best Baked Pasta

Serves 4 people

Comment on Easy Meatball Lasagna

Please Sign up (or log in) to comment on a recipe!

Serve

Prep: Hario Skerton Coffee Mill

Cook: OXO Good Cookie Spatula

Shelve: Sunday Suppers at Lucques

Your Best Baked Pasta Entries

Meet our Hotliners:

Please Sign Up or Log In

To ask your question, simply log in or sign up -- it's super easy, and this way we can email you the answers as they come in!

Flag This Recipe

Categories

Company

Press

FOOD52's THE BEST OF THE BEST

Hungry for more?

Sign up for our surprise-filled, not-at-all-annoying emails for great recipes and products selected by us!

5 Popular Recipes:

Our Partners:

Sign up for our surprise-filled,
not-at-all-annoying emails for
great recipes and products
selected by us!