Lasagne, English Style

This dish uses a bechamel sauce between the layers of lasagne noodles and sauce instead of calorie-heavy cheese. The result is a creamy dish that avoids the dryness that you frequently see in lasagne. Using no boil noodles also cuts down the preparation time and assures a noodle that is not overcooked. You can substitute Italian cheeses for the chedddar cheese topping if you want the more traditional Italian flavors. Easy and great tasting, I serve this to guests with more confidence than my old lasagne recipe which was sometimes just too dry and unpredictable.

Meat Sauce:
1Tablespoon olive oil
1 pound lean ground beef
1/2 pound Italian sausage
1 cup chopped onion
1 Tablespoon minced garlic
1 cup dry white wine
1 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons chdopped fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 (15 oz) can crushed tomatoes in puree

Bechamel Sauce:
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3 cups 2% reduced-fat milk

12 sheets no-boil lasagna noodles
3 cups shredded aged Cheddar cheese

Heat a large skillet and add olive oil. Add the beef and sausage in a large skillet and cook over medium high heat about 10 minutes, breaking into small pieces. Cook until browned, then spoon out most of the fat. Add onion and garlic, saute 5 minutes over medium heat. Add wine, bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook until wine is nearly evaporated. Stir in tomato paste, parsley, crushed red pepper and crushed tomatoes. Bring to a simmer; reduce heat. Simmer 10 to 15 minutes or until sauce thickens.

Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Cook and stir 1 minute. Gradually whisk in milk. Cook and stir with whisk about 10 minutes or until thick and bubbly.

Preheat oven to 400. Spread 3/4 cup meat sauce in bottom of a 9X13 baking pan. Place 4 sheets of lasagna cross wise in pan over sauce, overlapping slightly. Top with 1/3 of the meat sauce (spreading evently to cover noodles), one third of the bechamel sauce and one third of the cheese. Repeat layers twice, starting with noodles and ending with cheese.

Bake, uncovered, 35 to 40 minutes. Let stand 15 minutes before cutting. Serves 10.