No Bake Lasagna

INGREDIENTS
Lasagna

• 500 Grams Lasagna Pasta
• 1 Kilo Ground Beef
• 1 Kilo Hunt’s Tomato Sauce (Basil and Cheese Variant)
• 3 Tbsp Tomato Paste (this will make sauce thick in texture)
• 1 Cup Finely Chopped White Onion
• 1 Head Garlic Finely Chopped
• Pepper Powder
• 4 tbsp Soy Sauce
• Salt
• 1 tbsp Sugar
• Dried Basil Leaves
• 1 Can Nestle All Purpose Cream
• 3 Tbsp Cornstarch dissolved in 3 tbsp water
• Grated Mozzarella Cheese
• Grated Parmesan Cheese
• 2  Grated Box Quick Melt Cheese

Bechamel Sauce/White Sauce

• Unsalted Butter
• 6 tbsp Flour
• 1 Cup milk – any powdered milk will do, dissolved in warm water. (Powdered milk is rich in  fat. The fat in this milk will help the sauce becomes thick.)
• 1 Large Evaporated Milk
• 1 Cup grated cheese

PROCEDURE

How to make Bechamel Sauce:

1. This is the thick white sauce used for layering. In french cooking they call it roux. In Greenwich (fast food chain in Philippines) you can also see it on top of their Lasagna.
2. In very low heat, melt about 1/4 sliced of butter. Make sure not to burn it. It should look golden yellow. Once butter is in little bubbles mix flour, whisk it using fork, until it becomes egg like lump and paste like.
3. In low heat, slowly add full cream milk. Mix it thoroughly until it becomes consistently smooth that when you spoon it, the thickness will cover the spoon. Mix and cook around 2 minutes then slowly mix in evaporated milk until very smooth in texture.
4. Cool and set it aside for later use. This sauce will be use for bottom and top layer.

Lasagna Noodles:

1. Cook it for 13 minutes in boiling water with salt and 1 tbsp oil, cover and simmer.
2. Make sure to mix it from time to time to avoid pasta from sticking on the pan.
   Once cooked, drain and cool in air.
3. Then, cut it into small squares (this is optional)  on the chopping board, 3 layers of Lasagna at a time for quick result (1×1 in size)

Lasagna and Beef Sauce:

1. This is the make or break of your recipe. Do follow the procedure religiously because the sticky beef sauce will bring the pasta together with Mozzarella cheese. It makes Lasagna stick to all other ingredients without the need to bake it. Just the sticky sauce, Cheeses and Bechamel Sauce. No need for baking.
2. Saute Garlic until light brown, followed by Onion until translucent.
3. Add in Ground Beef, salt pepper, soy sauce and basil.
4. Pour in Tomato Sauce and simmer for few minutes and mixing it to avoid sticking from the pan.
5. Add in Tomato paste and Diluted Cornstarch,Nestle All Purpose Cream.
6. Add in sugar and salt to adjust taste.
7. Simmer and mix for 2-3 minutes
8. Add in Lasagna Pasta
9. Sprinkle Grated Mozzarella Cheese
10. Once Mozzarella is melted. We’re ready to layer it in the pan!

How to Layer:

1. Spread Bechamel Sauce (bottom)
2. Combined Lasagna Pasta and Beef Sauce (2nd layer)
3. Bechamel Sauce (3rd layer)
4. Quickmelt cheese (4th layer)
5. Parmesan cheese

Notes

It’s your choice, if you prefer not to cut the lasagna noodles and lay it whole in the rectangular container.
If you have a microwave oven, you can heat in microwave to melt the cheese and set the lasagna. I did not reheat my lasagna in microwave. And still it turns out to be an authentic oven baked lasagna.

Credits to: Mama’s Guide Recipes