Filipino-style Lasagna
Filipino-style Lasagna is the perfect pasta dish for holidays, parties, and everyday family dinners. It's hearty and delicious with tasty layers of pasta, sweet-style meat sauce, creamy bechamel, and melty cheese. A sure crowd-pleaser!
- Prep time
- 20 min
- Cook time
- 1 hr 40 min
- Yield
- 12 servings
- Difficulty
- MEDIUM
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 12 pieces uncooked lasagna noodles
- 1 cup Cheddar Jack cheese, shredded
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 6 pieces Filipino-style hotdogs, sliced diagonally
- onion, peeled and chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- 1 red or green bell pepper, seeded, cored and chopped
- 3 pounds ground beef
- 24 ounces tomato sauce
- 12 ounces banana ketchup
- 1 cup beef broth
- 3/4 cup tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 cup butter
- 1 cup flour
- 6 cups milk
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- 1
For the Noodles
- 2
In a large pot over medium heat, bring about 4 quarts salted water to a boil. Add lasagna noodles and cook for about 1 to 2 minutes less than package directions Rinse under cold running water and drain well.
- 3
For the Meat Sauce
- 4
In a large thick-bottomed pot over medium heat, heat oil. Add sliced hotdogs and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 1 to 2 minutes or until lightly browned. With a slotted spoon, remove from pan and set aside.
- 5
Add onions and garlic and cook until softened.
- 6
Add bell peppers and cook until softened.
- 7
Add ground beef and cook, stirring occasionally and breaking into small pieces, for about 7 to 10 minutes until lightly browned. Drain excess fat, if any.
- 8
Add tomato sauce, tomato paste, ketchup, and beef broth. Stir in sugar and Italian seasoning. Bring to a boil.
- 9
Lower heat, cover and simmer for about 35 to 45 minutes or until meat is fully cooked and sauce is slightly thickened.
- 10
During the last 10 minutes of cooking, add browned hotdogs. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- 11
For the Bechamel Sauce
- 12
In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt butter.
- 13
Add flour and stir well into a smooth paste. Cook, stirring regularly, for about 1 to 2 minutes or until golden (but NOT browned) and starts to bubble a bit.
- 14
Slowly add milk in a thin stream, whisking vigorously until the mixture is very smooth and lump-free.
- 15
Continue to cook, whisking regularly, for about 4 to 5 minutes or until thick but pourable. The sauce should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
- 16
Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- 17
Assembly
- 18
Grease bottom and sides of a large baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- 19
Ladle about 1/2 cup of meat sauce and spread it to cover the bottom of the dish.
- 20
Ladle bechamel sauce over the meat sauce and gently spread across.
- 21
Arrange one layer of lasagna noodles lengthwise over the white sauce. Cut a piece of lasagna to fit into gaps as needed.
- 22
Ladle a third of the remaining meat sauce over the noodles and spread across the surface.
- 23
Ladle another layer of white sauce over the meat sauce
- 24
Finish with a third layer of noodles, meat sauce, and bechamel.
- 25
Sprinkle shredded cheese over the top and last layer of bechamel sauce.
- 26
Tent the lasagna pan with foil and bake in a 375 oven for about 30 to 40 minutes or until completely heated through and cheese is melted.
- 27
Remove from heat and allow to rest for about 15 to 20 minutes before cutting.