Cheesy Lasagna

Try this Christmas dinner party game: Make your family guess what the four cheeses are in this lasagna. Here's a hint—we skip the usual parmesan and ricotta for something more special!

Cheesy Lasagna

Try this Christmas dinner party game: Make your family guess what the four cheeses are in this lasagna.

Here's a hint—we skip the usual parmesan and ricotta for something more special. There’s gooey Mozzarella, for sure, but also buttery Emmental, some creamy Gouda, and—surprise!—Arla Cheesy Spread. These all-natural cheeses melt into a decadent cheese sauce that blankets each layer of pasta, oozing out with every slice. A hearty, all-beef meat sauce marries it all together, completing this dream lasagna. Mom would be proud! Makes one 9x13" lasagna.

 

Equipment Needed

  • oven
  • 9x13" casserole or baking dish
  • whisk
  • rubber spatula

Lasagna

  • 1 box (450g) lasagna sheets
  • extra-virgin olive oil

Meat Sauce

  • ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 500g ground beef
  • 1 cup minced white onions
  • 1 cup minced carrots
  • 3 tablespoons minced garlic
  • 3 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 can (400g) canned whole peeled tomatoes
  • 1 cup water
  • 2 tablespoons sliced basil

Four Cheese Sauce

  • ½ cup Arla Unsalted Butter, softened
  • ½ cup all-purpose flour
  • 4 cups Arla Full Cream Milk
  • ½ cup grated Arla Emmental
  • ½ cup grated Arla Gouda
  • ½ cup Arla Cheesy Spread
  • ¼ cup Arla Mozzarella Shreds, more for topping

 

Let's make our Cheesy Lasagna!

 
1. Preheat oven: Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with olive oil.
 
2. Cook lasagna noodles: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add lasagna sheets and cook to package instructions or until al dente. Drain noodles and transfer to an ice bath to stop the cooking process. Drain noodles again and toss with olive oil to prevent sticking. Set aside.
 
3. Cook ground beef: Heat olive oil in a heavy-bottomed sauté pan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add ground beef and season lightly with salt. Cook, stirring to break up the meat into smaller pieces, until well browned and no longer pink, 10–15 minutes. Remove beef from pan and set aside.
 
4. Make meat sauce: Add onions and garlic to the same pan and cook until soft and onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Add carrots and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add tomato paste and cook until darkened, 8–10 minutes. Stir in cooked ground beef, canned tomatoes, and water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low to maintain a lively simmer. Cook uncovered, stirring often, until tomatoes have broken up and sauce has thickened, about 20 minutes. Stir in basil. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and set aside.
 
5. Make cheese sauce: In a separate saucepan, melt Arla Unsalted Butter over medium heat. Once butter starts to foam, add flour and cook, stirring constantly, until raw flour smell has cooked off and mixture tastes nutty, about 10–15 minutes. Still stirring, gradually pour Arla Full Cream Milk in a steady stream. Continue cooking and stirring until the sauce comes to a slow boil. Add Arla Emmental, Gouda, Cheesy Spread, and Mozzarella. Stir to melt cheeses into the sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and set aside.
 
6. Assemble lasagna: Spread about ¼ cup meat sauce across the bottom of the baking dish. Use a rubber spatula (or your hands!) to coat evenly. Spread ¼ cup cheese sauce on top of the meat sauce layer. Add enough lasagna noodles to cover the entire bottom of the baking dish, overlapping if necessary. Spread about ⅓ cup meat sauce over the noodles, followed by ⅓ cup cheese sauce. Cover with lasagna sheets. Continue layering meat sauce, cheese sauce, and lasagna sheets until baking dish is filled to the top, ending with a layer of pasta.

Cover one half of the baking dish with meat sauce. Cover the second half with cheese sauce, forming a straight line separating the two sauces.

Sprinkle Arla Mozzarella Shreds over the cheese layer. Alternatively, use Arla Mozzarella Cheese Slices for a neat carpet of cheese over the sauce.

 
7. Bake: Bake lasagna in preheated oven until mozzarella topping has melted and browned slightly, about 20 minutes. Allow to cool at least 15 minutes before slicing and serving.

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