Baked Lasagna with Speck and Cheese, a rich and flavorful main dish, perfect for Sunday lunch, a dinner with friends, or a special occasion like Christmas, New Year’s, or Easter.
With a nice plate of lasagna, especially if they’re juicy, you can never go wrong. I make them often, especially this time of year. My son Luca loves them, and he likes any version (with meat sauce, white, with ham, with salmon, …), and since they are easy to prepare, as soon as I have a little more time to spend in the kitchen, I try to please him.
These are filled with speck, mozzarella, and grated caciocavallo, and finished with plenty of béchamel, making them creamy and very appetizing.
I used ready-made sheets, the thin ones: no need to blanch them, and they are really good, you almost don’t notice the difference. Of course, if you have time, you can make them by hand, but I find that the ready-made ones are an excellent solution if you want to make a good impression but don’t have much time available.
Let’s see together how to make the recipe for Baked Lasagna with Speck and Cheese. Prepare the ingredients, and let’s begin!
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Gabriella
Other delicious recipes to try:
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Inexpensive
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 4
- Cooking methods: Oven, Stove
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
- 7 oz lasagna sheets
- 3.5 oz speck (diced/sliced)
- 1 onion (small, or 1 shallot)
- as needed extra virgin olive oil
- 7 oz scamorza (or similar cheese)
- 2 cups grated Parmesan
- 3.5 oz butter
- 3.5 oz flour
- 2 cups milk (whole, warm)
- as needed salt
- as needed pepper
- nutmeg (optional)
Tools
- 1 Pan
- 1 Chopper
- 1 Electric Grater
- 1 Small Pot
- 1 Whisk
Steps
First in a pan, sauté the finely chopped onion with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Add the speck cut into strips (or diced) and let it fry until it becomes slightly crispy.
Meanwhile, in a small pot with a thick bottom, melt the butter over low heat; then add the flour all at once and stir vigorously with a whisk until it starts to bubble and turns a hazelnut color (the so-called roux). Cook for about 1 minute.
Remove from the heat and gradually incorporate the warm milk, stirring constantly with the whisk to remove any lumps. Return to the heat and, continuing to stir, bring to a boil until it thickens. Salt and pepper to taste; add a pinch of nutmeg, if you prefer.
Preheat the oven to 350°F (static mode).
Take a baking dish, butter it and spread a thin first layer of béchamel on the bottom.
Tip: if the béchamel is too thick, heat it over low heat, adding a bit of milk.
At this point, place a layer of lasagna over the béchamel, then another layer of béchamel, followed by the speck and onion mixture, a generous handful of scamorza and Parmesan cheese, grated.
Continue in the same order until you use up the ingredients, forming 4-5 layers as desired. Finish with a layer of béchamel, grated cheese (or in pieces), a generous sprinkle of Parmesan, and, before baking, drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil.
Bake in the preheated oven for about 25-30 minutes, let rest in the oven for 4-5 minutes, and serve.
Here are the Baked Lasagna with Speck and Cheese ready. Enjoy your meal!
Until the next recipe
Storage
You can store the Lasagna with speck and cheese in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 days. You can also freeze them for up to 1 month.
A very practical solution is to prepare the lasagna in disposable containers and then freeze them before cooking. This way, they keep for up to 3 months. To cook them, just put them in the oven for 40 minutes without thawing.
Tips and Suggestions
– Béchamel. When forming the layers in the baking dish, always pour a light layer of béchamel first. This prevents the pasta from sticking to the bottom during cooking.
– You can prepare the Lasagna with speck and cheese (or lasagna in general, regardless of the filling) well in advance, even the day before, so they will be even better. Store them in the refrigerator covered with plastic wrap, and when you want to cook them, just leave them at room temperature for about half an hour before putting them in the oven.
– For an irresistible crust, before putting them in the oven, you can sprinkle them with a mix of breadcrumbs and Parmesan or finely chopped pistachios or hazelnuts.
Variations
To vary or enrich the recipe, you can add:
– Mushrooms: fresh or dried champignon mushrooms sautéed with garlic and parsley.
– Zucchini: zucchini sliced thinly and grilled or sautéed.
To vary or enrich the recipe, you can add:
– Mushrooms: fresh or dried champignon mushrooms sautéed with garlic and parsley.
– Zucchini: zucchini sliced thinly and grilled or sautéed.
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FAQ
Can I use dry lasagna pasta?
Yes, absolutely. If you use dry pasta, it is advisable to blanch it in salted water for 1-2 minutes before using it for assembly to ensure it cooks perfectly in the oven. Alternatively, if you don’t blanch it, make sure to use a more liquid béchamel to hydrate the pasta well during cooking.
Can the scamorza be replaced?
Of course. You can replace it with mozzarella (make sure it’s well-drained to avoid releasing too much water) or with Fontina (for a sweeter taste).
