Tomato Lasagna — Simple, Comforting, and Full of Classic Flavor

 

  

If you love lasagna but don’t always feel up to making a complicated version, this Tomato Lasagna is the perfect solution. It’s a beautifully simple, meat‑free dish made with layers of tender pasta, a rich homemade tomato sauce, creamy béchamel, and plenty of cheese. The flavors are clean, comforting, and wonderfully satisfying — proof that you don’t need a long list of ingredients to make something truly delicious.

This recipe comes together easily, uses everyday pantry staples, and bakes into a golden, bubbling dish that’s perfect for weeknights or relaxed weekend meals. Serve it with a salad and garlic bread, and you’ve got a cozy, crowd‑pleasing dinner everyone will love.

 

Oh, I do love a good lasagna.   Often we will stop ourselves from making it as it can be a somewhat complicated dish, but this simple lasagna can be whipped up any time and what I love most about it is the simplicity of flavors.   

A simple tomato sauce, layered with bechamel and cheese . . .  amongst sheets of pasta, and baked until golden.   It is so good.   And it is the simplicity of the flavors which make it even more delicious.

There is no meat in this dish and I can promise you you won't miss having any meat in this dish at all. The richness of that luxurious bechamel more than makes up for any lack . . . and the tomato sauce . . . simple and yet sublime.

My ex sister-in-law used to make a lovely meaty lasagna, but it was very expensive to make once you bought all of the ingredients required.  This meatless version is every bit as delicious and a lot more economical!

With some garlic bread and a salad on the side,  this is truly Divine.

 

INGREDIENTS NEEDED

TO MAKE TOMATO LASAGNA

It looks like a bit of a lengthy list, but most of these things are store cupboard ingredients and things that most of us have around a lot of the time.

For the Tomato Sauce:

• 2 TBS good quality olive oil
• 3 cloves of garlic, peeled and mashed slightly
• 3 (14-oz) tins of chopped tomatoes in their own juice (I like to use a good Italian brand)
• about a dozen or so torn basil leaves
• salt and black pepper to taste

For the Bechamel Sauce:

• 1/2 cup (125g) butter
• 1/2 cup plus 2 TBS (85g) plain flour
• 5 cups (2 pints) of whole milk, warmed
• freshly grated nutmeg
• salt and black pepper to taste

You will also need:

• 12 ounces (3/4 pound) of fresh lasagna sheets
• 3 ounces (85g) freshly grated Parmesan Cheese
• 6 ounces (170g) grated mozzarella or a mixture of mozzarella, cheddar, fontina, etc. (In other words which cheese you are in the mood to eat, or what you have on hand)
• butter to dot or additional Parmesan to sprinkle (optional)

Use the best quality and freshest ingredients that you can afford to buy.  Good quality Italian tomatoes.  Whole milk and full fat cheeses. A good quality fresh lasagna noodle. (Usually found in the chiller section of the grocery store.)  Fresh basil is best, but no worries, you can also use dried.

 

HOW TO MAKE TOMATO LASAGNA

A simple dish which requires the making of two sauces. After that it is a simple matter of layering and baking.

1. For the sauce, place the oil in a saucepan and heat it until fairly warm. Add the garlic and cook until it becomes quite fragrant. (Don't let the garlic brown.)
2. Add the tomatoes and a good pinch of salt. Bring to the boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook for about 20 minutes or so until it resembles a sauce. Add the basil and 1 cup of hot water towards the end of the cooking time. (It should be quite thick. Just add enough of the hot water to give you a sauce which is the consistency you want.)
3. Puree until smooth with a stick blender, or very carefully in a regular blender. (You can either leave the garlic in, or remove it as you wish.) Taste and adjust seasoning, adding salt and some pepper if required. (I usually leave the garlic in for more flavor.)
4. To make the bechamel, melt the butter in a saucepan and then whisk in the flour. Cook for several minutes over low heat and then slowly whisk in the warm milk. (Don't be in a rush.)
5. Cook and stir until the sauce thickens and is smooth. Season with salt, pepper and a bit of freshly grated nutmeg to taste. Cook for an additional 5 minutes or so on low heat, until you have a very thick and smooth sauce. Set aside. (Use a medium-low heat to begin with and then reduce to low.)
6. Pre-heat the oven to 180*C/350*F. Butter a deep 8 1/2 by 12 inch baking dish. Drizzle the bottom with some of the bechamel. (Just enough to coat the bottom of the dish lightly.)
7. Put a slightly overlapping layer of the lasagna sheets over the bechamel. Dollop with some of the tomato sauce, spreading it out. Dollop another two hefty spoonful's of bechamel over top and then a layer of the cheeses. 
8. Add another layer of lasagna, and then repeat with the tomato, bechamel and cheese as before, and then again, repeating the layers one more time, finishing with a final layer of lasagna and a few tablespoons of tomato sauce and a good portion of bechamel. You can sprinkle with some additional parmesan cheese if you desire, or dot with some butter. 
9. Place in the heated oven and bake for about 30 minutes, until it is bubbling and golden brown on top. Let sit for 5 to 10 minutes before cutting into squares to serve.

The sauce is quite simple . . . just tinned tomatoes, infused garlic olive oil, basil and seasoning, simmered together until all of the flavors have melded beautifully together. You could not ask for a nicer dish. Of course you can make some additions as per your own preferences . . . some cheese, perhaps a dollop or two of pesto, wilted spinach . . . but I like to keep it simple. Why mess with perfection?? 

 

HINTS AND TIPS FOR SUCCESS

• Read through the recipe several times before beginning to help familiarize yourself with any ingredients or equipment needed.
• Assemble all of your ingredients together before you begin so that you don't leave anything out by accident.
• Use the best quality canned Italian Tomatoes that you can find. There really is a difference in the flavor.
• Use whole milk and full fat cheeses. 
• Use fresh lasagna sheets if possible

 

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

CAN THIS RECIPE BE MADE AHEAD OF TIME?

You can certainly make it ahead of time. You can either cook it ahead and then save it in the refrigerator, ready to reheat, or you can do everything up to the point of baking it, again saving it, covered, in the refrigerator, ready to bake as per the recipe instructions. I would remove it from the refrigerator half an hour before you wish to bake it.

CAN I ADD MEAT TO THIS RECIPE?

If you really feel that your family would prefer some meat in this, by all means.  Add a pound of ground beef, turkey, chicken or Italian sausage which you have browned to the tomato sauce before simmering.

CAN I USE DRIED BASIL?

Fresh basil is best but if you don't have any feel free to use dried basil leaves, about 1 tsp. or to your own taste.

MUST I USE WHOLE MILK FOR THE BECHAMEL?

You can use a lower fat milk but do bear in mind that the higher fat milk will give you a much richer and  more indulgent sauce.

CAN THIS BE FROZEN?

Yes, you can freeze this, either before or after baking. Wrap in some cling film and then in a layer of foil. Label and date.  This will keep frozen for up to three months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before baking either as per the recipe instructions (if unbaked) or heated through thoroughly (if already baked.)

CAN THIS RECIPE BE CUT IN HALF?

Yes, you can certainly cut this recipe in half. Cook and bake times will remain approximately the same, but you will need a smaller baking dish. If you are wanting smaller amounts however, I recommend baking the full recipe and dividing it between two baking dishes and freezing one, unbaked, for future use.

 

A FEW OTHER PASTA RECIPES TO ENJOY

We love pasta in this house.  Pasta makes for a delicious and hearty meal and is economical in many cases as well as being very versatile.

PASTA E PISELLI - Simple ingredients put together in a simple way.  Pasta, peas, water and cheese. It doesn't get any simpler or easier than this. You wouldn't think that simple things like this could come together in such a delicious way, but like magic, they do!  I love this.

SPAGHETTI FRANCISCO - A baked meal in one which is great for covered dish suppers and pot lucks. You can also divide it between two casserole dishes and freeze one for later. The original recipe came from Sunset Magazine. I have been baking this old favorite for my family for many, many years, always to accolades.

  

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Yield: 6 to 8 servings

Author: Marie Rayner

Tomato Lasagna

Prep time: 30 MinCook time: 30 MinInactive time: 10 MinTotal time: 1 H & 10 M

This is simple, uncomplicated, straightforward and delicious. A delicious tomato sauce, with some cheese, lasagna sheets and a good bechamel. You can dress it up by adding some different cheeses, such as goat's cheese, or a few dollops of pesto, or some grilled vegetables between the layers. What you have here is a canvas to write your own story upon.

Ingredients

For the Tomato Sauce:

• 2 TBS good quality olive oil
• 3 cloves of garlic, peeled and mashed slightly
• 3 (14-oz) tins of chopped tomatoes in their own juice (I like to use a good Italian brand)
• about a dozen or so torn basil leaves
• salt and black pepper to taste

For the Bechamel Sauce:

• 1/2 cup (125g) butter
• 1/2 cup plus 2 TBS (85g) plain flour
• 5 cups (2 pints) of whole milk, warmed
• freshly grated nutmeg
• salt and black pepper to taste

You will also need:

• 12 ounces (3/4 pound) of fresh lasagna sheets
• 3 ounces (85g) freshly grated Parmesan Cheese
• 6 ounces (170g) grated mozzarella or a mixture of mozzarella, cheddar, fontina, etc. (In other words which cheese you are in the mood to eat, or what you have on hand)
• butter to dot or additional Parmesan to sprinkle (optional)

Instructions

1. For the sauce, place the oil in a saucepan and heat it until fairly warm. Add the garlic and cook until it becomes quite fragrant.
2. Add the tomatoes and a good pinch of salt. Bring to the boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook for about 20 minutes or so until it resembles a sauce. Add the basil and 1 cup of hot water towards the end of the cooking time.
3. Puree until smooth with a stick blender, or very carefully in a regular blender. (You can either leave the garlic in, or remove it as you wish.) Taste and adjust seasoning, adding salt and some pepper if required.
4. To make the bechamel, melt the butter in a saucepan and then whisk in the flour. Cook for several minutes over low heat and then slowly whisk in the warm milk.
5. Cook and stir until the sauce thickens and is smooth. Season with salt, pepper and a bit of freshly grated nutmeg to taste. Cook for an additional 5 minutes or so on low heat, until you have a very thick and smooth sauce. Set aside.
6. Pre-heat the oven to 180*C/350*F. Butter a deep 8 1/2 by 12 inch baking dish. Drizzle the bottom with some of the bechamel.
7. Put a slightly overlapping layer of the lasagna sheets over the bechamel. Dollop with some of the tomato sauce, spreading it out. Dollop another two hefty spoonful's of bechamel over top and then a layer of the cheeses.
8. Add another layer of lasagna, and then repeat with the tomato, bechamel and cheese as before, and then again, repeating the layers one more time, finishing with a final layer of lasagna and a few tablespoons of tomato sauce and a good portion of bechamel. You can sprinkle with some additional parmesan cheese if you desire, or dot with some butter.
9. Place in the heated oven and bake for about 30 minutes, until it is bubbling and golden brown on top. Let sit for 5 to 10 minutes before cutting into squares to serve.

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