Filipino Style Lasagna
Filipino Style Lasagna is a sweet, cheesy and creamy pasta. It is made with saucy ground beef meat sauce, layered with a creamy bechamel sauce and finally topped with lots of mozzarella cheese.
As much as I would like to take the credit, this Filipino style lasagna mostly got its wonderful, sweet flavor from the Filipino style spaghetti sauce.
I used to put only tomato sauce before and always ended up sweetening the sauce with sugar to get that Filipino style taste, but now, the addition of Filipino spaghetti sauce makes the pasta sauce perfect in sweetness, saltiness, and tang.
Filipino style lasagna was one of the first few dishes I often made when I first started to find my way into the kitchen. I still can remember the time when I braved our little kitchen with a piece of paper in my hand. I was so nervous that I waited for everybody to be out of the house and I didn’t start to cook until I was alone.
At the end, I was so exhausted. I mean, who wouldn’t be? I was a novice one and I tackled a recipe with three separate elements in it: Pasta, meat sauce and white sauce.
Too complex for someone who is just starting, right? I was ready to crash in bed as soon as I wash the last piece of dirty dishes.
I made the dish again several times after that. And of course, just like with anything, things got easier and easier as you get used to it.
I tweaked the recipe over the years, making it more simple and less laborious than the original one that I started with.
You see, this recipe has been tweaked, re-invented and has been tested.
Today, this Filipino Style Lasagna is well-loved by my family, and gladly, by my two kids. Whenever I am out of ideas to cook, I always turn to this one. Between this and my other favorite, Chicken BBQ Pizza, lunch is covered for times we want to have a break from eating rice.
The cheesy top is shredded mozzarella. You can use cheddar, Parmesan, or combination of cheeses, if you prefer. I love the mild sharpness of mozzarella and its creamy pale color adds to the character of the dish. I always go for the pre-shredded variety because I am lazy!
This lasagna is a rich, filling lunch and I do not go hungry for hours when I eat this. Well maybe, except for desserts like a no-churn chocolate ice cream or Ovaltine cake.
Make this Filipino style lasagna and you will be amazed by how easy it is. Instruction is lengthy, yes, but the overall process is really simple. You will love this!
Want more Filipino dishes? Try:
- Tortang Dulong
- Burger Steak with Mushroom Gravy
- Sweet and Spicy Squid
- Pancit Canton with Sardines
- Baked Chicken Empanada
- Peach Mango Pie
Filipino Style Lasagna
Ingredients
- 12 sheets Lasagna
For the Filipino Style Lasagna Meat Sauce
- 1 and 1/2 lbs ground beef
- 2 tomatoes chopped
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 1 large onion chopped
- 2 cup Filipino style spaghetti sauce ( such as UFC or Del Monte) can be found in the Asian, Oriental Aisle
- 1 tsp italian seasoning
- 2-3 tbsp cooking oil
- salt and pepper to taste
For the Bechamel Sauce
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 2 cups milk
- 1 cup evaporated milk
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2-1 tsp nutmeg
For the Top
- 1 and 1/2 cup shredded Mozarella cheese
Instructions
- Boil the pasta by following the package instructions. Drain, lay them out flat in a plate and set aside.
Make the Meat Sauce
- In a large wok or skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Saute garlic and onion until soft and add the ground beef. Cook meat until brown and add the chopped tomatoes. Stir around and let cook for for 5 more minutes.
- Add the spaghetti sauce and let the mixture boil for about 25-35 minutes or until the meat is tender and cooked through, stirring occasionally. You can add up to 2/3 cups of water gradually when the sauce seems to be drying out. Season sauce with salt and pepper then add the Italian seasoning. Let cook for 5 minutes more. Turn off heat.
Make the Bechamel Sauce
- Melt butter in a medium saucepan. Once it starts to bubble, add the flour and constantly stir the mixture with a wire whisk. Let this cook for a few minutes, until the mixture is very lightly browned. Slowly add the regular milk and evaporated milk while stirring mixture constantly. The mixture will start to thicken in about 4-5 minutes as you constantly stir. The consistency you are aiming for is thick but still pourable. Season sauce with salt and pepper. Add the nutmeg. Stir for one o two minutes more. Turn off and remove from heat.
Assemble and Bake
- Preheat oven to 375 F. In a 9 x 13 baking dish, spread a thin layer of the white sauce then lay out 3 sheets of lasagna over top. Spoon enough meat sauce to cover the lasagna sheets. Again spread a thin layer of white sauce, then top with lasagna noodles and cover with meat sauce.
- Repeat the process until you end up with the last three lasagna sheets on top. Spread all remaining white sauce on top of the lasagna sheets and sprinkle mozzarella cheese as a final topping.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Let cool slightly before cutting.
Hi Sanna, what is regular milk?
Hi Jen,
The regular milk will be cows milk.
Thank you
Sanna, I used almond milk for the recipe, because that’s the only milk that we buy. My béchamel sauce was not as thick as yours. What will make my sauce thicker– will I add flour, or should I really have to buy evaporated milk next time? But taste-wise the lasagna was delish!
Hello Marie! Just add 1 tbsp or so of flour to thicken it up a bit. The evap milk will just taste richer but almond milk is also fine.
Hi,
I made this recipe a couple of years back and I really liked the taste. However, I just bookmarked this page and did not copy the whole recipe back then. I guess this recipe has been
updatrd as I remember not putting italian spice but I did put Parsley, Basil and Oregano. What’s would be the difference in the taste if I use Italian spice? Also, can I have a copy of the old recipe please? I really love the taste of the old one
Thank you!
Hello Apple! Thank you for trying the recipe. Yes this recipe has been updated but the only thing I changed is addding the italian spice and omitting the oregano, basil amd parsley in the sauce. Italian seasoning is basically made of basil amd oregano too so it will taste pretty much the same.
In the bechamel sauce, I only added the nutmeg. If you wish to make old version, just omit the nutmeg.
But with that said, this version doesnt really taste much different from the old one, but better so I still suggest you try it.:) Thank you so much and happy cooking!
May I ask for the measurement of Oregano, Parsley and Basil? Yeah, I saw the addition of the Nutmeg but thought myself that I will just omit the nutmeg. Thank you!
I tried this and my family koved it! Thank you
I am so glad you like them, Anne!
Hi! I can’t wait to try this. What do you do for the condensed cream of mushroom variation? It sounds interesting and yummy as well 🙂
Hi Bianca! You will love this:) If you want to use cream of mushroom, just replace the evaporated milk with 1 can of condensed cream of mushroom in the white sauce recipe plus add 1 small can of Nestle cream. Also yummy!
hi for milk, is it ok to use buttermilk? thank you
Hi Net! I strongly recommend using regular milk because the buttermilk can potentially alter the taste of the bechamel sauce. 🙂
Hello po!!Masarap po ba tlaga eto???tsaka po magkano po lahat laht ng nagastos nyo kasi magluluto rin po kami ng lasagna eh…. project lng po sa school
Hello Donna! Yes, masarap ito. You should try. It should cost you around 40 cad or about 1500 php. Good luck and happy cooking!
Hi, can I do this using the microwave oven? How many minutes will be enough to have it cooked? Thanks.
Hi Abegail! I have not tried cooking this via microwave. If you don’t have any other option but the microwave, I would suggest boiling lasagna noodles thoroughly until it is really tender. Essentially, all the elements of the Lasagna are cooked prior to putting in in the oven. It would not hurt doing the final stage in the microwave but the result can differ than if you were to cook it in the oven. I suggest minimal time only as the pasta can toughen up in the microwave.
Try baking it for 45 minutes, that will turn your white sauce into brown it will look like burned but doesnt taste burned(you can try)
I am using electric oven to bake it.
Thanks for that tip, Polido!
Can i use oven toaster for this?
Hello Tina! Yes you can use oven toaster since the lasagna noodles and the filling are all cooked beforehand. The oven toaster can melt the cheese decently 🙂 Happy cooking!
Can i use fresh milk?
Hi sabrina! Yes, you can!
Hi, you used dried basil and parsley instead of the fresh ones. Actually I prefer the fresh ones, but my daughter has taste preference for something sweet and salty, she doesn’t like food that might taste weird for her and that includes herbs and spices. I appreciate if you have suggestions. Thanks and looking forward for your other recipes.
Hello, Helen! Thank you for checking the recipe out. My daughter is the same. She does not like the taste that the herbs impart on food so I usually omit the herbs because of her.
You can also omit the herbs altogether, I guess it is more kid-friendly that way 🙂
Hi. What kind of milk will be use?
Hi Diane! You can use regular cow’s milk in addition to the 1 cup of evaporated milk. 🙂 I hope you enjoy this recipe.
Hi. If mozzarella cheese is not around. What cheese po pwede for the bechamel sauce?
Hello Germaine,
Cheddar cheese is a great substitute. The quick melt ones, like the Velveeta and Eden are great! But you can also use the cheddar brick cheeses too 🙂 Enjoy!
hi sanna,
can i use a turbo broiler for this? thanks
Hi Shiela! Since, the lasagna is all cooked prior to baking, I believe you can use a turbo broiler. The goal is to melt the cheese on top. Since the turbo broiler may vary in the heat it emits, just be sure to watch closely as to not burn the top. I am seeing you are going to use a different baking dish too for the broiler, so watch out for the time 🙂