(Pasticho Venezolano) Creamy Venezuelan-Style Lasagna
A Venezuelan dish, pasticho offers a lasagna-like experience featuring layers of beef, tomato sauce, and creamy béchamel.
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Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 350 F.
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Cook lasagna noodles as directed, then drain and rinse.
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For the red sauce, heat olive oil in a skillet; sauté onions and garlic until fragrant. Brown ground beef with soy sauce and Worcestershire. Stir in stewed tomatoes, tomato paste, oregano, basil, bay leaf, sugar, and wine or stock, then simmer for 30-45 minutes until thick, and season.
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For the béchamel sauce, melt butter, whisk in flour until bubbly, then gradually whisk in milk and cook until thickened. Stir in salt, optional nutmeg, and Parmesan cheese until smooth, then season.
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Assemble by spreading béchamel on the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking pan, then layer with noodles.
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Cover the noodles with one-third of the meat sauce.
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Add another noodle layer, then spread about 1 cup of béchamel, 1/3 of the mozzarella, and some Parmesan cheese.
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Repeat with another meat sauce layer, followed by another béchamel and cheese layer.
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Add a final meat sauce layer, then top with the remaining noodles, béchamel, mozzarella, and Parmesan.
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Cover the pasticho with foil and bake for 30 minutes; remove foil and continue baking until bubbly and heated through. Cool for 5-10 minutes before serving.