How to make an unsloppy lasagne?

[Rockbird]

Hopefully I'll be able to explain what I mean...

When I make lasagne, no matter how much béchamel I use or don't use, it's always sloppy. It firms up overnight but is still essentially the same. Other lasagnes seem to have an almost mousse-like layer at the top. I had one yesterday which was amazing and much better than mine. Where am I going wrong? I don't make the white sauce but I could if I wanted, I'm just lazy. But I don't think that would make a difference. I need fabulous lasagne. It's my favourite thing. But I want the firmer layer on top.

Make the bechamel yourself. Then you choose the consistency of the sauce.

But of mustard powder, grating of nutmeg, loads of cheese on top. Bibs y

Posted too soon! Bob's your uncle. Obvs.

Bechamel is really easy to make! You don’t even need to make a roux really. Equal amounts of butter and flour and enough milk to make a thin paste, whack it in a pan altogether and whisk until smooth, bring up to simmer and keep whisking in milk until you’re happy with the consistency. So much better than in a packet. This thread is making me hungry!!

Simply bake it for 15 minutes, take out of the oven and leave to cool. Bake for a further 15 minutes when you want to eat it it, later same day. Works like a charm every time!

I don't use bechamel, I use ricotta instead and not sloppy at all

I make a very thick, almost dry meat layer. Make a very thick bechamel sauce and only use a thin layer of it . Use dry pasta sheets. On top I just put a bit of bechamel and a lot of grated cheese.

I don't use bechamel either. I use ricotta or cottage cheese with an egg mixed in. Then, I mix in chopped drained (well) frozen spinach. I may well be an outlier with the spinach but it's how my Mom made it. Perhaps she was a trailblazer for sneaking in veggies? No one has ever complained about the spinach...

Forgot. I add Parmesan cheese to the ricotta mixture also.

www.deliaonline.com/recipes/type-of-dish/pasta/lasagne-al-forno

Best lasagne recipe ever! Always trust Delia x

Some research has taught me that what I make is "Traditional Canadian Lasagna", spinach and all. I now remember the recipe being on the box of Catelli lasagna pasta! If you search for spinach lasagna, you get lots of hits on Kraft Canada lasagna recipes that are similar. I guess, as Canadian born and bred, as my Mom would have said, "I come by it honestly!" I miss her. Love recipe threads.

Check out acanadianfoodie.com. It is all there.

I hate sloppy food. Like, hate it with a vengeance; really don’t ever be giving me soup! So I, of all people, know how to make a non-sloppy lasagne

It’s the meat, not the white/cheese sauce that makes it sloppy. Cook the meat concoction until it’s suitably dry. However long it takes, just keep going till the nasty sloppiness has gone. Then assemble.

The white sauce is there to cook the lasagne sheets only. Reducing it won’t do anything to reduce sloppiness but will result in uncooked pasta.

Nice, dried out meat sauce; plenty of white/cheese sauce; basil. Perfect, I promise.

So much advice, thanks! An excuse to eat lasagne for the rest of my days, definitely not a problem! Yes maybe moussaka is the consistency I'm thinking of. I shall try all suggestions until my perfect lasagne is revealed. Yum.

I agree with @CarolDanvers, make the day before and reheat.