Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

What cheese do you use on your lasagna top?

134 replies

Dringo · 30/08/2024 13:00

Boring question alert 🚨

Had a 10 year old admonish me for using cheddar cheese last night! Her mother only uses buffalo mozzarella and Parmesan don’t you know.

I’ve always just used whatever cheddar we have knocking around as I really don’t like the after taste of Parmesan and find mozzarella bland. I know it’s not authentic

i think my lasagna is gorgeous.

OP posts:
Doodledogsaredoolally · 19/02/2025 18:16

My mum's lasagne is the best (in my opinion) and it has no additional cheese topping.

It's a Bolognese sauce made with beef mince, onions, garlic, passata and a bay leaf simmer for an hour, or better still, simmered the day before and then stored overnight. Then a white sauce with a whole big tub of Philadelphia full fat cream cheese and a bit of mustard powder stirred in too.

In a big pyrex dish, the meat sauce, then a layer of the creamy sauce, then a layer of dry lasagne sheets, repeat, then top with the remaining meat sauce and the remaining creamy sauce on top. Baked for about 45 mins.

It's saucy and sloppy, and the edges go dark and a bit bubbly and crispy. This are the bits I fight for. I don't like shop bought or restaurant lasagne because there's too much pasta for me.

aSpanielintheworks · 19/02/2025 18:25

Grated mozzarella with a sprinkle of ground Nutmeg on

SandalsandPools · 19/02/2025 18:27

A mixture of cheddar and mozzarella as I can’t bear parmesan or any cheese that tastes like it.

Zanatdy · 19/02/2025 18:28

I just use bog standard cheddar too. How I like it.

SandalsandPools · 19/02/2025 18:29

GladSatsumaShark · 01/09/2024 08:19

In a way, but creme fraiche doesn’t really go in a lasagne tbf. Although I use it often too in pasta dishes, and it’s very tasty!

Show quote history

I always use crème fraiche instead of making a sauce. I love it and find the sauce too rich for my liking. I don’t care if it makes Italians faint in horror.

Greenisthebestcolour · 19/02/2025 18:46

@Doodledogsaredoolally Your mum's lasagne sounds delicious!

Waitingfordaffs · 19/02/2025 18:50

I use cheese sauce and cheddar on top as that’s what I always have in - mozzarella for pizzas though

Pickingmyselfup · 19/02/2025 19:14

For the sauce I put in cheddar, cream cheese, parmesan.

I sprinkle mozzarella and cheddar mix in between all the layers and then some on top.

It's a cheese abomination but I love cheese so the more the better in my opinion.

I also put garlic in the bolognese as well as red wine which I don't think is "right"

I often use cream and wine in my carbonara

I will never be allowed to live in Italy, they will turn me away at the airport.

AlwaysCoffee25 · 20/02/2025 10:02

Doodledogsaredoolally · 19/02/2025 18:16

My mum's lasagne is the best (in my opinion) and it has no additional cheese topping.

It's a Bolognese sauce made with beef mince, onions, garlic, passata and a bay leaf simmer for an hour, or better still, simmered the day before and then stored overnight. Then a white sauce with a whole big tub of Philadelphia full fat cream cheese and a bit of mustard powder stirred in too.

In a big pyrex dish, the meat sauce, then a layer of the creamy sauce, then a layer of dry lasagne sheets, repeat, then top with the remaining meat sauce and the remaining creamy sauce on top. Baked for about 45 mins.

It's saucy and sloppy, and the edges go dark and a bit bubbly and crispy. This are the bits I fight for. I don't like shop bought or restaurant lasagne because there's too much pasta for me.

Shop bought lasagnes are so naff.

Katemax82 · 20/02/2025 11:21

Margot2020 · 30/08/2024 13:06

An authentic lasagne is made with béchamel sauce, no cheese topping at all. So mozzarella isn’t authentic either, but I suppose at least it’s Italian. Like all Italian cuisine, British versions are quite different, but at least a cheesy topped lasagne is tasty, unlike some of the bolognese abominations you hear about on here!

I never used to put any cheese on but my daughter likes cheddar on it so I do that half of the time

AlwaysCoffee25 · 20/02/2025 16:17

I’ll be sure to tell my Italian MIL that MN says her lasagne is not authentic. She adds mozzarella to every pasta dish.

CloudywMeatballs · 21/02/2025 19:13

AlwaysCoffee25 · 20/02/2025 16:17

I’ll be sure to tell my Italian MIL that MN says her lasagne is not authentic. She adds mozzarella to every pasta dish.

I've never seen a lasagna that doesn't have mozzarella! I'm not sure where these MN people are getting the idea that authentic lasagnas don't have mozarella!

Itsaswelltime · 21/02/2025 19:15

I just use béchamel, no cheese.

JMSA · 21/02/2025 19:16

I know it's wrong, but whatever I have in the fridge.

CloudywMeatballs · 21/02/2025 19:17

To me, a dish containing sheets of pasta with bechamel but no cheese sounds like a sort of pasta bake. It may well be delicious, but it doesn't sound like lasagna to me.

JMSA · 21/02/2025 19:18

Margot2020 · 30/08/2024 13:06

An authentic lasagne is made with béchamel sauce, no cheese topping at all. So mozzarella isn’t authentic either, but I suppose at least it’s Italian. Like all Italian cuisine, British versions are quite different, but at least a cheesy topped lasagne is tasty, unlike some of the bolognese abominations you hear about on here!

A lasagne without cheese is pretty much my dream meal, as I don't actually like the stuff (the 'whatever I have in the fridge' comment below applies to making lasagne for my kids).

soupyspoon · 21/02/2025 19:20

The best topping I made once for lasagne was mixed up cottage cheese, an egg, parmesan and cream. It puffed up and was really tasty.

I cant stand the 'oh thats not authentic'

Neither is lasagne, given pasta was from the idea of noodles from the east in 1200s and tomatoes came from the new world

Authentic Italian cooking would have been like authentic British cooking, beans, lentils and roots.

soupyspoon · 21/02/2025 19:21

CloudywMeatballs · 21/02/2025 19:17

To me, a dish containing sheets of pasta with bechamel but no cheese sounds like a sort of pasta bake. It may well be delicious, but it doesn't sound like lasagna to me.

One of the best lasagnes I ever had was in Italy down some backstreet, not touristy, lots of locals in there, it was just pasta with pesto in between. Lovely. No topping

CloudywMeatballs · 21/02/2025 19:24

soupyspoon · 21/02/2025 19:21

One of the best lasagnes I ever had was in Italy down some backstreet, not touristy, lots of locals in there, it was just pasta with pesto in between. Lovely. No topping

Show quote history

Sounds delicious! But is it lasagna? I guess it depends on the definition.

According to Google: "a baked Italian dish consisting of wide strips of pasta cooked and layered with meat or vegetables, cheese, and tomato sauce."

Hankunamatata · 21/02/2025 19:28

Strong Cheddar cheese in slices

Hankunamatata · 21/02/2025 19:29

Even more terrible - i used bisto cheese sauce

soupyspoon · 21/02/2025 19:42

CloudywMeatballs · 21/02/2025 19:24

Sounds delicious! But is it lasagna? I guess it depends on the definition.

According to Google: "a baked Italian dish consisting of wide strips of pasta cooked and layered with meat or vegetables, cheese, and tomato sauce."

Show quote history

Lasagne is the name of the pasta shape (the sheet), it gives its name to the dish, not vice versa

soupyspoon · 21/02/2025 19:43

Hankunamatata · 21/02/2025 19:29

Even more terrible - i used bisto cheese sauce

Shameless.

CloudywMeatballs · 22/02/2025 13:33

soupyspoon · 21/02/2025 19:42

Lasagne is the name of the pasta shape (the sheet), it gives its name to the dish, not vice versa

Show quote history

???

Caravaggiouch · 22/02/2025 13:35

I don’t put cheese in the bechamel, just a bit of Parmesan on top and sprinkled between each layer. I don’t like it too cheesy.