All the rumors are true – Christine Brown’s white lasagna recipe is nearly too good to be true!
When I first heard about Christine Brown’s white lasanga, I wasn’t sure what the fuss was all about. Not one to let a food trend pass me by, I had to check it out.
Featured on a recent episode of Christine Brown’s new cooking show, Cooking With Just Christine, this white lasagna recipe has been making waves for its big flavor and simple preparation.
A super easy, creamy lasagna recipe made with a delicious homemade alfredo suace that’s ready in an hour? It’s a big claim, which is why I had to give it try.
Spoiler alert! Christine’s white lasagna recipe does, in fact, live up to the hype. It’s incredibly easy to make and my entire family gave it rave reviews.
What Makes Christine Brown’s White Lasagna Recipe Special?
Ok, so what makes this recipe so special? In my opinion it’s how easy it is to make the incredibly flavorful alfredo sauce! Seriously. This sauce is delicious.
My first time trying my hand at making homemade alfredo sauce I was in high school, attempting to cook a very fancy dinner before prom with my best friend.
The result was a sauce that broke, leaving behind a terrible greasy mess that we all pretended was delicious as we spooned it over wilted noodles.
Did I imagine then that I’d end up with a career a food writer as an adult? Nope, I surely did not. But forge on I did, and eventually I mastered alfredo sauce.
Guess what? I am no longer making alfredo sauce any other than this. Seriously. Christine Brown’s white lasagna recipe has changed my life.
(And that, friends, may be one of the oddest sentences I have ever written.)
Made with butter, cream cheese, garlic salt, grated cheeses and seasonings, this alfredo sauce is rich and delicious, and you don’t even have to make a roux!
To Make Christine Brown’s White Lasagna Recipe You Need:
When you first read "cream sauce" you might immediately have a knee jerk reaction think this recipe is overly fussy or complicated.
In truth, the ingredients are very accessible and the cooking preparation is quite basic. Don’t be mistaken though – basic in this case equals delicious.
- Ground beef – Because Christine doesn’t eat pork, her white lasagna recipe uses ground beef instead of sausage.
- Poultry seasoning – To add a sausage-like depth of flavor to the ground beef, it is browned with poultry seasoning.
- Butter – Unsalted butter is the foundation of the simple, creamy alfredo sauce.
- Cream cheese – Added to the butter, cream cheese carries most of the alfredo sauce preparation. Yes, cream cheese!
- Garlic salt – You’ll need garlic salt to add garlic flavor and a bit of seasoning to the alfredo sauce.
- Milk – This sauce leans on whole milk for the smooth, creamy consistency. Use the whole milk to keep the richness.
- Bay leaf – I added bay leaf to the alfredo sauce, letting it simmer for a little extra depth to the flavor profile.
- Cheese – This recipe calls for both Asiago and Parmesan cheeses in the alfredo sauce, then the prepared lasagna is coverd in shredded mozzarella before baking.
- Black pepper – I can never make a sauce without the addition of cracked black pepper. Add it to taste to suit your palate.
- Lasagna noodles – Part of the beauty of this recipe? It uses no boil lasagna noodles! (You may also see them called oven ready lasagna noodles.)
- Spinach – Fresh baby spinach was my choice to layer into this lasagna. There is no need to wilt or cook it beforehand.
- Parsley – Before serving I sprinkled a bunch of chopped fresh parsley over top for a little extra color and freshness.
How to Make Christine Brown’s White Lasagna Recipe
Step 1. Begin by browning the ground beef with the poultry seasoning. Then you can drain off the excess fat and set it aside.
Step 2. Melt the butter in a large saucepan.
Step 3. While the butter is melting, cut the cream cheese into cubes. Add that and the garlic salt to the melted butter and whisk to combine.
Step 4. Add the milk a quarter at a time, whisking until it’s smooth and well incorporated each time.
Step 5. Add the bay leaves, Asiago and Parmesan cheeses. Whisk well until the sauce is thick, creamy and smooth. Season with black pepper and simmer.
Step 6. Once the sauce is completely smooth and the cheeses are fully melted, spoon 1/4 of the sauce into the bottom of a prepared baking dish.
Step 7. Layer in lasagna noodles, half of the ground beef, half of the spinach and another 1/4 of the alfredo sauce.
Step 8. Repeat with another layer of noodles, the remaining ground beef and spinach, and yet another 1/4 of the sauce.
Top with the final lasagna noodles and the remaining alfredo sauce. Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese over top.
Step 9. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until golden around the edges and bubbly. Let cool, sprinkle with parsley and serve.
Recipe Variations
- Mushrooms – Christine’s original white lasagna recipe includes mushrooms, which I’ve omitted here. Not everyone in my family loves them so I decided to skip them, but if you added them you’d likely find this creamy white lasagna takes on a beef stroganoff quality. Yum!
- Chicken – If your family prefers chicken over beef, sub in shredded chicken! You can pop by the grocery store for a fresh rotisserie chicken to make it even easier, then just shred up the breast meat and toss it into the lasagna.
- Sausage – Christine’s version intentionally avoids using sausage, but if you’re a sausage lover, considering using a 50/50 mix of sausage and ground beef.
- Onions – Peronsally, I love thinly sliced caramelized onions, which I think would be a great addition along with the spinach in this lasagna.
- Kale – If you want to add a burst of nutrient dense greens, use kale in addition to spinach. It would be delicious in this white lasgana recipe!
What To Serve with Christine Brown’s White Lasagna Recipe
One of the joys of this easy white lasagna recipe is that it can easily stand alone as a meal without much extra fuss.
That said, I always love a good salad or pile of roasted veggies alongside a richer dish such as this one.
Roasted broccoli (easily made in the toaster oven) or cranberry pecan roasted Brussels sprouts would be two of my personal picks.
Alternately, this shaved Brussels sprout salad would be a fresh addition to your dinner.
Of course bread always makes a lovely accompaniment to pasta dishes. Try our herb skillet bread or rosemary olive oil bread.
If a salad is more your style, our clementine arugula salad with homemade clementine salad dressing would pair perfectly with this creamy lasagna.
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Christine Brown’s White Lasagna Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound Ground Beef
- 2 tablespoons Poultry Seasoning
- 1 stick Unsalted Butter
- 12 ounces Cream Cheese
- 1 tablespoon Garlic Salt
- 2 cups Whole Milk
- 3 Bay Leaf
- 1/2 cup Aged Asiago Cheese grated
- 1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese grated
- Cracked Black Pepper to taste
- 12 sheets No Boil Lasagna Noodles
- 2 cups Baby Spinach Leaves
- 2 cups Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
- 1/4 cup Chopped Parsley to garnish
Instructions
- Preheat an oven to 350°F
- Add the ground beef and poultry seasoning to a large skillet over medium heat.
- Cook until browned and cook through, roughly 10 to 15 minutes, breaking it up with a spoon as it cooks.
- Drain off the excess fat and set the ground beef mixture aside as you make the alfredo sauce.
- To make the alfredo sauce, melt a stick of butter over medium heat in a large saucepan.
- Cut the cream cheese into cubes and add it, and the garlic salt, to the melted butter.
- Whisk until mostly combined, then add the milk gradually, whisking between each addition.
- Once all of the milk is added, continue whisking until the milk is fully incorporated and the sauce is creamy.
- Add the bay leaves, grated Asiago and Parmesan cheeses. Whisk continuously to combine.
- Reduce the heat to low and season to taste with black pepper.
- Simmer for an additional 5 minutes, whisking reguarly.
- Spray a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray.
- Remove the bay leaves, then spoon 1/4 of the alfredo sauce into the baking dish and spread it evenly to coat the bottom of the dish.
- Place four lasagna noodles in a single layer across the bottom of the dish.
- Add 1/2 of the ground beef to the dish and spread it evenly across the noodles.
- Next, add 1/2 of the baby spinach leaves and spread those on top.
- Spoon another 1/4 of the alfredo sauce on top of the spinach and spread it out to mostly cover the spinach.
- Add another layer of noodles, the rest of the ground beef, the remaining spinach and another 1/4 of the alfredo sauce in the same way.
- Top with a final layer of lasagna noodles and then spread the reamining alfredo sauce evenly on top.
- Sprinkle the shredded mozzarella cheese over everything and bake until golden brown around the edges and bubbly, about 30 to 35 minutes.
- When done, remove carefully from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes before slicing.
- Garnish with freshly chopped parsley (optional) and serve warm.