A big lesson for many cooking enthusiasts is the art of suitable substitutes. Many of us are prone to picking up the wrong jar of something-or-other, or have ingredients for this, but not that.
Some of us are just keen experimentalists! This article asks whether you can use lasagne sauce for pasta.
Using Lasagne Sauce for Other Pasta Dishes
Can you use lasagne sauce for other pasta dishes? The short answer is yes. Absolutely. Lasagne is pasta, and pasta sauces lend ample flexibility to playing around with other dishes.
This applies whether your lasagne sauce is store-bought (in a jar or as a dry mix), or homemade.
The purpose of the sauce within a pasta dish is to add flavour and moisture and/or to help gently bind the ingredients when baking.
So, if you’re hoping to make an al forno dish or carbonara dish with lasagne sauce… go for it.
What Is in Lasagne Sauce?
Lasagne’s trademark white sauce is comprised of your typical béchamel sauce, which is butter, flour and milk. Cheese of choice is optional too.
Béchamel is very easy to make, and often works out cheaper (and more delicious) than buying a store-bought ready-made lasagne sauce.
Because this sauce is so versatile (particularly with pasta-based dishes), it can be ideal for many types of pasta dishes.
How to Make a Béchamel Sauce
A béchamel sauce for lasagne is very quick and easy to make:
- Gently melt your butter in a saucepan. Stir in equal amounts of flour, and cook the mixture for just under a minute on a medium-high temperature.
- Stir in your milk (a little at a time) and continue stirring well to ensure no floury lumps.
- Bring the mixture to the boil, stirring constantly (this is important), so that the mixture thickens and turns into a roux. Boil for a couple of minutes, still stirring constantly.
- If you want to add a nice Italian cheese, grate it down finely and add it to the mix at the same time you take it off the heat – and keep stirring. The secret to a great lasagne sauce: Stir, stir, stir!
- Season to taste.
Is Lasagne Sauce Vegan?
A traditional lasagne or cheese sauce is not vegan, as it contains butter, milk, and cheese (optional).
However, because there are plant-based versions of these ingredients, a vegan lasagne sauce is possible to make. Please note, the texture and consistency may differ from the original.
Conclusion
A lasagne sauce is simply a traditional béchamel sauce made of melted butter, milk and flour, so it can lend itself to many dishes that require a sauce.
It is important to note, however, that béchamel sauce is typically rather bland, so if you’re looking to substitute it for another pasta dish, you may find you need plenty of garlic, seasoning, and other ingredients to give the dish some flavour.
Béchamel sauces are very quick and easy to make, and often work out cheaper making from scratch at home than buying a store-bought sauce or dry mix.
Clara is a freelance writer and former chef. Though she may have hung up her apron, her love of food and cooking is still going strong! When she’s not whipping up a verbal storm, she’ll be in her kitchen sipping wine and whipping up a culinary storm.
