How to Make Crispy Fried Lasagna Toppers – Easy & Delicious

These crispy fried lasagna toppers are a delicious twist on classic lasagna—layered with savoury meat sauce and creamy béchamel, then crumbed and fried until golden and crunchy. I created these after reverse-engineering a version I saw at work, and they’ve been a hit ever since! If you enjoy crumbed comfort food, you might also like my Crumbed Schnitzel with Two Sauces – Mushroom & Pepper—another crispy favourite.

Homemade Lasagna Toppers – Fried & Crispy

Prep Time: 40 minutes mins

Cook Time: 1 hour hour

Chill Time: 1 day day

Servings: 24 toppers

A delicious twist on classic lasagna—these Lasagna Toppers are layered with rich meat sauce and creamy béchamel, then crumbed and fried to crispy perfection. Ideal as a snack, party food, or main meal.

Print Recipe

Ingredients

 

For the Meat Sauce

• 1-2 tbsps. olive oil
• 1 large onion finely diced
• 1 small carrot finely diced
• 1 stick celery finely diced
• 4 cloves garlic finely chopped
• 500 g pork mince
• 500 g beef mince
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 400 g can diced tomatoes
• 1 can of water use tomato tin to measure
• 1 tsp sugar
• 2 tsp beef stock powder
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• Salt and cracked black pepper to taste

For the Béchamel Sauce

• 100 g butter
• 100 g flour or cornstarch
• 1 L milk 4 cups
• Salt and cracked black pepper to taste

For Assembly

• Dried lasagna sheets
• Grated cheddar cheese

For Crumbing

• Flour or cornstarch
• 3 eggs whisked
• Breadcrumbs fresh, panko, or dried

For Frying or Baking

• Olive oil

Instructions

 

Prepare the Meat Sauce

• Sauté onion, carrot, and celery in olive oil until soft. Add garlic and cook for just a minute or two, until you can smell the garlic. Add beef and pork mince; cook until no longer pink. Stir in tomato paste and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add tomatoes, water, sugar, stock powder, and dried herbs. Simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thickened. Season to taste.

Make the Béchamel Sauce

• Melt butter in a saucepan. Whisk in flour and cook for 2 minutes. Add all the milk at once, whisking continuously until thick and just simmering. Season with salt and pepper.

Soften the Lasagna Sheets

• Cover dried lasagna sheets with boiling water in a tray. Let sit until pliable. (This step is not necessary just helps with cutting them, otherwise just break dried lasagna noodles).

Assemble the Lasagna Slab

• Line a large tray with baking paper. Layer softened pasta sheets, meat sauce, béchamel, and cheddar cheese. Bake at 180°C (350°F) for 30 minutes until golden. Chill overnight.

Slice and Crumb the Toppers

• Trim edges (optional) and cut chilled lasagna into even portions. Dredge each in flour, egg, then breadcrumbs.

Cook the Toppers

• Fry in a pan with olive oil over medium-low heat until golden and crisp, or bake at 180°C (350°F) for ~20 minutes with a drizzle of oil.

Video

Notes

• Frying gives the best result—crispy on the outside and tender inside. Baking works too but doesn’t crisp up as nicely.
• Can be frozen after crumbing, though results may vary slightly when cooking from frozen.
• You can add mozzarella or parmesan between layers if you like.
• Great as a snack, party food, or light meal with salad.