Homemade Lasagna Toppers – Fried & Crispy
Prep Time: 40 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Chill Time: 1 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.
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.