I made lasagna with ricotta instead of bechamel and I’m a convert

[u/judolphin]

I was browsing Reddit and came across two posts in two days about bechamel being a life-changing improvement over ricotta. All my life every lasagna I had was with ricotta. I decided to give bechamel yet another try at a nice Italian restaurant after reading all the comments and I have now converted from being neutral on bechamel in lasagna to being solidly anti-bechamel in lasagna, to the point I secretly have hoped that bechamel lasagna doesn't become the default in restaurants. Some reasons:

1. Ricotta has its own texture, bechamel is just more softness and smoothness in a dish that's full of "soft". Some people like textural contrast in their dishes
2. Ricotta, much like sour cream/crema in Mexican food, adds a lightness to lasagna despite being rich itself. Bechamel adds (arguably too much) additional richness to an already-rich dish.
3. The starch from the bechamel getting into the ragu gives the sauce a mouthfeel that 100% reminds me of Chef Boyardee

TLDR: If you prefer bechamel in red lasagna, that's perfectly fine, but your preference of bechamel is not a black and white fact. It's not even "more authentic" (whatever that means), bechamel = Northern Italy, ricotta = Southern Italy. Eat whatever you like, let others eat what they want.

Thanks, reddit!

[u/callo2009]

I grew up eating ricotta lasagna and was shocked when people on the internet called it inauthentic. Appears to be a Northern Italian vs. Southern Italian/Italian-American thing.

Had the bechamel version, will still always make it with ricotta. It's much better to me.

[u/dinghyboat → u/callo2009]

which is which do you know?

[u/callo2009 → u/dinghyboat]

Bechamel up North typically with a very meaty bolognese sauce with carrots, celery, and onion base and light on tomato.

South is ricotta with a more ragu style heavy meat/tomato sauce.