Tomato-French Bread Lasagna

No boiling noodles. No waiting for water to heat. Just toasted French bread standing in as the world’s most satisfying shortcut.

Layers of seasoned ground beef, thick-sliced fresh tomatoes, and a generous herb blend get stacked between slices of toasted bread, then blanketed with a from-scratch Parmesan bechamel and a mountain of shredded mozzarella.

It bakes until the cheese turns golden and bubbly and the whole thing smells like the best Italian restaurant you’ve never been to.

This feeds a crowd from one 13×9 pan, and it might just replace your go-to lasagna recipe for good.

Kitchen Tips

• Toast the bread well. It needs to be sturdy enough to hold up under the layers without turning to mush during baking.
• Use fresh, firm tomatoes sliced about half an inch thick. They add brightness that canned tomatoes can’t match here.
• The white sauce comes together fast, but stir constantly once you add the milk. Lumpy bechamel is nobody’s friend.
• Let the casserole rest for 10 minutes after it comes out of the oven. It sets up and slices much cleaner.