Broccoli Shrimp Lasagna

A white-sauce lasagna loaded with shrimp and broccoli instead of the usual ground beef and tomato sauce. The béchamel base gets a flavor boost from sliced scallions, dry mustard, thyme, and a pinch of cayenne, then Monterey Jack melts into it for a smooth cheese sauce that won’t break in the oven.

Cooked, deveined shrimp goes between the layers, not under the sauce. The medium-size cooked shrimp warm through during the 30-minute bake without overcooking, which would happen with raw shrimp added to a long-baked dish. If you only have raw shrimp, blanch them for 90 seconds in salted water before assembly.

Don’t overcook the broccoli at the prep stage. The frozen broccoli already cooks during the bake, so a quick thaw and drain is enough. Boiled-to-soft broccoli will go olive-green and mushy after the oven time.

Let the lasagna rest 10 minutes before slicing. White sauce thickens dramatically as it cools, and a hot lasagna runs across the plate; a rested one cuts into clean, tidy squares.

Chef Tips

• Use no-boil lasagna noodles to skip the boiling step entirely; the sauce has enough liquid to hydrate them.
• Add a tablespoon of grated Parmesan on top for the last 5 minutes of baking for a golden, savory crust.
• Pat the cooked shrimp dry before layering so any extra moisture doesn’t water down the sauce.
• A 13×9-inch metal pan browns the corners better than glass; both work, but metal gives crispier edges.

Variations

• Swap broccoli for asparagus tips, spinach, or peas for seasonal variety.
• Add a layer of ricotta for a richer, more traditional lasagna structure.
• Replace shrimp with cooked chicken or flaked salmon for a different protein.