Tomato Lasagna!

So everybody likes lasagna, but this one is a little different - simpler and easier to make, and without all the greasy meat business. A bit lighter, if you will. It's got a simple white sauce (bechamel) to stand in for the ricotta, tomato sauce, some cheese and the pasta. That's it. Tasty though. Here goes:

Tomato Sauce:
1/3 cup olive oil
3 cloves garlic, peeled but left whole
salt
4 (14 oz) cans diced tomatoes
~12 basil leaves, torn
1 c. hot water

Bechamel sauce:
1/4 lb plus 1/2 tablespoon butter
2/3 c. all purpose flour
4 cups milk, warmed
salt and freshly ground black pepper
freshly grated nutmeg

1 package lasagne noodles
grated parmesan cheese - I end up using about a pound for a batch, you can use less, but what's life without lots of good cheese?

For the tomato sauce, heat the oil and garlic in a large pan. When you
begin to smell the garlic, add the tomatoes and a good pinch of salt
and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and cook uncovered for 20 to 25
minutes. Add the basil and 1 cup hot water towards the end of the
cooking time. Puree until smooth if you feel like it, but I left it chunky and it has a nice texture that way.

To make the bechamel, melt the buttter in a small saucepan over low
heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for a few minutes, stirring
constantly, then begin adding the warm milk. It will be immediately
absorbed, so work quickly, whisking with one hand while adding
ladlefuls of milk with the other. When the sauce seems to be smooth
and not too stiff, add salt, pepper, and a grating of nutmeg and
continue cooking, even after it comes to a boil, for 5 minutes or so,
mixing all the time. It should be a very thick and smooth sauce.

Preheat the oven to 350 and grease a deep big rectangular baking
dish. Drizzle some bechamel over the bottom of the dish to cover it
very thinly. Put a slightly overlapping layer of lasagne noodles on
top. Dollow think layer of tomato sauce over that, spreading it with
the back of the ladle. Add about two ladlefuls of bechamel in long
drizzles and then cover with a sprinkling of parmesan. Add another
layer of lasagne noodles, then tomato, bechamel, and parmesan as
before, and then repeat the layers. You should have
about 4 tablespoons of tomato sauce and a good amount of bechamel
left. Make a final layer of lasagne noodles and cover with all the
remaining bechamel. Apply the tomato sauce here and there and
sprinkle with any remaining parmesan. Bake for about 30 minutes, or
until it is bubbling and golden on top.