Lasagne is a classic, a regular on the table in our household and it's the meal I'd choose from the local pub food menu too. I have perfected my own yummy yet easy lasagne recipe and I'm excited to be sharing it with you. P.S. You're welcome :)
Not only will I show you how to make lasagne step by step, but I will share with you alternative ingredients to easily swap this into a vegetarian recipe. I'll show you exactly what pots, pans and utensils you'll need and how you can store the lasagne.
Why should you use my recipe over all the others on Google? Lasagne is my absolute favourite. I've tried many of the recipes you'll find on a Google search, I've taken inspiration from the best and tastiest ones and used them to create my easy (yet yummy) lasagne recipe.
I may not be Gordon Ramsay or Nigella Lawson, but I know my Lasange. I hope you enjoy it, here it is:
This post may contain affiliate links. That means I may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you if you purchase through one of the links. Thank you for your support.
Jen's easy lasagne recipe (UK)
Serves: 4
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes on the cooker, then 45 minutes in the oven
What you'll need:
Casserole dish (roughly W21cm x L30cm)
Ingredients:
Ragu:
1 white onion
2 large carrots
5 garlic cloves
1 tbsp oregano (dried)
500g beef mince
1 tin chopped tomatoes
3 tbsp tomato puree
350ml beef stock (I use Oxo)
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
Splash of olive oil
Pinch salt & pepper
Pinch of sugar
White (Béchamel) Sauce:
60g butter
60g plain flour
650ml semi-skimmed milk
75g cheddar cheese
Pinch of salt & pepper
Layering:
8-10 lasagne sheets (dried)
150g cheddar cheese
50g Parmesan cheese
Easy lasagne recipe step by step
1. Prep
Dice the onion and carrots, finely chop or grate the garlic
Grate the cheeses
Make the stock
Measure the white sauce ingredients
Check you have all other ingredients to hand
Preheat oven to 200c (180c for fan-assisted).
2. Ragu
Heat olive oil in a large pan on medium heat
Once hot, add onions and carrots and cook for 2 minutes
Add the garlic for an additional minute
Add the mince until browned all over (approx. 5 minutes)
Once browned, add oregano, tomato puree, Worcestershire sauce, chopped tomatoes, sugar and stock, mix well
Turn up to high heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until the liquid has vastly reduced (be sure to stir occasionally). Begin step 3 whist your ragu simmers.
Season with a pinch of salt and pepper once reduced
3. White Sauce
Melt butter over low heat in a medium-sized pan or saucepan
Once melted, tip in the flour and use a whisk to mix for 1 minute to create your roux
Add a large splash of the milk to the roux, mix well
Continue adding more large splashes, making sure the milk mixes in before adding the next portion until it's all in the pan.
Keep mixing and let the sauce thicken
Once the sauce has thickened, season with a pinch of salt and pepper and mix in the cheese (75g from sauce ingredients). Take off the heat.
4. Layer up and bake
Spread half the ragu on the bottom of your baking dish
Cover the ragu with lasagne sheets butting them up the best you can to each other without overlapping too much.
Spread half of the white sauce over the sheets
Repeat the layering: ragu, lasagne sheets and white sauce
Sprinkle over the cheddar and parmesan cheeses (from the layering ingredients list)
Bake in the centre of your preheated oven for 40-45 minutes, until the cheese is nice and golden brown
... cut into 4 portions and serve, yum!
What to serve with lasagne in Winter?
Try roasted tender stem broccoli, sprinkled with a drizzle of oil, well seasoned and roasted in the oven for 10 minutes. If you have any leftover parmesan sprinkle some shavings on top, yum!
What goes well with lasagne in Summer?
A popular choice is a brightly coloured salad; my favourite side salad consists of lambs lettuce with cherry tomatoes, spring onions and a lemony dressing. Perhaps some homemade garlic bread using a french stick and plenty of garlic and butter.
How can you store cooked or part-cooked lasagne?
Cooked lasange keeps for around 3 days in the fridge or up to 2 months in the freezer, so why not make a double batch! Be sure to thaw the frozen lasagne in the fridge fully before heating.
You could prepare the lasagne up to the point of layering. Refrigerate the prepared lasagne (once cooled) and be sure to cover it so the sauce doesn't form a skin. Then cook in the oven when you're ready, ideally within 24 hours of refrigerating, for approx 45-50 minutes on 200c, or 180c if fan assisted.
How long to cook lasagne
For this recipe the baking time is 40-45 minutes, however, your dried lasagne sheets should be cooked after around 25 minutes. I personally cook for longer to get a crispy topping, mmm yum!
How many layers in Lasagne?
There's no official number of layers that a lasagne should have, this is likely due to the conflicting origins of the lasagne, some say it originates from Italy, some say it's Greek, I say as long as there are at least 2 layers it'll be well structured, shouldn't fall apart and it'll taste delicious!
How to keep lasagna from falling apart
Be sure your ragu reduces down to a non-runny consistency, this will help avoid the layers slipping off each other as you take your portion out of the pan.
You could try leaving the lasagne to rest before serving, or even cook one day and serve the next (refrigerating between) allowing the contents to firm up a bit.
Is there a vegetarian version of this lasagne recipe?
With a couple of simple swaps, you can enjoy this recipe meat-free!
Swap beef mince for: Quorn mince, McCartney's Vegemince, soybean tempeh or even a homemade nut-mince!
Swap parmesan for: Additional cheddar cheese, breadcrumbs for a little crunch, or Pecorino Italian hard cheese.
This recipe uses dried; that's because I always have a stock of the dried sheets in my pantry and I hate waste. There's more chance of the fresh stuff going to waste if I don't get around to using it. However taste-wise, I can never really tell the difference between the two in a lasagne.
It takes half the time to cook the lasagne using the fresh sheets as it does the dried. Yet, you're going to want to cook your lasagne for at least 30 minutes anyway to get a nice golden brown layer of cheese so you may as well use the dried lasagne.
Add this recipe to your recipe journal
I have a Moleskine Recipe Journal and it's one of the best gifts I've ever treated myself to. I note down all my successes and yummy creations in this beautiful journal. This journal is not only a fun activity, it's a potential family heirloom all rolled into one.
The journal has an elastic closure and cardboard case to keep the book in great condition. There are sections to add appetisers, first courses, main courses, side dishes and desserts.
On each recipe page, you can note the recipe difficulty, prep time, cooking time, serving size, cooking gadgets required, and even add a wine pairing and star rating.
I love my Moleskine recipe journal. I add at least one recipe to it every month and plan to pass it down to my future children. I added this lasagne recipe to mine a few months back, if you think you'd enjoy the journal too, take a look at it here on Amazon.
Why not try the Mindful Chef version?
Are you a Mindful Chef customer or thinking of becoming one?
Mindful chef deliver nutritionist-designed recipes to your door and guess what, they have a banging lasagne recipe too, trust me I've tried it and by now you know how much I love lasagne! As much as I want you to cook my recipe, I can't deny how yummy this one is.
Classic beef lasagne by Mindful chef
Succulent, grass-fed beef mince, fragrant oregano, silky béchamel. A ‘mindful’ take on the family staple – gluten- and dairy-free, as always – is just as delicious as the original. (From Mindful Chef Website)
Did you enjoy this recipe?
If you enjoyed this recipe, why not take a photo of your masterpiece and tag Tried and Loved on Instagram, I'd love to see it and share it! Have a browse of this website for more recipes to come and inspirational ideas for you and your loved ones.
Do you have a lasagne recipe that you love? Feel free to send it to me, I'd love to give it a try. Have a great day!
Jenny - Author of Tried and Loved
This post may contain affiliate links. That means I may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you if you purchase through one of the links. Thank you for your support. As an Amazon Associate, we may earn from qualifying purchases. Be sure to cook safely and responsibly, for advice, visit: https://www.food.gov.uk/