
How to make… the perfect Lasagne with Sue Ashworth
- Type : Dinner
Love lasagne? Who doesn’t! Follow Sue’s easy step-by-step recipe for success on a plate.
A great friend of Lakeland (she writes lots of our recipes), Sue believes that it’s so important to have well-written recipes that are easy to follow and give great results – without any hassle – just like this one.
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 500g lean minced beef
- 1 onion chopped
- 2 garlic cloves crushed
- 1 tbsp Italian mixed dried herbs
- 2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes
- A small amount salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 6-8 lasagne sheets
- 500ml milk
- 40g plain flour
- 25g butter
- 150g mature Cheddar cheese grated
- 2 tbsp Parmesan cheese finely grated
Method
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Heat the vegetable oil in a large frying pan, then over a high heat add the minced beef a handful at a time – don’t stir it too much, as it needs to sear. This is important as it helps seal and brown the meat to give a good flavour. A frying pan works well, as the meat browns more easily over the larger surface area.
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Add the onion and garlic to the frying pan with the dried herbs. Cook over a medium heat for 3-4 minutes, stirring often, then add the chopped tomatoes. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes without a lid, so that the liquid reduces to give you a rich, meaty tomato sauce. Season. Preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas 4.
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The easiest way to make a smooth white sauce is by the all-in-one method. Simply put the milk, flour and butter into a non-stick saucepan (it will look impossible at this stage) then heat gently, whisking constantly with a silicone-coated wire whisk until the sauce boils and thickens. Turn down the heat to low and cook gently for another minute, still stirring all the time.
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Remove the saucepan from the heat and add half the grated cheese. Stir thoroughly (you can use a wooden spoon now) so that the heat of the sauce melts the cheese – there’s no need to return it to the hob. Cheese can go stringy if it’s melted over a high heat, so this is the best method. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
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Spoon half the mince mixture into a large rectangular baking dish and spread it evenly over the base. Cover with half the lasagne sheets. If the lasagne sheets are a bit too large, you can snip them close to the edge with a pair of scissors to trim them a little to fit. Depending on the size of your dish, you may need 3 or 4 lasagne sheets here.
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Spoon over half the cheese sauce and spread over the lasagne sheets with the back of a wooden spoon. Now repeat the layers of meat mixture, lasagne sheets and cheese sauce once more, spreading the sauce evenly over the top.
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Finally, sprinkle the remaining Cheddar evenly over the surface, then finish off with the grated Parmesan. This combination of cheeses works really well to give a great flavour, though you could just use mature Cheddar if you prefer. Bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes, until golden brown on the surface. Leave for 10 minutes to settle a little, so that it’s easier to serve.
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