A rich, indulgent meal perfect for cosy family gatherings around the kitchen table. Thinly sliced potatoes make a good value substitute for lasagne sheets
Our Food Director Sarah is a food obsessive, and spends most of her time scoping out the latest food trends, experimenting in her own kitchen, or making her family wait to eat while she photographs every dinner she makes for the 'gram! A complete Middle Eastern food junkie, she is never far from a good shawarma marinade, a pinch of Aleppo chilli or a sprig of dill
See more of Sarah Akhurst ’s recipes
Sarah Akhurst
Our Food Director Sarah is a food obsessive, and spends most of her time scoping out the latest food trends, experimenting in her own kitchen, or making her family wait to eat while she photographs every dinner she makes for the 'gram! A complete Middle Eastern food junkie, she is never far from a good shawarma marinade, a pinch of Aleppo chilli or a sprig of dill
See more of Sarah Akhurst ’s recipes
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Ingredients
For the ragù
2 tbsp rapeseed oil
1 large onion, diced
2 carrots, diced
2 sticks celery, diced
3 garlic cloves, finely sliced
2 tsp fennel seeds
80g cubetti pancetta
1kg 20% fat pork mince
200ml white wine
300ml chicken stock
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tsp clear honey
10g fresh sage, roughly chopped
For the béchamel
50g butter
50g plain flour
750ml milk
½ tsp ground nutmeg
75g Stilton, crumbled
75g Parmesan, grated
For the lasagne
100g kale
1kg potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
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Step by step
For the ragù, heat the oil in a deep frying pan and fry the onion, carrots and celery for 8-10 minutes until soft. Add the garlic, fennel seeds and pancetta; fry for 3-4 minutes. Add the pork mince, breaking it up well. Fry for 4-5 minutes, or until browned all over. Add the wine, let it bubble and reduce then add the stock, balsamic, honey and sage. Simmer for 25-30 minutes, uncovered. Season and set aside.
For the béchamel, melt the butter in a large saucepan and mix in the flour to make a paste. Cook gently for a minute or so, stirring. Slowly add the milk, whisking as you pour to prevent lumps forming. Simmer until the sauce thickens. Mix in the nutmeg, Stilton and half the Parmesan, stirring until the cheese has melted. Season and set aside.
Preheat the oven to 200°C, fan 180°C, gas 6. Blanch the potato slices in a pan of boiling water for 3-4 minutes until just tender, then drain and set aside. Put the kale in a microwaveable bowl with a splash of water. Cover and cook for 90 seconds, until wilted, then drain.
To layer up the lasagne, put a third of the ragù in the base of a baking dish. Top with a third of the kale and then drizzle over some of the béchamel. Cover the surface with a layer of potatoes, then repeat the layers finishing with a layer of potatoes and then a final layer of béchamel. Sprinkle over the remaining Parmesan and bake for 1 hour, until golden and bubbling and the potatoes are tender. Cover the top with foil during cooking if it starts browning too much.
Line the bottom of the baking pan with 4 cooked lasagna noodles, overlapping them. Spread the ricotta mixture first then the meat sauce on top. Sprinkle grated mozzarella and top with another three noodles. Repeat layering the ricotta and meat sauce with the cheese.
It's important that you don't add too much liquid to the sauce – lasagne shouldn't be a sloppy dish. Our recipe balances the quantities to deliver well-defined pasta layers while avoiding dryness. Using the right ingredients can also make all the difference in this comforting classic.
Start by spreading a layer of your tomato-based sauce (either a plain tomato sauce or your pre-made ragù) on the bottom of your dish. Next, add a single layer of pasta sheets. Then, add a layer of white sauce, followed by another single layer of pasta sheets.
Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes. Remove the foil and bake until cheese is golden brown, 5 to 10 more minutes. Remove from the oven and let stand for 10 minutes before cutting and serving.
Let me break it to you: If you want to make a lasagna, three layers just won't cut it! For the perfect lasagna, you need at least 4-5 layers to really enjoy all those mouth-watering flavors. And, here's a pro-tip: make sure to season each layer generously, but not too much. The average lasagna has 8 layers!
In a 9x13-inch (23x33 cm) glass baking dish, add a layer of bolognese to the bottom. Top with noodles, then spread a layer of the ricotta mixture on top. Repeat with another layer of bolognese, noodles, ricotta, noodles, bolognese, then top with mozzarella and additional Parmesan.
When the lasagna is ready it is difficult to resist the temptation to immediately eat it, but be careful because even in this case you have to be a little patient. Wait for your lasagna to rest for about 20 minutes once it is baked, in this way it will not fall apart when cut.
White sauce – also known as béchamel – is made with flour, milk, and butter. It's a basic sauce that can be used as a base for other sauces or as a topping for dishes like lasagna. Alfredo sauce, on the other hand, is made with butter, cream, and Parmesan cheese, and has a much richer flavour than white sauce.
A good tomato paste helps to thicken but also adds a sweet and savory umami flavor. Lean Ground Beef: Lean beef adds a robust and hearty meatiness that's essential in a classic lasagna recipe.
After the initial sauce layer, add a layer of pasta sheets, ricotta mixture (or bechamel), sauce, and cheese. Then repeat the layers. Top the last layer of your lasagna with sauce and cheese.
You can enhance the taste of your lasagna by making sure that each component of the dish is made with a quality ingredient that has been handled and seasoned properly. Make your own marinara sauce with good quality tomatoes, reduce it until it is flavorful and season it with salt and pepper.
Use vegetables like carrots, onions, and celery for flavor plus lots of garlic and herbs. If making a meat sauce, brown and season the ground meat before adding the tomatoes. Incorporate tomato paste for thickness, and make sure to reduce the sauce as a thicker tomato sauce works better for lasagna.
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Prep time: 25 mins
