This Traditional Lasagne is my husband’s favourite dinner which is why it’s the first recipe I’m sharing in my series of family favourites. Minced beef in a rich tomato sauce layered with pasta and a creamy cheesy sauce. It makes me hungry just thinking about it!
As I’ve already said this Traditional Lasagne is my husband’s favourite. It was one of the first ever meals I cooked for him when we first got together and he loves it just as much now, 10 years on, as he did then.
There are a few reasons why this Traditional Lasagne is one of my family’s favourites. Firstly it is delicious! but also it’s a brilliant freezer staple, especially for this time of year when we’re coming up to christmas and everyone is so busy. I always double up the recipe when cooking so I can put one in the oven for tea and bang the other one in the freezer for when I’m too busy to cook from scratch. Traditional Lasagne is also a great meal for making ahead of time, for example, on a Monday I spend a lot of time in the kitchen as it’s a mostly free day, so I will often make one of these ready for a Tuesday when I’m at work all day so when I get in I can just get it out the fridge and stick it in the oven.
A traditional Italian Lasagne is basically layers of ragù (the meat), bechamel (the cheese sauce) and pasta. But the exact cheeses, herbs and meat vary from region to region so what you choose is up to you. When making mine I use a little less meat and more vegetables. There are a couple of reasons I do this. One reason is to get more vegetables into my husband (ha ha) and it also cuts down the calories making it a little healthier. The second reason is that it also brings the cost down as minced beef can be expensive, so by using less and putting more vegetables in its place you still have a hearty meal for a little less cost.
In England a lot of cafes serve Lasagne with chips and this absolutely drives me crazy! Because why would you have two types of carbs on your plate? For me Lasagne should be served with a nice crisp salad and some garlic bread on the side! Give the recipe a try and then let me know what you think in the comment section at the bottom of the page. Until my next post 🙂
Lianne x
Traditional Lasagne
Ingredients
For the ragu
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 500 g minced beef
- 3 large carrots grated
- 2 large onions chopped
- 2 cloves garlic chopped
- hand full fresh basil chopped
- 2 tbsp plain flour
- 150 ml beef stock
- 1 tsp sugar
- 3 tbsp tomato puree
- 2 400 g tins chopped tomatoes
For the white sauce
- 50 g butter
- 50 g plain flour
- 750 ml hot milk
- 2 tsp English mustard powder
- 50 g Parmesan cheese grated
- salt and pepper
For the lasagne
- 10 lasagne sheets
- 75 g cheddar cheese grated
- 150 g drained weight mozzarella cheese, sliced
Instructions
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For the ragu heat a large frying pan till hot and then add the oil. Fry the minced beef until it's browned then transfer it to a plate (you might want to drain off any excess fat at this point). Put the pan back onto the heat and add the carrots, onion and garlic cooking until softened. Return the meat to the pan and add the flour, stir for a couple of minutes then add the stock,tomato puree, sugar and tinned tomatoes, bring to the boil. Stir in the basil then turn the heat down to low and leave to simmer for an hour or until the meat is tender.
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For the white sauce melt the butter in a pan then add the flour and cook whilst stirring for 1 minute. Gradually whisk in the milk and keep whisking until it's thickened. Add the mustard powder to the sauce and then the Parmesan stirring it in well. Season to taste.
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For the lasagne spoon a third of the ragu into your oven proof dish followed by a third of the white sauce.Layer half your lasagne sheets on top of these. Follow this with another layer of ragu, white sauce and lasagne sheets. Then finish with one more layer of ragu and top with the last of the white sauce.
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Finally, sprinkle the top of your lasagne with the cheddar and then lay the slices of mozzarella on top. leave your lasagne to sit for at least 3 hours because you need the pasta to soften, but its better the longer you leave it. You could even leave it in the fridge overnight and bake the next day.
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To bake, pre-heat your oven to 200c/180c fan oven and cook in the middle of the oven for 45 minutes or until the sauce is bubbling around the edges and the pasta is soft.
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Lasagna is definitely a great meal to freeze for later. I haven’t made one in so long because it feels somewhat time consuming to me. But, it’s always a favorite in my house so I’ll have to add it to this month’s dinner menu now that I’ve seen this.
Author
great! enjoy 🙂
Coincidentally, I made this recipe for NYE. I loved it and I was so excited to cook it for the first time. My hubby said it was good, so that’s good enough for me!
Abby of Life in the Fash Lane
Author
glad you liked it! 🙂
I am such a lover of lasagna so I’m definitely putting this recipe down to try with my roommates, it looks absolutely delicious 🙂
Thanks for sharing!
Author
Thank you 🙂
Oh this looks so good. Totally agree a perfect freezer food. I now want some for dinner ❤
Author
ha ha Thank you 🙂
Mmh, that Lasagne looks super delicious. My family loves Lasagne, so I will definitely try your recipe! Thank you!
Author
Thanks 🙂
This sounds absolutely delectable! I love any kind of pasta and you can really tell that this one is the real deal! I’ve got all the ingredients in my kitchen…I may just have to go whip one up for tonight!
xoxo, SS
Southern And Style
Author
do it! 🙂
This is my go to food. I love pasta and especially when it’s lasagna YUM!
Author
me too!
This lasagne recipe looks amazing! I’m always looking for new recipes to make for the family. I can’t wait to try it! thank you for sharing!
Author
thank you!
This is making my mouth water! I’ve never made lasagne myself, but it was definitely a favorite growing up.
Author
🙂
Hi Lianne
I’ve been browsing your recipes…
My husband’s best is Spaghetti Bolognese
**But I make a Beef Lasagna with SA… South African pancakes… they big & round.
I don’t use pasta sheets anymore.
Make pancakes. Cut them with kitchen scissors to fit your preferred dish. Do layers as usual. Cuts down on cooking time. Really yummy.
Pancakes can be made and frozen. Then they are on hand. Because they thin they defrost quickly. Jeanné Hunter Happy granny of 6.
70+ South Africa.
Pancakes are often made in winter. They stacked and sprinkled with cinnamon sugar,
Roll each one with a fork. Serve.
Eaten in summer etc with bananas and ice cream or savoury fillings. So good. Yum.