Beef Lasagne Recipe
This lasagne consists of layers of rich meat sauce, creamy cheese sauce and tender pasta topped with a layer of golden melted cheese. We think it tastes even better reheated the next day.
The cheese sauce can be prepared while the meat sauce is simmering.
Serves 8.
Meat Sauce
1 tablespoon (20ml) oil
1 large (about 200g) onion, peeled and finely chopped
100g shortcut bacon, finely chopped
750g lean beef mince
2 medium garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
100g (4 tablespoons) tomato paste
2 x 400g cans diced or crushed tomatoes
125ml (1/2 cup) red wine
1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
1/2 teaspoon dried basil leaves
1 bay leaf
Salt and pepper, to taste
Cheese Sauce
90g butter
75g (1/2 cup) plain flour
800ml (3 cups + 2 1/2 tablespoons) milk
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
65g (2/3 cup, firmly packed) grated parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper, to taste
Pasta
250g packet dry instant lasagne sheets (you probably won't need the full packet: the amount needed will depend on the measurements of your baking dish)
Cheese Topping
60g (1/2 cup, very firmly packed) grated mozzarella cheese
60g (1/2 cup, very firmly packed) grated tasty cheddar cheese
Meat Sauce
Heat oil in a very large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion and bacon and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes, or until onion has softened.
Increase heat to high and add mince and garlic to the pan. Break up mince by mashing with a fork until no large clumps remain. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until all of the mince has changed colour.
Add tomato paste, diced tomatoes, red wine, oregano, basil and bay leaf to mince mixture and stir until combined.
Once the mixture boils, reduce heat to about medium-low so that the mixture is simmering. Simmer, uncovered, for about 40 minutes, stirring occasionally. The meat sauce should be moist but not watery.
Discard the bay leaf. Season meat sauce with salt and pepper.
Cheese Sauce
Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir flour into melted butter and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly, until mixture bubbles.
Remove saucepan from the heat. Add milk very gradually, stirring or whisking constantly.
When all of the milk has been added and the sauce is smooth, return the saucepan to medium-high heat. Cook, stirring constantly, for about 7 minutes, or until sauce thickens. Remove from heat.
Add nutmeg and parmesan cheese to sauce and stir until well combined. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Assembly
Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius (we have the fan switched off).
You will need a 3.25 litre (13 cup) capacity rectangular ovenproof dish. Use a dish that is about 6.5cm deep.
Spread about 1/2 cup of the cheese sauce over the base of dish. This thin layer of sauce will help prevent the pasta from sticking to the base of the dish. Completely cover the sauce with a single layer of lasagne sheets, cutting or breaking the sheets to fit the shape of the dish.
Spread one third of the meat sauce over the lasagne sheets.
Cover meat sauce with one third of the remaining cheese sauce. Top with another layer of lasagne sheets. Spread half the remaining meat sauce over the pasta. Spread half the remaining cheese sauce over the meat sauce. Cover cheese sauce with a layer of pasta. Spread with remaining meat sauce then remaining cheese sauce. Sprinkle with combined mozzarella and tasty cheese.
Cover lasagne with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for a further 10-15 minutes, or until cheese is golden and pasta is tender. Remove lasagne from the oven and set aside for 10 minutes to allow the lasagne to firm up slightly before cutting and serving.
Store lasagne in the refrigerator or freezer. © www.exclusivelyfood.com.au
13 Comments:
so so yummy. i am by no means a cook, but ur recipe was so easy to follow!! all of the recipes on this site are. if u were to publish a book i would buy it :) and i would give it to my friends too.
Hi,
I am thinking about using this recipe for a family do on Friday night. Is it true what 'they' say about cooking lasagne the day before you want to use it? Does it improve the flavour/texture at all?
Cheers,
Anna.
I made this lasagne for hubby's birthday and his whole family loved it! I was hoping to have the leftovers for lunch the next day, but there was none left!! I have decided to adopt this recipe, I absolutely loved it!!
Thank you so very much :)
Hi Anna,
We prefer the texture and flavour of the lasagne the day after making. When reheated, the lasagne is less watery and it holds together better, making it easier to serve. We would do the following:
Day before
Cook lasagne, covered, for 30 minutes and then refrigerate.
Day of serving
Remove the lasagne from the refrigerator 15 minutes before reheating to allow it to warm up slightly.
Reheat lasagne (still covered) until hot in the centre.
Remove the cover and bake until the cheese is golden brown.
Hey,
This might sound odd but I was just wondering if there's any other meat that I can use besides beef? Perhaps lamb?
Hi Nelle,
Yes, another type of meat (lamb, pork, chicken etc.) could be used instead of the beef.
hey i am really tempted to make this but i was wondering if there is a non-alcoholic substitute for red wine in this recipe... also if i could make it without the bacon will it be ok???
Hi Yusra,
You could use beef stock in place of the red wine. It would be fine to omit the bacon. If you do so, you could increase the quantity of beef mince to 850g.
hi,
i don't know what to say...... um ........ OK your recipe is like the best, and so easy to follow. i'm only 11 and i can make it. when i offer to cook dinner for my mum she always asks, "oh are you making that wonderful lasagne recipe you found on the internet."
Bye.
by the way, are you by any chance putting more lasagne recipes on the internet?
I made this for my mum and dad, and they absolutely loved it. Dad said it's the best lasagne he's ever had!
Thank you!
Oh my gosh... I made it tonight & it was fabulous! I didn't think I could make lasagne.
It took a while though... I might prepare more of the 2 sauces 'cos my dish seemed to need more. A little time-consuming... but so worth it!
I made it on Sunday and my husband love it!
Never thought I could make it. But your recipe is easy to follow. Thanks!
Hi anna,
One way to improve the flavour is to cook the meat sauce beforehand - you can either leave it in the fridge overnight, or freeze it for for up to 3 months. amanda & debbie are on the money, too, especially allowing the sauce to warm to room temperature before reheating.
As for the texture, you probably need to experiment with the amount of moisture in the sauces, as well as the "temperament" of your oven (for want of a better word!). This is really important if you can't make the meat sauce a day ahead. In that case, if you have time, allowing the sauce to cool to room temperature can help, if you are assembling the lasagne on the same day.
I hope this helps!
Hi nelle,
I've heard that traditionally, Italians used equal parts beef, pork, and veal mince in lasagne (omitting the bacon). I don't know if this is true, but it's yummy, anyway.
If you would like to try it with lamb, make sure that it really IS lamb, and not mutton, as mutton will overpower the other flavours. Brown the mince before adding it to the onion, draining the fat well. If using lamb, you could also try adding 250g frozen spinach puree, defrosted and well drained, towards the end of stewing the meat sauce.
Hi Yusra,
If it's any help, most of the alcohol is "burned off" during the simmering process (because it's a flammable liquid, it evaporates very quickly when exposed to heat), so perhaps you could use low or non-alcoholic wine instead? The end result would be no alcohol in the dish when served. The wine really does add another dimension to the flavour of the sauce - I think it's the tannins and sugars in it. As for the bacon, I really think it comes down to personal taste. My own lasagne recipe has evolved over the last 20 years, but I've never used bacon.
Don't be afraid to experiment!
Nicolina
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