The perfect lasagna recipe typically comes down to three things – using the right pasta, the right ragu and the perfect cheese sauce.
Getting these components right can be difficult, but experts at BBC Good Food have shared how to make the “easiest ever” lasagne that not only looks good but tastes great too.
They claim that the recipe can be prepared in just 15 minutes and takes 25 to 30 minutes to cook.
The description reads: “Kids will love to help assemble this easiest-ever pasta bake with streaky bacon, beef mince, a creme fraiche sauce and gooey mozzarella.”
The lasagne filling takes inspiration from a classic Italian ragu which uses beef mince. The bacon adds a little smoky note and a bit of extra fat for a richer sauce.
The recipe is made extra indulgent by topping with mozzarella as well as parmesan, though just parmesan on its own will be fine too.
Ingredients
One tablespoon olive oil
Two rashers smokey streaked bacon
One onion, finely chopped
One Clery stick , finely chopped
One medium carrot, grated
Two garlic cloves, finely chopped
500g beef mince
One tablespoon tomato puree
Two 400g cans chopped tomatoes
One tablespoon clear honey
500g fresh egg lasagne sheets
400ml creme fraiche
125 ball mozzarella, roughly torn
50g grated parmesan
Large handful of basil leaves, torn
Method
1. Start by heating the oil in a large saucepan. Use kitchen scissors to snip the bacon into small pieces, or use a sharp knife to chop it on a chopping board.
Add the bacon to the pan and cook for just a few minutes until it starts to turn golden. Add the onion, celery and carrot, and cook over a medium heat for five minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened.
2. Add the garlic and cook for one minute, then tip in the mince and cook, stirring and breaking it up with a wooden spoon, for about six minutes until browned all over.
3. Stir in the tomato puree and cook for one minute, mixing in well with the beef and vegetables. Tip in the chopped tomatoes. Fill each can half full with water to rinse out any tomatoes left in the can, and add to the pan. Add the honey and season to taste. Simmer for 20 minutes.
4. Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. To assemble the lasagne, ladle a little of the ragu sauce into the bottom of the roasting tin or casserole dish, spreading the sauce all over the base.
Place two sheets of lasagne on top of the sauce overlapping to make it fit, then repeat with more sauce and another layer of pasta. Repeat with a further two layers of sauce and pasta, finishing with a layer of pasta.
5. Put the creme fraiche in a bowl and mix with two tbsp water to loosen it and make a smooth pourable sauce. Pour this over the top of the pasta, then top with the mozzarella. Sprinkle Parmesan over the top and bake for 25 to 30 minutes until golden and bubbling. Serve scattered with basil.
Receiving a five-star recommendation on the website, the recipe received comments saying it was “delicious” and “fantastic”. One user even said that it was the “best” lasagne recipe they’d had in a long time.
