Lasagne is a classic dinner for most people, and a homecooked version of this dish is the perfect way to use up any leftovers after Easter Sunday.
Jamie Oliver has come up with an “incredible” leftover lasagne recipe made with a rich ragu sauce, cheesy bechamel sauce with leftover roast meat.
This is the perfect dinner to make when you are craving something simple and hearty while looking up to use up a fridge full of leftovers.
Jamie said: “When you’re dealing with leftovers, you never quite know how it’s going to turn out.
“But if you sweat off a load of beautiful vegetables, add a little garlic, some herbs, leftover cooked meats, stock or wine and a little tomato, after a little bit of simmering it will be heavenly. ”
READ MORE: Jamie Oliver’s ‘crunchy’ lamb filo cigars are perfect to use up Easter leftovers
Instructions
To make the ragu sauce: Peel and finely slice the garlic and three of the onions. Cut the remaining onion into wedges. Then, chop up the celery and carrots.
Heat a dollop of oil in a large deep saucepan. Fry the garlic over medium heat for one minute until golden, then add the finely chopped onions, carrots and celery. Turn the heat down and heat on low for 10-15 minutes until the vegetables are softened but not coloured.
Add the wine, tomatoes, rosemary, and oregano then season with salt and pepper. Bring the sauce to a boil and break up the tomatoes with a wooden spoon. Reduce the heat and leave to simmer for one hour until the ragu sauce has thickened.
Stir the sauce regularly and loosen it with some boiling water from the kettle if too thick for your liking.
Either finely chop up the leftover meat or place it in a food processor, then stir it into the ragu for the final 15 minutes of the ragu sauce simmering, or until the sauce is thick and the meat is heated through.
When the ragu sauce is almost ready, preheat the oven to 180C or Gas Mark 4.
To make the bechamel sauce: Add milk into a large saucepan over low heat, then season with pepper and add the wedge-cut onion, then bring the mixture to a boil.
Melt butter in a second saucepan, then stir in the flour to make a paste. Cook on medium heat for roughly two minutes and stir frequently.
Discard the onion in the milk and pour the milk into the butter saucepan one ladleful at a time. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for roughly five minutes until you have a smooth and thick sauce.
Grate and stir in the parmesan cheese into the sauce and then season to taste.
To assemble the lasagne: Grease a large baking dish with a little oil, and then bring a pan of salted water to oil.
Add the lasagna sheets and follow the packet instructions. Remove the pasta sheets with rings and place them onto a clean tea towel to drain.
Place a single layer of lasagna sheets onto the base of the baking dish, then spread a layer of ragu sauce, then top with another lasagne sheet and spread over a layer of bechamel sauce.
Repeat as many times as you can with bechamel sauce as the top layer. Tear the mozzarella into chunks and scatter on top of the lasagne along with any remaining parmesan cheese, then season with basil.
Bake the lasagne in the oven for 45 minutes or until golden on top and bubbling at the edges.
Once ready, take out the oven and leave to rest for five minutes, then your mouth-watering lasagne will be ready to eat.
