Mary Berry’s lasagne recipe makes whipping up this much-loved dish an absolute breeze.
Lasagne is a common dinner that British families usually buy pre-made from the store, but you can easily make it yourself now.
Describing the dish, Mary said that it’s “remarkably easy” and can be served with a salad and maybe some warm garlic bread.
She also shared a little tip for those planning on eating the lasagne soon after cooking it. Mary said: “If you are eating soon after making, say in two hours time, pre-soak the lasagne sheets in hand hot water for about 10 minutes before layering.
“This softens the pasta. If you are making it 12 hours ahead you could use no-cook dry lasagne.”
Ingredients
Bolognese sauce
One tablespoon oil
500g lean raw minced beef
One large onion, roughly chopped
Two cloves garlic, crushed
Two level tablespoons flour
Two 400g cans chopped tomatoes
Three tablespoons tomato puree
One teaspoon sugar
Pasta
Six to eight fresh lasagne sheets
Creme fraiche sauce
Two tablespoons cornflour
One tablespoon Dijon mustard
500g tub low fat creme fraiche
100g fresh Parmesan cheese, grated
Method
Start by preheating the oven to 220C/200 Fan/Gas 7 before buttering a 23cm x 30cm x 6cm dish. Alternatively, oil can be used.
Next, heat oil in a large non-stick frying pan and brown mince all over. Add onion and garlic, sprinkle in the flour and stir. Stir in tomatoes, tomato puree and sugar and season. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for about an hour or until tender.
To make the creme fraiche sauce, measure the cornflour into a saucepan, add mustard and two tablespoons of creme fraiche, and whisk until smooth.
Add remaining creme fraiche and season. Bring to the boil whisking by hand until slightly thickens – watch out that it doesn’t stick on the base.
The next step is to layer the lasagne. To do so, divide the meat sauce into three and spoon a third into the base of the dish. Spoon a third of the creme fraiche sauce over the top and roughly spread over, sprinkle with a third of the Parmesan.
Arrange a single layer of four sheets of pasta without overlapping. Repeat using two more layers each of the mince sauce and creme fraiche sauce and one of the pasta, so the final layer is mince and creme fraiche sauce. Sprinkle the remaining parmesan on top.
Left like this, the lasagne can be made up to 48 hours ahead, covered and kept in the fridge. It also freezes well before cooking.
If planning to eat the same day, cook in the preheated oven for about 25 to 35 minutes or until the top is “golden brown and the pasta is tender”.
