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Original poster

Homemade lasagna.

286 replies

Idrinkmywhiskeyneat · 29/05/2024 16:59

Is it one of the best inventions known to man?
Just stood in the kitchen with my lovely meaty, tomatoey sauce in one pan and the cheesy loveliness in the other. One of the best best is getting a spoonful of the mincemeat and topping it with the cheese sauce and just eating it off the spoon, whilst you’re stood over it, cooking it all. It has to be a very tomatoey, cheesy, thick lasagna, also extra nice, if left and eaten later in the evening or the next morning,

Anyway, sorry, just a homemade lasagna appreciation post.

OP posts:
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Lifelikinotdothinki · 29/05/2024 19:43

I love it but it’s a faff to make.

Roundroundthegarden · 29/05/2024 19:41

Meh. Boring.
I'm having a homemade Briyani. Now that's a meal.

ArcticBells · 29/05/2024 19:39

@Idrinkmywhiskeyneat , it's the herbs I always get wrong!

mrsbyers · 29/05/2024 19:33

Sometimes I make a ‘lasagne’ but with sliced potatoes instead of pasta layers OP sounds like this would be your cup of tea

PhamieGowsSong · 29/05/2024 19:28

Love love lasagna. This is my go to recipe, even my lasagna hating DH and DS love it when I make it. Its time consuming (5 hours) but so worth it! The more you reduce the ragu the stiffer the lasagna.

https://www.insidetherustickitchen.com/classic-beef-lasagne-spinach-pasta/

Lasagne al Forno (Italian Beef Lasagna)

A classic recipe for homemade Lasagne al Forno (Italian Beef Lasagna) made entirely from scratch. Super easy and comforting, a favourite recipe!

https://www.insidetherustickitchen.com/classic-beef-lasagne-spinach-pasta

ThingsWillOnlyGetBetter · 29/05/2024 19:16

Once made one which was a mix of pork and beef mince, chicken livers, burrata and Parmesan (between each layer) and fuck tonne of love (and can’t remember what else). Absolutely a proper bechamel though. A very traditional Italian recipe.

Think it took about 4 days to make* but my god, it was a thing of beauty.

Lots of red wine and a simple green dressed salad (with warm baguettes and butter) and I had very very happy guests. Apart from the person who forgot to tell me they were a vegetarian.

*May be a slight exaggeration but I seem to remember it was a 2 day ‘leave to rest’ job.

BabsMustGo · 29/05/2024 19:01

Idrinkmywhiskeyneat · 29/05/2024 18:14

@BabsMustGo I add cheese into my bechamel sauce…try it! Grated cheddar…so so good..I thought everyone did this, maybe this is why mines the best lasagna in town 😂

I’m as likely to try an Iceland frozen one but each to their own. 😁

It would be a very boring world if we all had the same tastes.

Original poster
Idrinkmywhiskeyneat · 29/05/2024 18:57

Soooo now I’m thinking I’ve been making lasagna wrong, or at least different from
others. I never looked at a recipe, just copied my mum.

I do it this way:

Olive oil in a pan
Minced beef goes in, with chopped garlic and chopped onions
Once it’s browned off, add 2 tins of chopped tomatoes (ones with extra herbs and garlic etc)
Add quite a large about of tomato purée in tube
Mix it all, add Italian herbs, leave to simmer

Start the bechamel (plus cheese sauce)
Melted butter, milk, flour and lots of grated cheddar cheese.

Make it all in layers and top with more grated cheddar and mozarella (almost cheeses can work though)

Serve with…big boiled, buttery potatoes 😅

OP posts:
RoobarbAndMustard · 29/05/2024 18:55

FrogandTrumpet · 29/05/2024 17:01

It’s OK but I prefer the frozen ones from Iceland.

Each to their own I suppose. I bet it's nearly all sauce.

ArcticBells · 29/05/2024 18:55

I love lasagne too. What's your recipe please OP?

laddersandsnakes12 · 29/05/2024 18:54

Love a proper lasagna, one where you have to book out a whole afternoon to cook the ragu and bechemel.

My fave recipe is lasagna of love by Nigella, in Cook, Eat, Repeat. It's time consuming but pretty straightforward, all my family love it. You heat up the milk for the bechemel with the onion/garlic/carrot peelings and skins then leave it to infuse for an hr while the ragu cooks, then remove all the peelings from the warm milk. The bechemel then has a really savoury depth to it, I love it, it's such a good tip. And I add grated Parmesan to the bechemel, because how can more cheese on a lasagna ever be wrong?! Might have to make a lasagna this weekend now...

Evvyjb · 29/05/2024 18:51

I need lasagne now. With a big green salad and some garlic bread. Cannot be beaten.

My nana used to make it with almost no meat and TONS of white sauce (made with makro skimmed milk which was almost see through) and pasta. You could probably use it to build walls. I loved it though (pasta was still a new thing to this Irish household, and Granda didn't eat garlic, but did like that herby bread...)

If anyone would like to package some meaty cheesy bubbling pasta goodness and send it this way it would be MOST welcome!

murasaki · 29/05/2024 18:49

I put finely chopped up black pudding in the bol, and parmesan in the sauce

Sorry, not sorry.

Otherwise it's Gordon Ramsay's recipe.

Original poster
Idrinkmywhiskeyneat · 29/05/2024 18:47

@ISeriouslyDoubtIt Thank you! A cheddar type bechamel cheese right?! It’s the best

OP posts:
ISeriouslyDoubtIt · 29/05/2024 18:43

It's the absolute best and not difficult. No frozen or ready lasagne would be remotely as good. My 10 year old granddaughter always asks for this for dinner on the days I'm feeding her after school, because she never gets it at home.
I cook the Ragu the day before, leave it to simmer for a good hour. Then on the day I make a cheese sauce with cheddar and parmesan,, do Delia's all in one white sauce method so it's very easy, use dried pasta, assemble and leave a couple of hours before baking. Bake for 30 mins and leave to stand for 10 mins before eating, it's fabulous.

Original poster
Idrinkmywhiskeyneat · 29/05/2024 18:42

@Westfacing What’s wrong with cheddar?!
Just shows how we all make our lasagnas differently and have different tastes, I swear mine is the best 😂passed down from my mum, who made it exactly the same way

OP posts:
AvalancheOfCheese · 29/05/2024 18:42

Literally just made one 🤌🏼🤌🏼🤌🏼

Homemade lasagna.
LongSinceGotUpAndGone · 29/05/2024 18:40

Joining for lasagne making tips.

TeenLifeMum · 29/05/2024 18:40

I did lasagna for my dtd’s christening and made 14 of them! I didn’t make it again for years. I do love it but it makes so much washing up.

creekpassage · 29/05/2024 18:40

Mozzarella, grated cheddar in between layers but it really should be Parmesan but it's too exp.

AND fresh chopped Basil leaves on the bechamel/cheese layer.

Talapia · 29/05/2024 18:37

I add a tub of marscapone to my bechamel. It makes it so light and fluffy.

I'm now considering adding mozzarella between the layers !

Pickingmyselfup · 29/05/2024 18:36

Love a homemade lasagne but mine is not at all authentic.

Mine has marmite and Worcestershire sauce as well as beef oxos in the ragu, usually red wine but in a pinch I've used prosecco. I do cheese sauce not bechamel, it's got so many different cheeses in too it's ridiculous. Then top with cheese on top.

Not something to eat whilst you are watching your diet but as a once in a while with garlic bread you can't beat it. Then freeze in portions so you can take one out over the next few days/weeks.

Breadcat24 · 29/05/2024 18:33

I cook a big load of ragu at a time then I can slow cook.
then can freeze in pots and use for different things including lasagne

Westfacing · 29/05/2024 18:32

Idrinkmywhiskeyneat · 29/05/2024 18:10

Also, what cheese? I used cheddar and sometimes cheddar/mozarella mix

Cheddar? Yer pushing your luck now, what with the buttered boiled potatoes! Grin

Offredismysister · 29/05/2024 18:29

I love a lasagne sandwich, white bread & real salted butter. I also love a mash & gravy sandwich.