Making a lasagne from scratch

Shop bought lasagna tastes like shit. Dolmio is sugary, sweet, artificial crap.
I don’t eat lasagna often because it takes an age to make but it’s a proper treat when I do. Totally worth the effort! I always make a massive one so there’s leftovers for the next day…more bang for your buck 😉

OP doesn't want to eat shop-bought ones as they are full of additives.

I usually make the bolognese in advance. I don't bother slow cooking it anymore so that takes about 20 mins. The bechamel takes a few minutes. Then a few minutes to compile everything.

All that takes 2.5 hours for me is how long I cook the ragu for before assembling the lasagne.
It can take a while for bechemel to thicken but if you heat the milk up first it is much quicker. It really should only take max 15 minutes to make.
When I first started to make lasagne I did find it stressful and used a lot of pans and utensils. But it really is, in essence, a ragu and a white sauce.

It’s up to you. But in the return on investment you should factor in the fact that your lasagne is so much healthier than readymade food. Not to mention should taste so much better. But if you want to skip the bechamel (which should take about 15 mins tbh), mix the meat sauce with cooked pasta shapes, in a casserole dish with some cheese on top - tasty and easier than all the layering.

I'm sure the bechamel takes me ten minutes. I usually make a bolognese sauce and have it with spaghetti and freeze the rest. Then when I was to make lasagne I just need the bechamel. No trouble

Bechamel sauce doesn’t take long, bbc recipe works.

meat cooks for 45 mins

I’m making it tomorrow

You can grate a carrot into the mince too, they never notice! And it helps cut the calorie count if that's something you need to consider.

I cooked lasagna often, but depending on the time I have I would prep the sauces the day before or throughout the day.
I also batch cook the bechamel and freeze it. It doesn't take that much time to make, but it all adds up.

Buy Co-op Lasagne 2 for £8,

Bung one in freezer, eat other with garlic bread and salad

Done.

This is the one I use
veg I do in a mini chopper so no chopping
Grate nutmeg and Parmesan while the ragu is cooking and tear up the mozzarella so it’s all ready to assemble

https://www.dontgobaconmyheart.co.uk/best-lasagne-recipe/

No need for it to take 2.5hrs. One day make a big pot of bolognaise (maybe 1kg of mince) and have spaghetti bolognaise. Refrigerate the rest.

on lasagne day-
Two days later reheat bolognaise in microwave for 10-15 mins and while it reheats make the bechamel and preheat oven. Use fresh egg pasta sheets (don’t cook in water) and layer up your lasagne finishing with bechamel and grate Parmesan over and bung in the oven for 20- 30 mins. You can have home-made lasagne in less than 1hr and only 20 mins prep time. While it’s cooking, wash up the dishes so you only have the oven dishes and plates/cutlery to put in the dishwasher after

Nonsense have you seen the ingredients in dolmio white sauce it is full of crap. Do you actually know what butter is? The only additive in butter would be salt.

It takes me a while but mostly how long the ragu cooks for. But I do enough for 8 portions and freeze as I live alone
its so nice to come home to just reheat it and add some salad and garlic bread!
but I find cooking therapeutic

I do it by degrees. A huge vat of bolognaise with 2.5kg of Mince. Does a family meal of bolognaise - well simmered and prepared.

The following day I make the white sauce. Probably not authentic but milk steeped with bay, garlic and peppercorns. 2 pints. With cheddar and a pack of grated parmesan added.

Layer the bol, sauce and dried pasta sheets into three rectangular dishes. Bake and freeze two. Each one serves six.

It's about 90 mins of labour, tops, for 24 meals.

Well I was going to say, not 8 hours exactly, but when I do a sauce like this I cook the onions down for a very long time, 40 mins to a hour. Thats before the rest of the ingredients like tomatoes and meat, then that would cook a long time.

I wouldnt use a roux or bechemel, I dont like it, I just use cream and cheese or mascarpone and more cheese and I also dont care if Italians dont use cheddar, I love it, they only dont use cheddar because they havent got cheddar, but they still use a hard cheese.

Think they mean to prepare.

I always make from scratch, I take quite a bit of time cooking the ragu, but that just blips away for as long as possible or I do it in the pressure cooker. It’s a Saturday dish for us, something I can fuss over and leave to cook for as long as I want.

i also leave it Twenty minutes to rest before I serve it so it slices more easily.

the next day I like it cold with salad cream.

My sister said stamina is needed for making a lasagne 🤣 it is quite a lot of work I do mine in stages

One for the roux and one to warm milk and infuse with an onion and bay leaf.

Please - how do you use 2 pans to make the bechemel????

I cook 1 1/2 Ibs of mince slow cooker with 2 tins Tom's, 3/4pint of beef sock mushrooms. Don't use onions .have a little garlic as well. Cook 5 to 6 on medium. I cheat a little with a ready made fresh sauce 2 tubs.layer up , fresh cheddar no parmesan ! I had Cancer last year ,so bought one or 2 m and s .very good .

I don't understand how people can pop a lasagne out in 30mins when the mince / bolognaise takes longer than this to cook?

I made one tonight. Wa absolutely lush.

Yes, always home-made for me. Recipe is from my late Italian step-grandmother and doesn’t use Béchamel sauce. Or any white sauce. About an hour to make the ragout (or I make it in the slow cooker), then just assembling and in the oven. Using just the lasagne platters, ragout, mozzarella, Parmesan and ham.