Page 25 | Made the lasagna without the lasagna

Brainfogtothemax · 2026-01-05T13:26:40+00:00

What to do? Just prepped for dinner, did all the mince with tomatoes, onion etc and made the cheese sauce, boiled some potatoes and went to get the lasagna sheets and don’t have any. Not feeling 100% so cba going to the shops, how can I make it into a proper meal? I have some pasta I could use instead, but what about the potatoes? Save them for tomorrow 🤷🏻♀️

AhBiscuits · 05/01/2026 14:59

Brainfogtothemax · 05/01/2026 14:58

How on earth do you make Gnocci, it’s so slimy

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It's basically mashed potato and flour.

Lazydomestic · 05/01/2026 14:59

Brainfogtothemax · 05/01/2026 14:47

I’ve taken on the suggestions, I will do the mince with mashed potato on top, then pour the cheese sauce over the top. Don’t know why but it seems a weird dish, no idea what to call it when Dh & Dd ask me

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Call it cba lasagna surprise - surprise being there is no lasagna

never know it could be a new thing 🤣

Minjou · 05/01/2026 14:59

Brainfogtothemax · 05/01/2026 14:58

How on earth do you make Gnocci, it’s so slimy

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Not if you make it properly

ISpyNoPlumPie · 05/01/2026 14:58

So just to clarify. The final meal selected by the OP is an Italian cottage pie of sorts with the cheese sauce poured over the top like gravy. I think there have been some better suggestions but it’s basically the meal OP planned!

TeenLifeMum · 05/01/2026 14:58

Cheese sauce freezes well, save that for another time.

Original poster

Brainfogtothemax · 05/01/2026 14:58

AhBiscuits · 05/01/2026 14:51

Use the potatoes to make gnocchi and have a gnocchi bolognaise bake?

How on earth do you make Gnocci, it’s so slimy

OP posts:

AuDHDqueen · 05/01/2026 14:58

I can think of worse problems to have.

make a cottage pie and slam the bechamel in the fridge and make a cauli cheese tomorrow.

RampantIvy · 05/01/2026 14:58

Brainfogtothemax · 05/01/2026 14:56

I’m not making two dishes 😩

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It could be tomorrow's dinner.
Macaroni cheese plus a vegetable.

Do you always struggle to think outside of the box or are you feeling woolly headed because you don't feel well?

JoshLymanSwagger · 05/01/2026 14:57

takealettermsjones · 05/01/2026 14:56

Isn't the mince in a tomatoey sauce? So putting mashed potatoes on top will not make it into a cottage pie! It will be mince ragu with potatoes on top 🤣

Honestly, it's close enough...especially with all the cheese.

takealettermsjones · 05/01/2026 14:57

Brainfogtothemax · 05/01/2026 14:51

I really don’t know at this point, everything I thought about lasagna since my childhood is a lie, Dh has never queried the boiled potatoes or cheese sauce though
I’m ringing my mum

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"I'm ringing my mum" has just made me full on belly laugh for about 5 minutes, thanks OP 🤣🤣🤣

Original poster

Brainfogtothemax · 05/01/2026 14:56

JoshLymanSwagger · 05/01/2026 14:50

The mince with mash on top is a cottage pie.

Use the bechamel sauce which isn't bechamel sauce and pour it over some macaroni or other shaped pasta to make "random shaped pasta" cheese.

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I’m not making two dishes 😩

OP posts:

takealettermsjones · 05/01/2026 14:56

Isn't the mince in a tomatoey sauce? So putting mashed potatoes on top will not make it into a cottage pie! It will be mince ragu with potatoes on top 🤣

Original poster

Brainfogtothemax · 05/01/2026 14:55

Bobiverse · 05/01/2026 14:48

Adding cheese to bechamel makes it a cheese sauce. Bechamel does not have cheee; it’s just a white sauce. The cheese on lasagne is added on top, the sauce is bechamel sauce not cheese sauce.

You’re not making lasagne and neither did your mum.

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She added some of the grated cheese on top too and grilled it, some in the sauce, remainder on top

OP posts:

JoshLymanSwagger · 05/01/2026 14:55

I’m ringing my mum

Now you're ringing your mum?

PinkTonic · 05/01/2026 14:54

Brainfogtothemax · 05/01/2026 13:38

The potatoes were to go with the lasagna, my family like some buttery boiled potatoes with it

I don’t think I can slice the potatoes-too soft 😬

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I’m fascinated as to why you had boiled the potatoes to go with it when the lasagne was a good 40-50 minutes off being ready since you hadn’t even assembled it yet

Scampuss · 05/01/2026 14:54

Faceonthewrongfoot · 05/01/2026 14:45

Ooh, I'm thinking you could do this with conchiglie as well - boil til soft enough to carefully flatten with a rolling pin, and then put together like a weird pasta jigsaw puzzle to form lasagne sheets. Even better if you've got farfalle as I reckon they'll flatten to perfect little squares. Fusilli probably no good unless you're willing to individually untwist each one.

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Penne would work best, cook, then slice down one side and flatten. Hey presto, mini lasagne sheets.

Or weave cooked spaghetti into flat sheets of spaghetti fabric - would add an interesting texture.

(This thread is bonkers)

Scout2016 · 05/01/2026 14:54

Brainfogtothemax · 05/01/2026 14:47

I’ve taken on the suggestions, I will do the mince with mashed potato on top, then pour the cheese sauce over the top. Don’t know why but it seems a weird dish, no idea what to call it when Dh & Dd ask me

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You call it dinner, and given that you don't sound to be very well they should just he grateful you went to the effort of making anything at all and saved your DH the effort.

Original poster

Brainfogtothemax · 05/01/2026 14:53

titchy · 05/01/2026 14:41

If you have a rolling pin and some spaghetti you could boil the spaghetti, then lay each piece tightly next to each other in lasagne sheet sized groups, press firmly with the rolling pin so they all stick together and hey presto - lasagne sheets!

I cba walking to the shop, I’m certainly not going to these lengths!

OP posts:

PassportPanicFuuuck · 05/01/2026 14:52

MrsTerryPratchett · 05/01/2026 13:40

Well then just single carb. Potatoes with sauce.

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Surely if you're muttering in Italian you'd call it lasagne?

rainbowsandraspberrygin · 05/01/2026 14:52

This thread is funny. I think OP is bored 😂

as it seems you’ve made a cheese sauce - can’t you add these to the potatoes and then either freeze (yes you can freeze) or put in fridge for a yummy cheese carby dinner tomorrow. Then pasta and mince = bolognaise.

OR

mash the pots - add on top of the mince for a cottage pie. Freeze the cheese sauce for another time or cook some pasta and do a mac and cheese for tomorrow. Then you have two dinners.

you seem to not want to change the original plan - yet you can’t do the original plan 😂

TheCurious0range · 05/01/2026 14:52

AhBiscuits · 05/01/2026 14:51

Use the potatoes to make gnocchi and have a gnocchi bolognaise bake?

This is a superb suggestion

Forthwith81 · 05/01/2026 14:52

Brainfogtothemax · 05/01/2026 14:45

It’s honestly not a wind up 🫣 my mums lasagna since childhood was always served with boiled potatoes with butter and bechamel sauce always had grated cheese in. Flabbergasted how this is so outrageous

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This thread is very odd. I've never heard of a single living soul who eats lasagne with boiled potatoes. I think the addition of chips to lasagne is also a bit strange, though it happens often in the UK (nowhere else I've ever lived, though).

However, the very oddest thing about the thread is not the pasta + potato combination, but your insistence that it's fine to have boiled potatoes with lasagne but not with any other pasta dish. What, in your opinion, is the actual difference between the pasta in lasagne and any other sort of pasta? Only the shape is different.

TheCurious0range · 05/01/2026 14:52

Brainfogtothemax · 05/01/2026 14:47

I’ve taken on the suggestions, I will do the mince with mashed potato on top, then pour the cheese sauce over the top. Don’t know why but it seems a weird dish, no idea what to call it when Dh & Dd ask me

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Mash the potatoes with butter salt and pepper and then freeze them for another time.
Mix your Bolognese mince with cooked pasta of any shape put it into a baking dish top with your cheese sauce and a sprinkle of grated cheese and bake.
Nothing wasted.

Howmanymoredays · 05/01/2026 14:52

Brainfogtothemax · 05/01/2026 14:42

But there’s a difference between a pasta dish and then potatoes on a plate and a slice of lasagna with a few potatoes on the side next to it, surely?! It just seems weird with the pasta dish. You also probably wouldn’t have a pasta dish with a plate of chips too, but a slice of lasagna with chips next to it is normal?!

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There is no difference. Lasagne is a pasta dish.
The only 'difference' between lasagne and the other pasta dishes people are referring to is the shape of the pasta. In lasagne the pasta is flat, in other dishes it may be different shapes, but if you are happy to serve potatoes when the pasta is flat, why not when it is fusilli shaped or tube shaped or bow shaped etc...?

AhBiscuits · 05/01/2026 14:51

Use the potatoes to make gnocchi and have a gnocchi bolognaise bake?