AIBU to think you can't make lasagne with raw mince?

[HetMeal]

I had a mild debate with a friend today who says you don't need to cook/brown the meat before you put it in the lasagne. She would do pasta sheets, white sauce, tomato basil sauce from a jar, raw minced beef, in layers.

I do it the normal way, cooking a tomatoey meat sauce first and layering that with bechamel and pasta sheets. She said using raw meat is a perfectly legitimate time saver and tastes fine.

I can't get my head around this, and wondering whether anyone else does it this way?

No-one who prepares food in that way should be offering advice to anyone

@JesusInTheCabbageVan

LaganinaBubble

MotorwayDiva

She's is BU, everyone knows you make the ragu and have bolognese the first night and lasagne the next.

This is so genius, I have no idea why we don't do that in this house! Making twice as much ragu the next time for sure!!!

Make three times as much. Day three - lasagna toasties!

We do a HUGE batch in our house 🙈 Bolognese first night, lasagne second night and always a portion or 2 into the freezer! Means we can just defrost a batch and do a spag Bol or lasagne quickly if we have a busy day!

Eww that would be akin to not browning the sausages before making a sausage casserole. Not sure what's worse really chewy mince under layers of pasta and sauce or flaccid looking willies floating in a casserole

Do you think she makes Spaghetti Bol by throwing the raw mince in with the pasta to boil and then draining and storing in a jar?

@ThumbWitchesAbroad

I wouldn't like it done that way.

Reminds me of my first lodger, years ago, who made tuna pasta bake but didn't realise that you had to cook the pasta first before putting it in the oven. It was very crunchy! I suppose you could get away with not boiling the pasta first, if you had enough liquid sauce in there, but I doubt it would work very well.

I don’t cook pasta before doing pasta bake! Just add a cup of water and it’s fine, the pasta cooks in the oven

So everyone on here makes own sauce and simmers for hours

@HopingForOurRainbowBaby

Eww that would be akin to not browning the sausages before making a sausage casserole. Not sure what's worse really chewy mince under layers of pasta and sauce or flaccid looking willies floating in a casserole

Oh gawd. I apparently have flaccid willies as well 😂

Your friend is a fucking wolf

@burritofan

Your friend is a fucking wolf

Brilliant. Nailed it.

Just like mama used to make!

@VladmirsPoutine

Everyday my firm belief that you really can't just eat in anyone's house is confirmed!!!

🤣🤣🤣

Mine doesnt simmer for hours, about half an hour?

I think your way is best! I have always pre cooked the mince first .Sometimes would do a double batch and freeze some for a spag bol as well .

It wouldn't poison you, but it'd taste pretty crap.

Part of the reason you cook the ragu first is to get all the flavours working their way through, the herbs etc. Just bunging some mince and passata in to an oven dish would be a very poor imitation of a good lasagne.

I take a lot of shortcuts when I cook, but there is no way I'd take this one.

@Blondeshavemorefun

So everyone on here makes own sauce and simmers for hours

No, half an hour works fine. More if I have time, but it's not an all day job!

@MangosteenSoda

Is she sinister and deviant in other ways too

It's not that much hard work to do it properly...I can get a bolognese sauce prepped and in a low oven in about ten mins (using the food processor to chop the onion/carrot/garlic)Fry it off, brown the mince, add red wine, pasatta, Worcester sauce and stock cubes and bung in oven. It looks after itself. I always do a huge pot and have spag Bol, freeze the rest for lasagne at a later date.

@Blondeshavemorefun

So everyone on here makes own sauce and simmers for hours

To be honest, if I'm going to make lasagne, then yes. No jars and simmer for ages. As a pp says though, I'll make a vat and have Bolognese one day, lasagne another, and put some in the freezer. I may even add peppers, beans, chilli, cumin and coffee and call it chilli.

I do love a shortcut....... but making lasagne without browning the meat and using a jar sauce is a crime against food.

The ragu for a lasagne has to be slow cooked with love and care to produce a wonderfully rich sauce. It needs time to develop, and the beef must be browned and well drained or you end up with a fatty sauce which looks and taste awful.

I always make the white sauce myself too. It's a lot nicer than the jar stuff, and means I can load it up with cheese.....

Another way which is slow cooker all day on a low setting.(Or in a casserole dish 2/3 hours low in oven ,Remove and assemble Lasagne .A whisked white sauce or a couple of jars of white sauce over the top .All done and no dramas! I do enough for 2 days and Spag Bol is great the second time around ,thoroughly heated

@GooodMythicalMorning

Mine doesnt simmer for hours, about half an hour?

See I think that's okay given it's going to cook in the oven for nearly another hour as well

picklemewalnuts - thank you for your bravery and willingness to put yourself, your taste buds and your mince on the line.

Should things go awry have you any last words?

Whilst I'm no fan of cheap pasta sauces, I have been known to use a Loyd Grossman tomato and basil to save time. Nothing in it that you wouldn't put in your own sauce to be honest. Buy it when on offer at £1 a jar and it's instant flavour.

My mega quick emergency bolognaise sauce:

Heat a little oil, add in some frozen chopped onion, once onion cooked, add in low fat mince and brown, season, add chopped garlic or garlic paste, chuck in a stock cube and a little flour, when melted in, mixed in, add in some boiling water and a jar of loyds sauce and depending how many i'm cooking for, either nothing or an additional can of chopped tomatoes. Simmer away for about half an hour.

Not that authentic but plenty tasty enough and quick and no raw mince involved.