Making a lasagne from scratch

[tangerinemagic]

Does anyone actually see the return of investment of time and money here?

I spent 2.5 hours making one (before it even went into the oven). The bechemel sauce took an hour. I don’t know where the time went but melting butter was fast and adding flour but stirring in all that milk and keeping the thickness too forever and I still ran out for the top layer which was devastating (it’s a one layer lasagne). Grating 50g Parmesan to go in is a work out, that’s before the 75g of cheddar to go on the top of it all. I did have kids with me but I wouldn’t ever bother doing it again.

I grew up eating dolmio made lasagnes and that’s how I was taught but since knowing that’s not the right way and additives etc, I’ve just bought lasagne from the deli or restaurants if I go out. Shop bought Charlie Bingham is lovely.

2.5 hours is such a long time. Does anyone do this regularly? It’s like two meals. A bolognaise then a bechemel and that’s before the art of the quantities and building the darn thing.

AIBU to feel so frustrated by this and not want to ever bother again. (Not going back to dolmio either)

I cut mine into 1-2 portions and freeze in separate glass containers. Then pop the defrosted lasagna (put it at night time in fridge and is defrosted for next day lunch/dinner) in the same container in the oven to finish cooking (15-20min or so).

It does take a long time, but I think it’s worth it because I really like home-made lasagna and I don’t like lasagne that you get a ready meal or even in a restaurant. The other thing is you can make it well in advance and the last minute time in the oven is no work at all. Also, it tends to last for two or three meals so makes the time perhaps worth it. However, despite all this, I really don’t make it very often because it does take so long. But it is good for a special occasion..

Agree 100% bechamel alone turns me into a hot mess with two pans needed.

That sounds like a very difficult experience.

I think you would be entirely reasonable to declare that Lasagne only exists in Charlie Binham packaging until such time as your kids are old enough to leave you alone for a couple of hours.

I think you must have used too much milk on too low a heat if it took you an hour

you add the milk as you go and as it thickens

I make a cauldron full of bolognaise sauce at a time, it takes about 4 hours but I have 40ish portions for the freezer so I just use that to make a lasagne and only have to make the white sauce that takes 20 minutes.
Tescos lasagne is quite nice too when I really can't be bothered.

Since when has grating a bit of cheese been hard labour? Don’t try mashing potatoes Op it’ll put you in an early grave.

I only make a lasagne when I’ve got a free day as I always start it a lunch time to give it time to simmer and then rest as the sauce is much better to use after it’s been cooked and left to cool I find. I have no idea how people have it in the oven in half an hour unless it’s all jars of sauce or is just a pile of slop when finished.

Don’t give up on it OP but next time make it when you can give yourself time or even prep it the night before once the kids are in bed so you just have assemble when you need it. I don’t think many would notice if you skipped making the bechamel from scratch either and just used a jar mixed with some cheese.

A proper lasagna is a whole day thing @tangerinemagic

its effort, but worth it. I’d not want to eat any of the “oh I can knock a lasagna together in 5mins” efforts.

you can cut corners, but you have to know how to do that

Gordon Ramsay did a fabulous Cookalong programme with a lasagna and it was amazing

Yeah I often get bored and just end up having the Bolognese. Like others have said doing a big batch of Bolognese beforehand and freezing is good then you only have one sauce to make.
Definitely speeder ways to do the white sauce as well but I think the first few times with anything take longer.

Yes its a faff.. but then all cooking from scratch involves a fair amount of faff it's just that no one talks about it and the cleaning ..especially when you have kids around. Tv chefs make it look so easy.

Do the meat sauce in advance next time, and buy a carton of bechamel sauce (Ocado do a good one), and fresh lasagne sheets you can just plonk on. Then you just have to assemble it with pasta and cheese. I’m shit at bechamel, however easy people say it is. Discovering the cartons was the best thing since chopped frozen garlic.

I make it all the time, takes me an hour to prepare (most of that waiting around aka playing on my phone) and 30
mins to cook. Béchamel takes about 5 minutes to make.

I only make one maybe 5 times a year and I make a big batch to do us two meals. Mine tastes great so I do think it's worth it. Plus DH is gluten free so homemade is our only option anyway!

I know it’s not traditional but I use a fresh supermarket cheese sauce for my lasagnes - never managed to consistently make a good cheese sauce ( kids insist on cheese not bechamel) - I’ve tried all the tricks as my best friend was married to a chef for years

Yes was a low heat and MB recommends 750ml warm milk which is a lot and whisk in slowly.

That all sounds pretty stressful OP. Cooking with toddlers and babies around is a nightmare.

For what it’s worth, I always use the Jamie Oliver lasagne recipe from Jamie’s Dinners, and love the hack of using crème fraiche (slightly thinned down with a splash of milk) instead of bechamel.

Make mine from scratch but use crème fraiche with parmesan grated in rather than bechemel. Make vast quantities of the bolognese and then freeze it. V quick to make then. Cooking anything with toddlers around makes everything take 10 times longer tho ..,.

It’s so labour intensive to make the sauces from scratch. I usually make the bechamel the night before and then I often use a jar of tomato sauce. I don’t like jarred bechamel sauce but there are some nice and minimally processed tomato sauces out there. I find using a whisk makes the bechamel easier, no lumps, it takes me about 20 mins to make it.

I do the bolognese all day in the slow cooker then the bechamel takes 5 minutes. 10 minutes tops assembling and done.

It does take a while but I don't think it's a huge effort. I make the ragu early in the afternoon and leave it to simmer gently for a couple of hours. Bechemel shouldn't take an hour, I don't know what you were doing! Maybe the heat was too low? It usually takes me about 20 mins. Then a quick assembly job, grated cheese on top, scatter with halved cherry tomatoes and some dried Italian herbs and into the oven for 45 mins or so.

It takes about that long when I make it but that's because I simmer the meat sauce for a couple of hours. The bechamel sauce is easy, I do infuse the milk first for an hour but the actual making and stirring bit
takes minutes!

The bechamel shouldn't take long, but a decent bolognaise takes a few hours. I basically never make lasagne, unless I make an enormous pot of bolognaise and have some left over.

Life is to bloody short to make Lasagne from scratch.

I can't see the issue with a Dolmio one every now again everything in moderation

It was my nativity. I wanted to have nice comforting home cooked dinner and one for DH and me to enjoy after kids went down. When he came in it was all under control but I guess buying ingredients, making ragu and bechemel back back, tidying as I go and having a demanding toddler was a bit much for one sitting. Still as someone else said, my intentions were good. Don’t see why DH has to be so rude. I did need a time out as DC1 was driving me insane, I was overstimulated and DH got lumbered with both kids. Then told me to stop trying to cook, I mean twice this week there’s been a mishap but every other night the food has been fine. He said ‘it happens every time’. I’m on mat leave so don’t usually cook from scratch from mid afternoon.