lasagne, are they easy to do???

[shellybelly]

new to me so wondering if they were easy to cook and if anyone had a quick easy way of doing it?

if you can make a bolognese sauce and a cheese sauce, then you just need to cook the lasagne add a drop of oil to the water and don't let it get too soft

don't get the no cook lasagne as it is toodry

then layer the ingredients in the dish making sure the pasta is well covered and sprinkle with grated cheese

bake for about 35 mins

man, I feel like I'm disagreeing with everyone tonight (sorry zippi!), but I have to say I've always made lasagne by layering up bolognese sauce, cheese sauce and lasagne and never bother pre-cooking the dried lasagne. Never thought it was too dry.

not massively tricky shellybelly if you can make bolognese and cheese sauce (don't tell but I sometimes cheat and buy cheese sauce) but i do think it's an enourmous hassle and I generally get as far as making the bolognese and just have that with pasta!

Yes to using dry pasta.

No to cheese sauce, use white.

Easy as you like, I used do it for my mum at about 13.

Agree with TAssis - no need to precook the lasagne. Also, I usually make bolognese one week and make double, have spag bol that week, freeze the rest and make the lasagne the next week with the left over bolognese as otherwise it is a bit of a hassle.

ooh yes and agree MMH, white sauce not cheese sauce but I usually put some cheese on the top.

Just use dry lasagne sheets. I always do and it's never dry. And I prefer white sauce to cheese sauce, but that's just personal preference. Otherwise, just layer it up and cook for half an hour.

Aah too slow!

alternatively use ricotta and spinach instead of bolognese

I had lasagne tonight.
Cook up a huge pan of bolognaise type stuff, (I use lamb mince and peppers, onions and tinned tomatoes, pepper and a little chilli powder.}
I also have a big bag of spinache, half shredded into the bolognaise then layer the other hlaf packet between pasta sheets which i've never pre cooked. Lots of cheddar grated on top with cheese sauce for a nice crisp topping!

White sauce is such a pain, cartons of napoli sauce with added cheese and mustard and black pepper are just as good and far quicker.

I'm amazed no one on here pre cooks the lasagne even a bit of blanching

the best lasagna ends up with firm pasta, crispy around the edges no need to precook

I make lasagne loads for my kids - when dp (a chef) makes the white sauce, he does the whole bay leaf in milk, bechamel sauce thing and knackers my saucepans. When I do it I make white sauce (put the cheese on top) from a pint (ish) of milk, salt, pepper and a tablespoon of cornflour (blended with a little milk first). Perfect!

Veggie version:

Saute 2 x chopped onion, 3 x chopped pepper & 100g sliced mushrooms in wok. Can also add finely sliced carrots/leeks/courgettes/aubergines - whatever's to hand! Add 1/2 pack Quorn mince, jar bought bolognese sauce, tinned tomatoes. Can also bung in chopped fresh tomatoes, frozen peas or canned/frozen sweetcorn at this stage.

Leave to simmer whilst making white sauce. Melt wodge of butter in old saucepan, stir in flour to make thick paste, bubble briefly over heat then pour in pint milk, stirring with whisk over moderate heat until reaches simmering point & thickens. Add grated cheese/black pepper if liked. Or just buy jar of white/cheese sauce (but is a bit slimy tasting).

Layer no-cook lasagne & mince/veg mixture in suitable dish, top with white sauce. The veg mix is quite sloppy so keeps pasta moist, but also means best to save white sauce for top rather than layering it! Finish with more grated cheese.

200c for 30 minutes.

i do it with dry lasagne sheets too and it aint too dry

serve with garlic bread too, the kids love it as does mummy and daddy

I can't believe people here think a white sauce is a faff. It takes max 10 mins to make the sauce, I do the traditional butter/flour, milk whisked in a bit at a time and then cooked for 5 mins. My tip is salt, pepper and a tiny bit of dried mustatrd powder (1/2 tsp) or for Cauliflower cheese add freshly garted nutmeg.

Yummy.

BTW I ALWAYS make double bolognaise too, or teiple if I am cookig up a storm in a huge pan. One lot for spag bol, one lot for lagane, and one for 'italian' shepherds pie :)

I cook it for an hour though as I usually do it in heavy crockery dishes which takes ages to heat up, and I am always doing it from cold (eg I'll make/assemble and put in fridge) Always tastes better the next day :)

I have used delias how to cook book3 recipe and it was FAB! and it used the no cook lasagne sheets. It will be on deliaonline.co.uk

However, when busy and cant be *rsed i have bought the dolmio jars of white sauce and ragu sauce. I chuck a 500g back of frozen mince in a pan - no need to defrost. A handful of chopped mushrooms and cook till browned. Add the ragu sauce. Then just layer ragu, lasagne sheet, white sauce etc then top with grated cheese.

Ditto crunchie's post, white sauce is easy and the first thing I learnt to cook. Just melt butter add flour pour in milk a bit at a time. (season with salt pepper and mustard)If it gets lumpy blitz with a hand held blender. Can then use it for a chese sauce (add cheese) or onion etc etc.

You can also add a touch of nutmeg to the white sauce.

red37, I already said that!!! :o

sorry crunchie didn't read all the thread- very tired-just a little tip I picked up from ex MIL

I normally buy the bolangnaise sauce and make the cheese sauce. I think that homemade cheese sauce holds the langsangne together as so does the no need to cook sheets.

Preheat oven to gas mark 5/6. Fry some mince (i use 259g) meat and gently heat the bolangnaise sauce (1 jar) in a sauce pan. Add some gently fried onions and mushrooms to the sauce or anything you fancy in your lasangne. As well as some herbs like oregano and garlic. I also stir in 4tbs of tomatoe ketchup which sweetens the sauce this is my secret.Once the mince meat is browned i then add that to the sauce and keep it on a gentle heat whilst i make the cheese sauce.

To make the cheese sauce i put a knob of butter in a sauce pan melt it to coat the pan. I then mix 2 tbs of corn flour with a pint of milk and pour it into the sauce pan over a very gentle heat keep stiring until it starts to thicken. Once its at a nice texture (not too thick) stir in a handfull of grated cheese and remove it from the heat. Keep stiring until it melts into the sauce. Caution dont leave the sauce to stand as i find it goes lumpy and too thick.

Then grease the bottom of a lasangne dish add the sheets and layer with meat sauce then another layer of sheets followed by cheese sauce and then meat sauce on top of that then finish with a final layer of sheets and cheese sauce. Sprinke with cheese and a little bit of oregano on top. Put in then centre of the oven for 30 to 35 mins depending on how long the sheets take to cook.Serve with garlic bread and side salad.

well i cooked my first ever lasagne last night and it was lovely, not even bolognaise and only 2 layers of lagasgne as my dish was to big but it still tasted great, angeliz thanks for the spinach tip as I had actually bought a big back yesterday and it worked really well