I’m going to make lasagne for the first time ever - any tips or tricks?

[YoongiMarryMe]

I do cook, honest guv, but no-one but me has had any interest in lasagne and I can’t be bothered making it for just me! But youngest DS has asked to try it so I now need to make an Epic Lasagne so he likes it and I have an excuse to make it fairly often from now on.

Help me Obi-Wan Mumsnet, you’re my only hope.

My bolognaise is always over 50% veg so needs to be cooked for a good long while to evaporate out the extra liquid. I sometimes put in a low temp oven overnight to achieve this. Long slow cooking is a really easy way to get good flavour.

Sprinkle dried Italian herbs over the top layer of cheese before you put in the oven 😋

My tip is to roast the veg (courgette, aubergine, onion, peppers) while the tomato sauce is simmering, then add them when cooked. It doesn't add to the cooking time because the sauce would be simmering anyway, but it adds a real depth of flavour!

What’s wrong with the recipe I posted?

🤮 for me this the way to ruin a delicious dish.

For me it would be the celery, the Worcestershire and the Gruyère/Colby in the béchamel.

Although really, I’m sure it’s great. I think I am being particular to my own tastes because you asked.

I do celery in ragu always
No lea and perrins though and I do Parmesan in the sauce

I made a discovery: if you lob the cheese sauce ingredients in a blender, then heat it up, it comes out the same as if you make the roux and all that faff

Ohh!! Must try this: despite being a reasonable cook I can never make sauce!

Can't stand a sloppy lasagne, where the pasta sheets slide around!

We like it nice and solid, so it cuts into clean squares, and it may not be to everyone's taste, but I add cooked lentils to the meat sauce to add extra protein, as well as absorb some of the liquid - is lovely! Sometimes add some grated carrot too!

Don't add lots of water-laden veg to your meat sauce (courgette, aubergine etc) as it just makes it all too slimy.

Hot oven for at least an hour, then let it rest for 10-15mins before serving.

There's a danger of it tasting of raw flour. The flour needs to cook properly to let the starch molecules break down (or expand, or something 😂).

I make roasted vegetable lasagna but it needs to sit after it’s cooked. Much better if it’s refrigerated overnight then reheated.

and it’s a completely different meal.

You cook the sauce in the pan after you've blended it

I think cooking out the roux will give it far more of a rounded flavour. It's not difficult, either once you get the hang of it. Equal parts of butter & flour. Melt the butter, add the flour & cook until.its a golden nutty colour. Add the milk slowly & stir well in between to get rid of any lumps.

I have tried this for 40 years 😂

Not Italian

Honestly? Make it the day before you want to serve it, (or at least the Bolognese) tastes better.

My recipe is:
Finely chopped onion, celery and carrot sauté for 30 minutes +
Fry off mince , add more onion, garlic and the mixture above with seasoning and oregano. Add chopped tomatoes and cook on low heat for at least 30 minutes.

Meanwhile make white sauce - I use sunflower oil, flour , milk, oregano, seasoning then strong cheese.

Assemble with layer of mince mix, layer pasta sheets, layer of white sauce and repeat. After final layer white sauce sprinkle with chopped parsley, sliced mozzarella and hard grated cheese. I make six large portions and freeze half.

Fresh pasta is nicer but you can make a very decent lasagna using the cheapest mince, bulked out with extra veg, lentils even, skip the fresh parsley and use strong cheese as you can use less skipping the mozzarella, get more portions out by adding salad, garlic bread

To be fair, I know an Italian that would not eat anything described as “Italian” outside of Italy, period no matter who made it or how. She’s a world traveler and says, no, absolutely no. Never going to be the same.

I like mine really well done
Sorry not sorry

I'd make sauces rather than jars or processed crap with all the additives

Beef and pork mince in the ragu, plus a splash of milk to help tenderise it

Reading all these tips with interest !! I LOVE lasagne but mine always comes out the oven dry - maybe I need to make sure there is lots of liquid in it before it goes in the oven

I’ve made the RecipeTin eats recipe you linked probably half a dozen times and it always goes down very well. It makes a MASSIVE lasagna - 10 good sized portions.

My tip for lasagna is to use a palette/icing knife to spread the mince and bechamel sauce layers. It makes the job of assembly fairly quick. I never ice cakes but use my palette knife all the time for things like spreading potato on Shepherd’s Pie etc

https://www.cookwarestore.co.uk/icing-knife-oxo-good-grips

I just spread mine with the next sheet of dry pasta and leave the top as gnarly as possible…
But then I do anything to save on washing up!

Does she do any cooking of her own?