Easy Family Lasagne

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 180°C.
2. Pop a large frying pan onto your hob and turn the temperature to medium-high. Pour in 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
3. Add the bacon to the pan and fry until it turns beautifully golden. Push into a pile at the side of the pan once cooked.
4. Lay your beef mince into the pan and cook for 5 minutes until the pan side is golden. Flip it like a steak and colour the reverse side. Once your mince has browned on each side, break it up into large chunks using a wooden spoon and ensure any raw spots are cooked.
5. Decant your beef and bacon with a slotted spoon into a bowl and set aside, reserving as much of the fats and juice in the pan as possible.
6. Drop the hob heat down to medium and add your carrot, celery, onion and rosemary to the pan with a generous pinch of salt - this will help to draw out moisture and soften your veggies rather than fry them.
7. Once soft, turn the heat back up and add your wine, garlic and bay leaves and cook for 5-7 minutes until the wine has reduced by over half. Finish with the sun-dried tomatoes, plum tomatoes and worcestershire sauce and season generously (especially with pepper!).
8. Return your beef and bacon to the pan and reduce the temperature to a low-medium heat, so it lightly simmers, cover with a lid and leave to blip away whilst you make the bechamel sauce.
9. Grab a deep saucepan and pop it on a low-medium heat. Add your butter and allow to melt before adding your flour.
10. Using a wooden spoon, mix together the flour and butter until it forms a rough ball and allow it to cook on the heat for 3-4 minutes. By cooking out the flour, you won’t be left with a gritty, doughy bechamel.
11. Little by little add your milk to the pan, stirring until smooth between each addition. At first the sauce will feel extremely thick but will loosen into a lovely, double cream consistency.
12. Now it’s assembly time! Begin with a layer of bolognese, topped with a single layer of lasagne pasta sheets. Spread a generous ladle of bechamel over the top with a sprinkling of cheese and season with salt and pepper.
13. Repeat these steps until you have used up all of your ingredients, being sure to finish with a layer of pasta, bechamel and cheddar.
14. Pop your lasagne into your preheated oven at 180°C and set the timer for 40 minutes.
15. Once done, move the lasagne to the grill and colour the top for a final 5 minutes.
16. Serve with garlic bread and salad and see the family light up when you place this on the table.

This twist on a classic can be created on a fantastic Leisure range cooker. Need an appliance that fits your needs? Take a look at our selection of our range cookers.