2 weeks Ago By Angela Patrone
Coming from an Italian background, lasagne is one of those classic pasta recipes my family loves to cook from scratch. There’s truly nothing more comforting than a baked lasagna made with homemade beef ragu, béchamel sauce and al dente pasta topped with melted mozzarella and Parmigiano cheese. However, the process of making an authentic Italian lasagna can take upwards of two hours - not something I feel like cooking after a busy day.
After scrolling online one day in search of quick dinner ideas, I found a few lasagne recipes that were labelled as “one-pan”. Initially, the idea of cooking your sauce and lasagne pasta sheets in one dish sounded bizarre and far from appetising, but after making some much-needed changes to recipes I had found online, I was shocked at how good it tasted. The problem with most of these one-pot lasagne recipes online is that they don’t allow enough time for the onions to brown, the carrots and celery to soften and the sauce to simmer before instructing to add in the lasagne sheets.
This led to the pasta sheet quickly overcooking and falling apart. After cooking this dish twice since making the changes, I think this recipe is a fantastic alternative for those who love lasagne but don’t want to put the effort in. Plus the washing up is minimal.
While a traditional Italian ragu doesn’t include garlic, I did decide to add garlic granules just for some added flavour. Ingredients (serves one to two) One carrot, chopped into small pieces One celery, chopped into small pieces Half an onion, chopped 125g beef mince 200g chopped tomatoes 450ml vegetable stock - made with 1 vegetable stock cube and water Four lasagne sheets 40g soft cheese 30g mozzarella cheese, grated 5g parmigiano reggiano, grated One tablespoon of tomato puree Olive oil One teaspoon of garlic granules (optional) Salt and pepper, to taste Method I started by grabbing a large pan and heating it with one to two tablespoons of oil before adding in my chopped onions. Let the onions cook until they are softened and browned.
The next step is to add in your chopped carrot and celery and let that soften for a few minutes. Putting a lid on the pan will speed up the process. After, it’s time to add in your mice and season with garlic granules, salt (but not too much as there will be salt added in from the tomato puree and stock) and pepper, then fry off until the mince has fully browned.
With the mice cooked, you then want to add in the chopped tomatoes, tomato puree, stock and give it a mix. Leave the sauce to simmer for at least 20 minutes, or longer if you have the time. The longer the sauce is left to simmer the better it will taste.
After 20 minutes, add in your pasta sheets making stir regularly for the first few minutes to avoid them sticking to one another. The pasta sheets will take around 10 minutes to cook. Once the pasta sheets are cooked, turn off the heat and add in your soft cheese and grated mozzarella and mix it up until the cheese is melted through.
Finish up by serving and topping off the pasta with your parmesan cheese and enjoy..
