Lasagne recipe

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Make this classic lasagne with layers of lean beef mince and tomato sauce. It's an easy Italian lasagne recipe the whole family will love...

Lasagne recipe
(Image credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
  • healthy
Serves6–8
SkillMedium
Preparation Time35 mins
Cooking Time2 hours
Total Time2 hours 35 mins
Five A DayOne
Cost RangeMid
Nutrition Per PortionRDA
Calories323 Kcal16%
Sugar10.5 g12%
Fat10.5 g15%
Saturated Fat5.1 g26%
Salt0.27 gRow 4 - Cell 2
Protein24.6 g49%
Carbohydrates31.3 g12%
Salt0.27 gRow 7 - Cell 2

This lean lasagne recipe is a classic crowd-pleaser dish, but it magically comes in at under 500 calories.

Delicious layers of unctuous meaty ragù and creamy white sauce blanketed between sheets of pasta Though you will be making your own meat sauce and white sauce, this is an easy recipe, and really satisfying to make (and to eat of course). You can slim it down even more by exchanging the lean mince for Quorn, and swapping the Cheddar and mozzarella mix for a low-fat version. 

While it makes enough for 6-8 people, we find this dinner is a great batch cook as well - lasagne tastes even better reheated the following day. This is one of our favourite low calorie meals.

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped
  • 1 carrot, peeled and chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
  • 500g (1lb) lean minced beef
  • 4 tbsp red wine
  • 2 tbsp tomato ketchup
  • 400g can chopped tomatoes
  • 2 tsp dried oregano
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 700ml (24fl oz) milk
  • 1 small onion, peeled and quartered
  • 3 tbsp cornflour
  • 100g (3½oz) ready-grated Cheddar and mozzarella, mixed
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • Freshly grated nutmeg
  • A packet of lasagne sheets (no pre-cooking required)
  • 30g (1oz) Parmesan, grated

WEIGHT CONVERTER

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Method

  1. To make the meat sauce: Heat the oil in large pan, add the onion and carrot and fry for 10 mins. Add the garlic, cook for another 2 mins and then tip this into a bowl.
  2. Brown the mince. Put onions back in, add the wine, ketchup, tomatoes, oregano and a bay leaf. Simmer for 30 mins.
  3. To make the white sauce: Put all but 3 tbsp of milk in a pan. Add the other bay leaf and the onion. Bring to the boil, then take it off the heat and leave it for 15 mins. Take out the onion and bay leaf. Mix the reserved 3 tbsp milk with the cornflour and whisk into the infused milk over a medium heat. Bring to the boil and simmer for 2 minutes to make a thickish, smooth sauce. Add the Cheddar and mozzarella and season well, with lots of nutmeg, too.
  4. Set the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas 6. Spoon a thin layer of meat sauce into the dish, then a little cheese sauce. Put a layer of lasagne on top, add more of the meat and cheese sauces, for another couple of layers. Finish with lasagne sheets and cheese sauce. Sprinkle with Parmesan. Bake for 45-60 mins.

Watch how to make lasagne

Top tips for making this lasagne recipe

Choose a deep dish so you can get a good amount of layers - this makes the most impressive lasagne. Use a tub of cheese sauce for speed, if you like, instead of the cheese sauce.

Do you soak lasagne sheets before cooking?

This is a personal preference - if you want to cut the oven cooking time down, then we'd recommend soaking lasagne sheets before cooking. Soak in a single layer in boiling water for up to five minutes before layering. 

Soaking the sheets will make the overall texture of the lasagne much softer. If you like your pasta with a bit more bit, do not soak before cooking. 

How many layers are in a lasagne?

Aim for 3-4 layers when making a lasagne. The smaller the dish, the more layers you'll have, particularly if you choose a dish that's deep. A wider, low-rim dish will make a big lasagne, but with only a couple of layers. It is entirely your choice of how many layers - and it depends on how much filling you have too. 

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Jessica Dady
Food Editor

Jessica Dady is Food Editor at GoodtoKnow and has over 11 years of experience as a digital editor, specialising in all things food, recipes, and SEO. From the must-buy seasonal food hampers and advent calendars for Christmas to the family-friendly air fryers that’ll make dinner time a breeze, Jessica loves trying and testing various food products to find the best of the best for the busy parents among us. Over the years of working with GoodtoKnow, Jessica has had the privilege of working alongside Future’s Test Kitchen to create exclusive videos - as well as writing, testing, and shooting her own recipes. When she’s not embracing the great outdoors with her family at the weekends, Jessica enjoys baking up a storm in the kitchen with her favourite bakes being chocolate chip cookies, cupcakes, and a tray of gooey chocolate brownies