Lasagne is traditionally made with a thick ragu and a thick béchamel sauce(Image: (Image: Getty))

Skip popular step when making a lasagne and it will taste even better

The delicious Italian meal can cater for every palette but it can be quite tricky and laborious to prepare. This recipe skips some fiddly steps so you don't have to slave over the stove

by · The Mirror

For those who love the comfort of lasagne but find the preparation a bit daunting, celebrity chef Lesley Waters has dished out her "easiest ever" recipe.

The method, offering a no-fuss approach to classic Italian home cooking, skips the tiresome steps and uses ready-made items to save you hours in the kitchen. No need for the traditional béchamel sauce here - Waters' genius hack involves simply mixing cream and eggs for an effortlessly indulgent white sauce. Featured on BBC Good Food, the convenient take on lasagne doesn't sacrifice taste for time, making it perfect for feeding a family of six without breaking a sweat, reports the Express.

Skipping the béchamel sauce cuts down the time it takes to make your tasty lasagne( Image: (Image: Getty))

Ingredients

  • 500g minced beef
  • Two garlic cloves, crushed
  • Two tsp dried oregano or mixed herbs
  • Two 250g packs of pre-sliced white mushrooms
  • A 300-350g tub of roasted vegetable sauce or a jar of your fave pasta sauce
  • A few generous squirts of tomato ketchup
  • One large egg
  • A 284ml carton of double cream
  • 175g of shredded extra-mature cheddar cheese
  • 9-12 sheets of fresh lasagne noodles
  • A pinch of nutmeg

Method

Lasagne is the perfect comfort food now it's getting colder( Image: (Image: Getty))
  1. Get the stove going and heat a roomy non-stick pan. Chuck in half the minced beef and cook it over medium heat till it's nicely browned, which should take about five minutes.
  2. Toss in the crushed garlic and dried oregano for a flavour hit.
  3. Next, throw in the sliced mushrooms and whatever veggie sauce you've chosen, along with a good squirt of ketchup. Season the mix with a dash of salt and a grinding of black pepper to taste.
  4. Stir the mixture well and increase the heat to bring it to a boil, then reduce it until it bubbles gently. Cover the pan and let it cook for 30-35 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.
  5. In the meantime, while the meat is cooking, crack the egg into a large bowl and whisk it. Pour the cream into the same bowl, grate about two thirds of the cheese and add it to the bowl.
  6. Season with black pepper.
  7. Preheat your oven to 180C/gas 4/fan 160C.
  8. Place the lasagne sheets in a dish, cover them with boiling water and leave them to soak for five minutes.
  9. Next, grab an ovenproof dish and spread a few spoonfuls of the meat sauce over the bottom, then layer with three to four sheets of lasagne - you can overlap these slightly if necessary.
  10. Drizzle about two to three spoonfuls of the cheese sauce over the top. Spoon half of the remaining meat sauce over this and spread it out, right to the edges of the dish.
  11. Layer with three to four more sheets of lasagne, then spoon over the remaining meat sauce, spreading it out evenly and almost to the edges. Add another layer of three to four lasagne sheets.
  12. Pour the rest of the cheese sauce over the top. Grate the remaining cheese evenly all over, then grate about half a teaspoon of nutmeg over the top.
  13. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes or until it's bubbling and golden. Enjoy your delicious homemade lasagne.