LASAGNE SAUCE RECIPE RECIPES

For the Bolognese sauce (can be made up to two days ahead)

1. Heat a heavy-based pot and, when hot, add the oil and butter, then the onion. Saute for a few minutes until soft then add the carrot and celery, then the garlic. Cook gently until they have softened and are lightly golden.

2. Add the mince, crumbling it in the pot with a fork. Season with salt and pepper, and cook briefly until the meat is no longer red, but do not brown it. It's important to salt the meat at this stage to extract its juices for the sauce and to cook the meat gently so it retains delicacy.

3. Now add the wine and bring to the boil. Cook for a few minutes on high heat before adding the rosemary and tomatoes. When it starts to bubble, turn the heat to the barest of simmers, partly cover and cook for 1 1/2 hours. Stir the pot from time to time, adding some water if necessary.

For the bechamel (can be made ahead)

This is not a gluggy, tasteless white glue. When made well it is a delicious and velvety smooth milky sauce delicately flavoured with bay, peppercorns and nutmeg.

1. In a pot, melt the butter then add the flour and stir with a wooden spoon. Cook on medium heat for a few minutes but do not let the flour colour. Take a whisk and pour in the cold milk all at once, whisking constantly.

2. Continue to whisk as the sauce heats and comes to the boil. Initially you will have lumps, but as the mixture comes to the boil, the sauce will thicken and become smooth. Add a good pinch of salt, the bay leaf, peppercorns and grated nutmeg if desired.

3. Turn the heat to a low simmer and cook for 15 minutes, stirring often. The sauce should have a thickish pouring consistency. The longer you cook the sauce the thicker it becomes. Remove from the heat and cover with plastic wrap to avoid a skin forming. This sauce can also be made ahead and lasts for a few days. Reheat over a low heat and stir constantly.

To assemble

I find it easiest if the bolognese and bechamel sauces are not cold, so if you need to reheat them, do so gently. Bring a large pot of generously salted water to the boil while you roll out the pasta dough.

Roll and cook the dough

1. Cut the dough in half and roll it out to the thinnest setting. Cut the sheets in 25cm lengths and lay out on a lightly dusted workbench while you roll out the rest. Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil and place a large bowl of cold water near the stove. When the water is boiling rapidly, drop in a few sheets at a time. Cook until the pasta is al dente, scoop out with a slotted spoon and put into the cold water. Continue until all the pasta has been cooked. Drain the cooked pasta sheets and lay them out on tea towels or a tablecloth and pat dry.

2. Preheat oven to 180C.

3. Use a large baking dish with high sides (I use a 25cm x 35cm dish). Smear it generously with butter and spread a thin coating of bechamel and bolognese sauce on the bottom. Sprinkle on a little grated parmesan and cover with a layer of pasta sheets, cutting them to fit the dish.

4. Top with another thin layer of bechamel and bolognese and a sprinkle of parmesan. The key here is not to be heavy-handed with the sauces and cheese, or else the lasagne will become overly rich and clumsy. Continue until you have about six layers of pasta or you have almost run out of ingredients.

5. For the topping you can go two ways; either use just the bechamel and a generous sprinkling of parmesan and a few dots of butter or a last thin layer of bolognese, parmesan and butter. I use whatever I have left over, but that depends on how much bolognese has been mopped up with bread for a snack before the lasagne gets finished.

6. Bake for about 20 minutes or until the lasagne has a light brown crust.* Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes before serving directly from the dish.

*Note: I find the lasagne turns out best when it stands for 30 minutes before baking. You can even prepare it the day before and then bake it, but you will need to cook it longer and at a slightly lower temperature.

Preheat the oven to 200ºC/gas mark 6. Put half the oil in a large bowl and add the courgettes, aubergine and peppers. Season and toss the vegetables to coat in the oil. Transfer to a large roasting tin and roast for 30 minutes until tender, turning once.

Meanwhile, heat the rest of the olive oil in a large deep saucepan and fry the onion and garlic over a low heat for 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until very soft but not brown. Add the chopped tomatoes and 200ml water. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer gently for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally until thickened.

Stir the spinach into the hot tomato sauce until just wilted. Remove from the heat and add the roasted vegetables and beans. Season to taste. Reserve half the mixture for later use, or freeze. Reduce the oven temperature to 180ºC/gas mark 4.

To assemble, spread one-quarter of the white lasagne sauce in the base of a 2-litre ovenproof dish. Top with a single layer of lasagne sheets, cutting them to fit if necessary. Spoon over half the vegetable sauce, followed by another quarter of the white sauce. Repeat the layers of lasagne sheets, vegetable sauce and white sauce once more, then top with a final layer of lasagne sheets.

Spread the remaining white sauce over the top of the lasagne sheets. Sprinkle the cheese over the top. Bake in the preheated oven for 35-40 minutes or until golden and bubbling.

1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/gas 4.
2. Peel and finely chop the onion, garlic and carrot, then finely slice the pancetta or bacon. Pick the herbs.
3. Slowly fry the pancetta or bacon and cinnamon in a large casserole pan over a medium heat until golden, then add the onion, carrot, garlic and herbs and 4 tablespoons of oil.
4. Mix together, add the beef and pork, cook for 5 minutes, then add the tomatoes and wine (or you can use water, if you prefer). Add the bay and bring to the boil.
5. Scrunch up a wet sheet of greaseproof paper, then and place it on top of the pan and cover with a lid. Place in the oven for 2 hours or simmer on the hob over a gentle heat for around 1½ hours, or until thickened and reduced.
6. Halve, deseed and roughly chop the butternut squash, then drizzle with oil. Bash the coriander seeds and dried chilli then sprinkle over, with a pinch of sea salt and black pepper.
7. Place on a baking tray and roast in the oven for the last 45 minutes of cooking the sauce. When the sauce is done, season to taste and put to one side.
8. For the white sauce, finely chop the anchovies, then mix with the crème fraîche and a handful of Parmesan, then season with salt and pepper – you may need to loosen the mixture with a little milk.
9. Turn the oven to 200ºC/400ºF/gas 6.
10. To assemble the lasagne, rub a lasagne dish with oil, lay some sheets of lasagne over the bottom and drape them over the sides. Add a layer of meat, a little white sauce and a sprinkling of Parmesan.
11. Break the butternut squash into pieces and use this as one layer, then repeat the layers, finishing with a layer of pasta covered in white sauce.
12. Tear over the mozzarella and sprinkle with some extra Parmesan, then bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until golden. Serve with a seasonal salad.

1. Strip and finely chop the rosemary leaves and finely chop the bacon.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large casserole pan on a high heat. Once hot, add the rosemary and bacon and fry for 2 minutes, or until the bacon starts to crisp up, stirring regularly.
3. Add all the minced meat, using a wooden spoon to break it up as you go. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for at least 10 minutes, or until all the liquid has evaporated, stirring occasionally.
4. Place the coarse grater attachment in your food processor (or you could use a box grater instead) and grate the Cheddar, then tip into a bowl.
5. Replace the grater with the regular blade. Trim and halve the carrots, then add to the processor and blitz to roughly the same size as the mince. Peel and halve the onions, add them to the carrot and blitz again.
6. Tip into the pan with the mince while you get on with blitzing and adding the celery. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the vegetables start to soften, stirring regularly.
7. Next, add the tomato purée and plum tomatoes, breaking them up with a spoon. Fill each of the tins with water and tip into the pan. Give everything a good stir and reduce the heat to low. Leave to simmer around 2 hours, or until thickened and reduced, stirring occasionally.
8. While that ticks away, make your white sauce. Trim, wash and finely slice the leeks, then add to a pan along with 2 tablespoons of oil and the bay leaves. Stir well and season with a tiny pinch of sea salt and black pepper.
9. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 30 minutes, or until sweet and softened, adding splashes of water, if needed.
10. Add the flour and stir well to coat, then gradually add the milk, stirring continuously. Turn the heat up to medium, bring to the boil, then reduce to low and cook for 5 to 10 minutes, or until thickened, stirring regularly.
11. Carefully transfer the sauce to the food processor and blitz until smooth and silky. Add half the grated cheese and finely grate over half the nutmeg and mix well. Season to taste.
12. Once the ragù is ready, preheat the oven to 190ºC/375ºF/gas 5.
13. Season the ragù to taste, then transfer half into freezer bags, portioning up as appropriate for your family. Allow to cool to room temperature, then pop in the freezer for another day. It’s a good idea to freeze them flat so that you can reheat them quickly and easily. It’s also a good idea to label and date them to avoid a game of freezer roulette in a few weeks' time!
14. To build your lasagne, spoon a quarter of the ragù into a large deep ovenproof dish (roughly 25cm by 30cm) and spread it out evenly.
15. Spoon over a quarter of the white sauce, then snap over some lasagne sheets, making sure they completely cover the sauce in one layer. Repeat this 3 times, finishing with a layer of white sauce.
16. Sprinkle over the remaining cheese and bake the lasagne in the oven for 45 minutes or until golden and bubbling.
17. Remove the lasagne from the oven and leave to sit for 5 to 10 minutes before serving. Delicious served with a fresh green salad.

For the Bolognese sauce (can be made up to two days ahead)

1. Heat a heavy-based pot and, when hot, add the oil and butter, then the onion. Saute for a few minutes until soft then add the carrot and celery, then the garlic. Cook gently until they have softened and are lightly golden.

2. Add the mince, crumbling it in the pot with a fork. Season with salt and pepper, and cook briefly until the meat is no longer red, but do not brown it. It's important to salt the meat at this stage to extract its juices for the sauce and to cook the meat gently so it retains delicacy.

3. Now add the wine and bring to the boil. Cook for a few minutes on high heat before adding the rosemary and tomatoes. When it starts to bubble, turn the heat to the barest of simmers, partly cover and cook for 1 1/2 hours. Stir the pot from time to time, adding some water if necessary.

For the bechamel (can be made ahead)

This is not a gluggy, tasteless white glue. When made well it is a delicious and velvety smooth milky sauce delicately flavoured with bay, peppercorns and nutmeg.

1. In a pot, melt the butter then add the flour and stir with a wooden spoon. Cook on medium heat for a few minutes but do not let the flour colour. Take a whisk and pour in the cold milk all at once, whisking constantly.

2. Continue to whisk as the sauce heats and comes to the boil. Initially you will have lumps, but as the mixture comes to the boil, the sauce will thicken and become smooth. Add a good pinch of salt, the bay leaf, peppercorns and grated nutmeg if desired.

3. Turn the heat to a low simmer and cook for 15 minutes, stirring often. The sauce should have a thickish pouring consistency. The longer you cook the sauce the thicker it becomes. Remove from the heat and cover with plastic wrap to avoid a skin forming. This sauce can also be made ahead and lasts for a few days. Reheat over a low heat and stir constantly.

To assemble

I find it easiest if the bolognese and bechamel sauces are not cold, so if you need to reheat them, do so gently. Bring a large pot of generously salted water to the boil while you roll out the pasta dough.

Roll and cook the dough

1. Cut the dough in half and roll it out to the thinnest setting. Cut the sheets in 25cm lengths and lay out on a lightly dusted workbench while you roll out the rest. Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil and place a large bowl of cold water near the stove. When the water is boiling rapidly, drop in a few sheets at a time. Cook until the pasta is al dente, scoop out with a slotted spoon and put into the cold water. Continue until all the pasta has been cooked. Drain the cooked pasta sheets and lay them out on tea towels or a tablecloth and pat dry.

2. Preheat oven to 180C.

3. Use a large baking dish with high sides (I use a 25cm x 35cm dish). Smear it generously with butter and spread a thin coating of bechamel and bolognese sauce on the bottom. Sprinkle on a little grated parmesan and cover with a layer of pasta sheets, cutting them to fit the dish.

4. Top with another thin layer of bechamel and bolognese and a sprinkle of parmesan. The key here is not to be heavy-handed with the sauces and cheese, or else the lasagne will become overly rich and clumsy. Continue until you have about six layers of pasta or you have almost run out of ingredients.

5. For the topping you can go two ways; either use just the bechamel and a generous sprinkling of parmesan and a few dots of butter or a last thin layer of bolognese, parmesan and butter. I use whatever I have left over, but that depends on how much bolognese has been mopped up with bread for a snack before the lasagne gets finished.

6. Bake for about 20 minutes or until the lasagne has a light brown crust.* Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes before serving directly from the dish.

*Note: I find the lasagne turns out best when it stands for 30 minutes before baking. You can even prepare it the day before and then bake it, but you will need to cook it longer and at a slightly lower temperature.