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This homemade classic beef lasagne recipe is definitely worth the effort. There’s nothing quite like a lasagne made from scratch!
Sometimes you just can’t beat a classic recipe, you know? As much as I love being creative and coming up with exciting recipes occasionally I fancy something a bit more familiar.
For me that can mean a sausage and bean stew on a Sunday night, an easy beef stroganoff slowly cooked on a Saturday afternoon or a hearty chicken and vegetable soup to use up leftovers from a roast dinner.
Or it can mean the ultimate in classic, a homemade lasagne (or lasagna if you’re in the US!). Crunchy edges, gooey cheese and rich meaty sauce. It’s so dreamy.
Ooo I love a good lasagne me. You guys know what I’m saying? (I’ve got several other versions on the blog including a one pot vegetarian lasagne and a butternut squash lasagne). How you can get a ready made lasagne and it’ll be…ok I guess…but when you’ve gone to the effort of making one from scratch it literally cannot be bad.
Tell me, have you ever had a bad homemade lasagne? I’m 100% sure the answer is no, never, homemade lasagne is the best!
I used to be slightly obsessed with those ready meal lasagnes. The kind of gross ones that you get out the fridge bit in supermarkets. They’re all sloppy and anemic looking and you can cook them in two minutes in a microwave.
They actually kind of fall apart when you try to get them out of the plastic tray because the sauce is so thin. But when I was a kid that was my go to dinner whenever my mum went out and my dad was left to get me dinner. And I loved them, trust me.
Anyways, you’re probably wondering why I’m grossing you out with the thought of bad lasagne when I’m trying to convince you to make this amazing one!
Nowadays I’m not really down with those things. I’m exclusively a homemade lasagne type of girl. Which is fine except that it’s kind of a pain to make homemade lasagne from scratch if you’re not totally in the mood.
But on a weekend when you’ve got a couple of hours to make something tasty, especially if you’re making it for someone special, then there’s nothing better to make than a homemade classic beef lasagne. Alternatively, if you’re looking for a super simple, weeknight deal then check out this one pot lasagne instead!
INGREDIENTS YOU NEED TO MAKE BEEF LASAGNE:
- Olive Oil
- Onion
- Beef Mince/Ground Beef
- Smoked Bacon
- Garlic
- Carrots
- Mushrooms
- Red Wine
- Chopped Tomatoes
- Salt and Pepper
- Dried Oregano
- Dried Basil
- Beef Stock Cube
- Chilli Flakes
- Tomato Puree
- Butter
- Flour
- Milk
- Dijon Mustard
- Parmesan
- Nutmeg
- Cheddar
- Lasagne Sheets
Keep scrolling to get the full recipe for this homemade classic beef lasagne…
This recipe is completely delicious and you can’t underestimate the sense of accomplishment you get from making a lasagne from scratch. When you take it out of the oven and it’s all bubbling and amazing and you bring it to the table ready for people to fight over the crispy corners (#crispylasagnecorners4life). But, let’s be honest, making a lasagne from scratch is a labour of love so if you’re short on time then I’ve created an amazing one pot lasagne recipe as well.
HOW TO MAKE LASAGNE:
- Making a lasagne is all about being organised. The beef sauce needs to simmer for 30 minutes so make that first so that it has time to get all unctuous.
- While the beef cooks then get your cheesy white sauce on the go. This is a great way to add extra flavour so hit it with the mustard, parmesan and a little nutmeg. Make sure you bubble until it thickens a bit to avoid a sloppy lasagne!
- Get your sauces, lasagne sheets and cheese all laid out ready to assemble then you’re ready to make your lasagne.
So if you haven’t made one before then give this recipe a go! Or, if you fancy a vegetarian version then how about this four cheese butternut squash lasagne?
Need more dinner recipes? Get loads here
WONDERING WHAT TO DO WITH THE LEFTOVER INGREDIENTS YOU’VE GOT FROM MAKING HOMEMADE CLASSIC BEEF LASAGNE?
If you’re anything like me then you’re always looking for ways to save money and avoid food waste so I want to make sure you’ve get plenty of ideas on how to use up any ingredients that are leftover from my recipes!
Super Tasty Classic Beef Chilli Con Carne
Homemade Classic Beef Lasagne
This homemade classic beef lasagne recipe is definitely worth the effort. There's nothing quite like a lasagne made from scratch!
Ingredients
Meat Sauce
- 50 ml Olive Oil
- 1 large Onion chopped
- 600 g Beef Mince
- 4 rashers Smoked Bacon chopped into 1 inch squares
- 4 cloves Garlic minced
- 2 Carrots peeled and chopped
- 125 g Mushrooms chopped
- 250 ml Red Wine
- 2 400g tins Chopped Tomatoes
- Salt and Pepper
- 1 tbsp Dried Oregano
- 2 tsp Dried Basil
- 1 Beef Stock Cube
- 1 pinch Chilli Flakes
- 2 tbsp Tomato Puree
White Sauce
- 50 g Butter
- 50 g Plain Flour
- 750 ml Milk
- 2 tsp Dijon Mustard
- 30 g Parmesan Cheese grated
- Salt and Pepper
- 1/4 tsp Nutmeg
- 50 g Cheddar grated
- 250 g Dry Lasagne Sheets
- Extra Cheddar grated, for topping
Instructions
-
Preheat the oven to 190°C. Heat the olive oil over a medium heat. Add the onion and cook for a few minutes until softened. Add the beef, bacon, garlic, carrots and mushrooms and cook until the beef has browned. Pour in the red wine and bring to a boil before adding the chopped tomatoes, salt and pepper, oregano, basil, stock cube, chilli flakes and tomato puree. Simmer for half an hour.
-
While the tomato sauce is cooking make the white sauce. Melt the butter over a medium heat and whisk in the flour. Once you have a smooth paste gradually pour in the milk while whisking. Add the mustard, cheeses, nutmeg and a sprinkling of salt and pepper. Cook for 5-10 minutes until thickened. Remove from the heat.
-
You're now ready to assemble your lasagne. Spread a couple of spoonfuls of meat sauce in the bottom of a baking dish, top with lasagne sheets and a spoonful of white sauce. Repeat the process until you've finished the meat sauce and make sure to finish with a final layer of white sauce. Top the whole thing with grated cheddar and cook for 45 minutes.
Recipe Notes
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12 Comments
Andrew
20/08/2017 at 10:09 AMMade this tonight. I think you’re somewhat optimistic on the preparation time – altogether it took well over two hours from start to finish – but the result was excellent. Really tasty.
Thank you – will try it again and hope to get faster with practice.
Allison - Celebrating Sweets
24/09/2017 at 10:47 PMThis looks phenomenal! I absolutely have to try it. Love all that cheese!
Trang
24/09/2017 at 11:25 PMWOW that cheese crust looks amazing! You’re making me so hungry >.<
Sarah
24/09/2017 at 11:31 PMOhhhh this looks so good!! I’ve been craving a home-cooked hot comfort food dish {what a description, I know haha} but we randomly had a heat wave this weekend….definitely once the temps dip again, this lasagna will be on the menu!
Ginny
25/09/2017 at 12:42 AMI haven’t made lasagna in so long. Your photos are beautiful and I love the mushroom and carrot additions!
Dahn
25/09/2017 at 2:09 AMI have never had a homemade lasagna that I did not like and this one looks divine. I have had it with red sauce and white sauce but I really do like the white sauce the best.
Gené Randel
01/11/2017 at 8:25 PMWhat a great recipe!! Wonderful! I used turkey mince because we’re trying to be healthier but everything else was as per the instructions (except cheese, I ALWAYS add more cheese ). I can never do the prep as quick as any recipe says. I would suggest making the ragu and béchamel and assembling in the afternoon and then just stick it in the oven when you’re ready. It was very tasty, cannot fault it at all!
Amy
01/11/2017 at 11:12 PMThanks so much Gené! Glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Alison
19/06/2018 at 2:31 PMJust made it and it looks like yours and smells delicious
Amy
19/06/2018 at 8:08 PMI’m so happy to hear that Alison!
Verna
27/09/2018 at 5:48 PMCAN you post with regular measurements I don’t know how to convert grams into cups
Amy
27/09/2018 at 7:48 PMHi Verna, if you click the US measures link underneath the ingredients list it’ll show cup measures. Hope that helps!