Beef Lasagne Bake
A golden, bubbling lasagne with a rich beef and tomato ragu, creamy milk sauce and a browned mozzarella top. Comforting, high-protein and built for a crowd.
- Total
- 90 min
- Prep 25 · Cook 55 · Rest 10
- Serves
- 1
- Difficulty
- Medium
You'll practice: Searing · Making a roux
- Savory
- No rush
- Italian
- Stovetop
- Oven
Instructions
-
Heat the oven to 200°C. Finely chop the onion and mince the garlic. Grate the mozzarella.
~10 min
-
Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the beef mince and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until browned all over with no pink left.
~8 min
Searing the mince in a hot pan drives off moisture and triggers Maillard browning, building deep savoury flavour.
Searing Get the pan hot and leave the mince undisturbed briefly before breaking it up, so it browns instead of steaming. Crowding the pan traps moisture and turns it grey.
-
Add the onion and garlic to the pan and cook for 5 minutes until softened. Pour in the canned tomatoes, season with 1 tsp salt and 0.5 tsp black pepper, and simmer for 15 minutes until the sauce thickens and coats the spoon.
~20 min
Simmering reduces the tomatoes and concentrates flavour, thickening the sauce so it clings rather than runs.
-
While step 3 cooks
While the ragu simmers, melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Gradually pour in 600 ml milk, whisking constantly, and simmer for 5 minutes until the sauce is smooth and thick enough to coat the back of the spoon. Season with the remaining 0.5 tsp salt.
~5 min
Cooking the flour in butter makes a roux, which thickens the milk and stops the sauce tasting raw.
Making a roux Cook the flour and butter for a full minute to remove the raw taste, then add milk gradually, whisking, so no lumps form. A thick coat on the spoon means it is ready.
-
Spread a thin layer of ragu over the base of the baking dish. Layer lasagne sheets, ragu and white sauce, repeating until the ingredients are used, finishing with a layer of white sauce. Scatter the grated mozzarella over the top.
~10 min
A thin ragu base stops the pasta sticking, and finishing with white sauce keeps the top moist under the cheese.
-
Bake for 30 minutes until the top is golden and bubbling and a knife slides easily through the pasta. Rest for 10 minutes before serving.
~40 min
Resting lets the layers set as the starch firms, so portions slice cleanly instead of sliding apart.
Let the bake rest before cutting so the layers set and the portions hold together instead of sliding apart.