Donal Skehan: One pot stove-top lasagne

Cover with a lid, lower the heat and cook gently for 20 minutes until the pasta has cooked and the cheese has melted. Serve generous spoonfuls from the pan in deep bowls.
Cover with a lid, lower the heat and cook gently for 20 minutes until the pasta has cooked and the cheese has melted. Serve generous spoonfuls from the pan in deep bowls.
Serves: 4
Course: Main Course
Cooking Time: 1 hr 10 mins

Ingredients

  • Serves 4
  • 100g chorizo sausage, chopped
  • 1-2 tbsp olive oil
  • 500g beef mince
  • 1 carrot, peeled and grated
  • 1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 tbsp tomato purée
  • 2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes
  • 75ml red wine
  • 2 tsp dried oregano
  • 250g pack fresh lasagne sheets
  • 2 balls mozzarella, thinly sliced
  • Sea salt and ground black pepper
  • A good handful fresh basil leaves, roughly torn
  • For the cheese sauce:
  • 2 x 250g tubs ricotta
  • 50g cheddar cheese, finely grated
  • 50g Parmesan cheese, finely grated
  • 100ml milk
  • Ground black pepper

Italians may want to look away for this one, but it is serious one-pot comfort food for those with limited kitchen equipment. Make sure to get fresh lasagna sheets for this as the dried ones won’t work. In a large casserole over a medium heat, fry the chorizo for 2-3 minutes until sizzling and golden. Drain on a plate lined with kitchen paper.

Add a little oil to the pan if required (the chorizo should release some) and fry the beef, breaking up with a wooden spoon. Fry for 6-8 minutes until browned.

Add the grated carrot and allow to soften down for 2 minutes. Transfer the contents of the pan to the plate with the chorizo. Add a drop more oil to the pan and fry the onions for 6 minutes until just tender. Stir through the garlic and cook for a further 2 minutes. Then add the tomato purée, chopped tomatoes, red wine and dried oregano. Allow to cook for 15 minutes until the mixture has slightly reduced and thickened. Season to taste.

While this is cooking, mix together the ricotta, cheddar, parmesan and milk in a medium-sized bowl. Season to taste and if you find the mixture too thick, loosen with a little more milk.

When the sauce is cooked, remove two-thirds of the mince from the pan into a small bowl and set aside. Place a layer of lasagne sheets (tear them to fit) on top of the mince in the pan followed by half the cheese mixture, spreading evenly across the lasagne sheets to cover.

Return another third of the mince to the pan and spread evenly. Top with another layer lasagne sheets and the remaining cheese mixture.

Add the rest of the mince as a last layer and finish off with the sliced mozzarella and some basil leaves. Cover with a lid, lower the heat and cook gently for 20 minutes until the pasta has cooked and the cheese has melted. Serve generous spoonfuls from the pan in deep bowls.