A Glug of Oil

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Easy Lasagne Recipe

How to Make Lasagne with Ready-Made Sauce

Step by step how to make lasagne the easy way, yep this is a cheats lasagne recipe. 😉

I used Dolmio sauces, of course, you can use your favourite brand.

Easy lasagne using ready made jar sauces.

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*Post updated September 2023

This cheats lasagne recipe is perfect for times when you simply don't have the time to spend in the kitchen.

Perfect for students, busy mums and dads, or days when you just don't have time.

I'm not usually a fan of those jars of ready-made sauces but it has to be said I think most of them have come a long way from the over-salty and sugary thick gluey-like sauces they were a while back.

So, armed with my jars of Dolmio Lasagne Sauces, my lasagne was ready in no time and it actually tasted really good. 😋

No need for a proper recipe because it tells you all this on the back of the jar.

However, I couldn't help myself and I added a pinch of dried oregano and black pepper. 😉

Recipe Top Tips!

  • Even though I didn't on this occasion since I didn't have any minced pork, using a mixture of pork and beef mince gives the lasagne much more flavour and I really urge you to try it, ask Gordon Ramsay, he's the one that told me!
  • Do read the back of the lasagne sheets as some need to be soaked in water before use or they will not cook properly.
  • Use ready-made fresh lasagne sheets Dried lasagne sheets aren't as nice.
  • Once you've emptied the red sauce into the meat, add just a tablespoon of water to the jar. Put the lid back on and shake to get the rest of the sauce out - don't waste any! You can do the same with the white sauce, just don't add more than a very small amount of water, you don't want watered-down sauce.

Lasagne ingredients.

Easy lasagne ingredients

  • 500g minced beef (5% fat)
  • 1 x 250g fresh lasagne sheets
  • a big handful of grated extra mature cheddar cheese

How to make lasagne with Dolmio sauce 

Add a little vegetable oil to a large frying pan and brown the minced beef, stirring and breaking up the meat as you go. 

When it's nicely cooked add the red sauce. Stir well and continue to cook for about 15-20 minutes. 

Browned minced beef with lasagne sauce in a frying pan.

I always put a tiny amount of sauce at the very bottom of the dish - it stops the first lasagne sheet from sticking. 

Lasagne dish with a small amount of cooked lasagne mixture.

Then, put in a layer of lasagne pasta sheets, then spread it with meat sauce - just a covering or you'll run out of meat sauce before you've finished. 

Meat sauce with a layer of lasagne pasta sheets.

Now add another layer of lasagne sheets and top with meat sauce. 

Layering lasagne meat sauce and pasta.

Add another layer of lasagne sheets and spread over a layer of white sauce.

Layering lasagne with meat and white sauce.

Add another layer of lasagne sheets.

Making lasagne step by step.

You guessed it, now add the rest of the meat sauce.

Final layer of meat sauce on lasagne.

Add a final layer of lasagne sheets and top with the rest of the white sauce. Always end with white sauce on top. 

Lasagne final layer of white sauce.

Sprinkle over grated cheese. I sprinkled over a tiny amount of paprika, but that's just a thing of mine. 😊

Lasagne topped with grated cheese and ready for the oven.

Cover in foil and bake on the middle shelf of your preheated oven at 180°C/350°F for 25 minutes.

Then remove the foil and cook for a further 10 minutes until bubbling and golden.

Finished lasagne out of the oven.

What to serve with lasagne

  • a nice simple salad
  • baby leaf salad
  • garlic bread
  • cheesy garlic bread
  • fries - nice, although that would be a bit of a carb overload! 😉
Lasagne made with jar sauces.

Can you freeze lasagne?

You can, of course, freeze your cooked lasagne just as long as it's fully defrosted before reheating till piping hot it will be fine.

I find if frozen it's best reheated in a microwave, that way it doesn't dry out. 😉

Equipment

You will need a dish for the oven - mine is 10 inches long by 8 inches wide by 2 inches deep. 

That's 25.5cm long by 20cm wide by 5cm deep.

If you want a more traditional lasagne you will like this Delia Smith Lasagne al Ragù recipe.

Have you tried this recipe? Please leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ star rating in the recipe card below!

easy lasagne recipe, how to make lasagne with ready made sauce, Dolmio sauce lasagne recipe
main, pasta
Italian
Yield: 4
Author: Jan Bennett
How to make Lasagne with Ready-made Sauce

How to make Lasagne with Ready-made Sauce

If you can't get the Dolmio sauces, just use your favourite brand of red and white sauce.
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 35 MinTotal time: 45 Min

Ingredients

  • 1 x 500g jar of Dolmio tomato sauce for lasagne
  • 1 x 470g jar Dolmio creamy white sauce for lasagne
  • 500g minced beef - 5% fat
  • 1 x 250g pack of fresh lasagne sheets - read the packet for how to prepare because some require soaking in warm water before using.

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 180°C/350°F or Gas 4
  1. Add a tiny amount of oil to a large frying pan and brown the minced beef, stirring and breaking up the meat as you go. When it's nicely cooked add the red sauce. Stir well and continue to cook for about 15-20 minutes.
  2. Put a really tiny amount of sauce at the very bottom of the dish to stop the first lasagne sheet from sticking.
  3. Then, put in a layer of lasagne sheets, and spread it with meat sauce - just a covering or you'll run out of meat sauce before you've finished!
  4. Now add another layer of lasagne sheets and top with meat sauce, just enough to cover the pasta sheets.
  5. Add another layer of lasagne sheets and spread over a layer of lasagne white sauce. Add another layer of lasagne sheets.
  6. Then, add the rest of the meat sauce. Add a final layer of lasagne sheets and top with the rest of the white sauce.
  7. Sprinkle over grated cheese. I sprinkled over a tiny amount of paprika, but that's just a thing of mine.
  8. Cover in foil and bake on the middle shelf of your preheated oven at 180°C/350°F for 25 minutes. Remove the foil and cook for a further 10 minutes until bubbling and golden.

Notes

You will need a dish for the oven - mine is 10 inches long by 8 inches wide by 2 inches deep. That's 25.5cm long by 20cm wide by 5cm deep 

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