Instead of Dolmio, you can use your favourite brand of ready-made jar sauce. Recipe with step-by-step photo instructions on how to make it.
Post updated September 2026
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This cheat 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 jars of ready-made sauces, but I have to admit, most of them have really improved from the overly salty, sugary, and thick, gluey versions they used to be.
So, armed with the jars of Dolmio Sauces, dinner was ready in no time, and it tasted perfect. 😋
No need for a detailed recipe since all the instructions are right on the back of the jar.
However, I couldn't help myself, so I added a pinch of dried oregano and black pepper. 😉
Recipe Top Tips!
- Although I didn’t this time because I didn’t have any minced pork, mixing pork and beef mince gives the dish so much more flavour, and I highly recommend trying it—just ask Gordon Ramsay; he’s the one who told me!
- Read the back of the pasta sheets, as some need to be soaked in water before use, or they will not cook properly.
- Use ready-made fresh pasta sheets; dried 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!
- Do the same with the white sauce, but add only a very small amount of water; you don't want watered-down sauce.
Ingredients
- 1 x 450g jar of Dolmio tomato sauce - or your favourite red sauce
- 1 x 440g jar of Dolmio white sauce
- 500g minced beef (5% fat)
- 1 x 250g fresh pasta sheets
- a big handful of grated extra mature cheddar cheese
Using Dolmio sauce
Heat a splash of vegetable oil in a large frying pan, then brown the minced beef, stirring and breaking it up as it cooks.
When it's nicely cooked, add the red sauce. Stir well and continue to cook for about 15-20 minutes.
I always spread a small layer of sauce on the bottom of the dish to prevent the first sheet from sticking. 😉
Next, add a layer of pasta sheets and lightly spread them with meat sauce; use just enough to cover, or you might run out before you're done. 😉
Now add another layer of the sheets and top with meat sauce.
Add another layer of pasta and spread over a layer of white sauce.
Add another layer of lasagne sheets.
You guessed it, now add the rest of the meat sauce.
Add a final layer of the sheets and top with the rest of the white sauce. Always end with white sauce on top.
Sprinkle grated cheese on top. I added a small dash of paprika, but that's just a thing of mine! 😊
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 continue cooking for another 10 minutes, until the dish is bubbling and golden.
What to serve with lasagne?
- a nice, simple salad
- baby leaf salad
- garlic bread
- fries are nice, although that would be a bit of a carb overload! 😉
Can you freeze it?
You can freeze your cooked dish, as long as it's fully thawed before reheating until piping hot; it will be perfectly fine. I find that if it's frozen, the best way to reheat it is in the microwave, so it stays moist.😉
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 recipe, you will like this Delia Smith Lasagne al Ragù recipe.
Have you tried this recipe?
Please leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in the recipe card below!
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.
Ingredients
- 1 x 450g jar of Dolmio tomato sauce for lasagne
- 1 x 440g jar of Dolmio creamy white sauce for lasagne
- 500g minced beef - 5% fat
- 1 x 250g pack of fresh lasagne sheets
Instructions
- First, read the packet to learn how to prepare the lasagne sheets, as some require soaking in warm water before use.
- Heat a small amount of oil in a large frying pan, then cook the minced beef, stirring and breaking it apart as it browns. When it's nicely cooked, add the red sauce. Stir well and continue to cook for about 15-20 minutes.
- Spread a tiny amount of sauce at the bottom of the dish to prevent the first lasagne sheet from sticking.
- Next, add a layer of lasagne sheets and lightly spread over some meat sauce—just enough to cover, or you might run out before you finish!
- Now, add another layer of lasagne sheets and top with meat sauce, just enough to cover the pasta sheets.
- Add another layer of pasta sheets and spread over a layer of lasagne white sauce. Add another layer of the pasta sheets.
- Then, add the rest of the meat sauce. Add a final layer of lasagne sheets and top with the rest of the white sauce.
- Sprinkle grated cheese on top. I added a small dash of paprika, but that's just a thing of mine.
- Cover with foil and bake on the middle shelf of your preheated oven at 180°C/350°F for 25-30 minutes.
- Remove the foil and cook it for another 10 minutes or so, 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
This was just perfect. I've never made a lasagne before but any kind of dish where there's pasta, meat and cheese are included is my thing! I bought the Dolmio sauces and the lasagne sheets as instructed in the recipe. Everything else I had fun with but the result was amazeballs. Thank you for the step by step with the photos and the shout out to Delia Smith. The legend and the reason I can make a great Béchamel
ReplyDeleteOMG I am so sorry I have only just seen your comment (like a year later) it had gone into spam :(
DeleteAnyway, so glad you liked it!