Mary Berry’s Cheesy Lasagne Recipe: A Delicious Italian Dish With A British Touch

Whether it’s pizza, pasta or Lasagne, Italian food is loved all over the world. We all know it as one of the most delicious dishes to ever come out of Italy. Research shows that lasagne was first seen during the Middle Ages in Naples.

Filled with cheese and meat, lasagne makes for a perfect dish to have on the menu for your weekend dinner or for your annual family gatherings like Christmas and Thanksgiving Dinner.

Mary Berry Lasagne Recipe Overview

Mary Berry has written several books full of amazing recipes, but her Lasagne recipe is one of her best. It is a great recipe that even traditional Italians would applaud. Mary Berry’s Lasagne recipe takes around 3 hours to cook, but the long cooking time is worth it. This does not include the recommended 6 hours wait between preparation and cooking. This recipe will serve 8 to 10 people.

Ingredients For Lasagne

• Lasagne Sheets – 12 – 14 Sheets
• Grated Cheddar Cheese – 80g

Ingredients For The Ragu

Now let’s take a look at the ingredients required for the ragu. For beginners: ragu is a meat and tomato sauce.

• Minced Beef – 950g
• Diced Celery – 5 Sticks
• Olive Oil – 2.5 Tablespoon
• Onions – Chopped (2 Pieces)
• Caster Sugar – 1.5 Teaspoon
• Chopped Tomatoes – 850g
• Flour – 2.5 Tablespoon
• Tomato Puree 3.5 tablespoon
• Crushed Garlic Cloves (2 Pieces)
• Thyme (chopped) – 1.5 tablespoon
• Beef Stock – 150 ml

Ingredients For The White Sauce

• Butter – 55g
• Dijon Mustard – 2.5 Teaspoon
• Black Pepper (freshly Ground)
• Milk – 800ml
• Flour – 55g
• Parmesan Cheese – 55g
• Salt – 1 teaspoon

Instructions For The Ragu

1. To make this delicious lasagne, you have to start by preheating the oven/stove to a temperature of 165C.
2. Take a frying pan and heat it. Once the pan is super-hot, pour oil and add beef mince to the pan. When the mince starts to turn brown, take it out of the pan but keep the pan on the stove.
3. Now add celery, garlic and onions in the same pan. Once these vegetables start to soften up, add the already-cooked minced beef back into the pan.
4. Gradually add the flour and stir the mixture.
5. Add the beef stock to the pan until the mixture starts to boil. This is when you have to add the remaining ingredients, including thyme, tomato puree, and sugar. Also, add the chopped tomatoes.
6. Keep stirring the mixture until the mixture starts boiling once more.
7. Now put the lid back on the pan and let it simmer for around 1 hour and 45 minutes.

Instructions For The White Sauce

• Heat a saucepan and put butter in it until it melts. Then take the plain flour and add it to the butter and cook it.
• You have to then improve the thickness of this mixture, so keep whisking it while gradually adding milk to the saucepan.
• Once this mixture starts to thicken up, add the finishing touches by adding parmesan cheese, Dijon mustard, pepper and salt. 
• Your white sauce is ready.

Instructions For The Lasagne

1. Before you move on with the Lasagne process, divide the white sauce and ragu into three different portions.
2. Take a 2.5-litre ovenproof dish and add one part of the ragu to the dish. Now take one portion of the white sauce and add it on top of the ragu.
3. Add a few sheets of lasagne sheets on top of that. You can divide the sheets into two portions to complement the ragu and white sauce.
4. Now add the second portion of both ragu and white sauce. Take the same amount of lasagne sheets as the first layer and make another layer on top of the second portions.
5. After you have placed the second layer of Lasagne sheets, you have to add the remaining ragu and white sauce on top of it.
6. Now add the grated cheddar cheese on top of the lasagne. Make sure to use a reasonable amount of cheese, but you can increase or reduce the amount based on your love of cheese. Don’t add any more lasagne sheets. 

Also Read: Cheesy Mary Berry Macaroni Cheese Recipe To Warm Your Heart

Pro Tip

This is where many beginner chefs make a mistake. They place the lasagne in the oven right after they are done with the steps mentioned above. However, Mary Berry recommends that the lasagne should be left for around 6 hours before you can place it in the oven.

Nutritional Information

• Calories: 631
• Total Fat: 22g
• Saturated Fat: 9.8g
• Cholesterol: 39mg
• Sodium: 336mg
• Total Carbohydrates: 88.1g
• Dietary Fiber 5.6g
• Total Sugars 11.3g
• Protein 20.2g

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I Have More Than three Layers Of Ragu And White Sauce?

People do make lasagne with a different number of layers than what is mentioned in Mary Berry’s recipe; however, anything above three will just feel like the dish is overdone, and it will also disturb the balance of the recipe. Three layers are ideal for a lasagne. However, if you want to add more layers, then you might need an even deeper dish, and you will also have to adjust all the ingredients for the additional layers.

Do I Need to cook the Lasagne Sheets Before I Put Them in The Lasagne?

These days you can find brands that offer Lasagne sheets that don’t need to be precooked and can be added right out of the packet. They get perfectly cooked in the oven. However, there are also brands that sell Lasagne Sheets which have to be precooked. So do your research before choosing a specific brand of Lasagne sheets.

Should The Lasagna be Covered When You Place It In The Oven?

It is ideal to cover the lasagne, preferably with foil. The lasagne will become dry if you leave it uncovered. However, make sure to remove the foil after some time so that the top of the lasagne can also get cooked. Uncovering the lasagne in the middle of the baking process will also make it easy for you to know when the lasagne is finally done.