Family Lasagne
Cook once. Feed everyone.
There’s not much more comforting than a bubbling homemade lasagne, and this version means the whole family can tuck in. We make two rich, slow-cooked meat sauces side by side, keeping the Tiny Feaster version lower in salt, before layering both with pasta and a homemade cheesy white sauce.
It takes a little time, but most of that is hands-off in the oven – and it freezes brilliantly too.
Serves 4 - 6 Adults and 4 - 6 Tiny Feaster
Ingredients
For the grown-ups
Meat sauce
25ml olive oil
1½ medium onions, diced
135g chestnut mushrooms, chopped
2 tsp garlic purée
4–5 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves picked and chopped
4–5 sprigs fresh rosemary, leaves picked and finely chopped
350g pork mince
350g beef mince
1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
2 tbsp tomato purée
200ml red wine
1 chicken stock pot
1 beef stock pot
1 tsp Bovril
1 tsp sugar
To assemble
Around 9 lasagne sheets
For your Tiny Feaster
Meat sauce
15ml olive oil
½ medium onion, finely diced
100g chestnut mushrooms, finely diced
1 tsp garlic purée
A small sprig each of fresh thyme and rosemary, leaves picked and finely chopped
150g pork mince
150g beef mince
1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
1 tbsp tomato purée
150ml water
1 very-low-salt chicken stock cube
To assemble
3–4 lasagne sheets, broken into smaller pieces to make serving and eating easier
For the cheese sauces
100g unsalted butter
80g plain flour
500ml full-fat milk
For the Tiny Feaster portion
60g mild cheddar, grated
For the grown-up portion
300g mature cheddar, grated
1 tsp English mustard
Method
1. Start the two meat sauces
Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Place a large ovenproof casserole dish and a smaller casserole dish over a medium heat.
For the grown-ups, add the 25ml olive oil, onions, mushrooms, garlic, thyme and rosemary to the large dish.
For your Tiny Feaster, add the 15ml olive oil, finely diced onion and mushrooms, garlic and finely chopped herbs to the smaller dish.
Gently cook both until the onions and mushrooms have softened.
2. Add the mince
Add the 350g pork mince and 350g beef mince to the grown-up pan and the 150g pork mince and 150g beef mince to the Tiny Feaster pan.
Break the mince apart with a wooden spoon and cook until nicely browned.
3. Build the sauces
To the grown-up pan, add the chopped tomatoes, tomato purée, red wine, chicken stock pot, beef stock pot, Bovril and sugar.
For your Tiny Feaster, add the chopped tomatoes, tomato purée, water and very-low-salt chicken stock cube.
Stir everything together and bring both sauces to a gentle simmer.
Cover and transfer to the oven for around 2 hours at 180°C, until rich and beautifully tender.
4. Make one white sauce, then split it
While the meat sauces are cooking, melt the 100g unsalted butter in a saucepan over a low-medium heat.
Add the flour and stir together to form a smooth paste. Gradually pour in the milk, whisking continuously as you go. Keeping the heat fairly low and adding the milk slowly will help you get a beautifully smooth sauce without any lumps.
Continue cooking and whisking until thickened.
Remove approximately ¼ of the white sauce and transfer it to a smaller saucepan or bowl. Stir through the 60g mild cheddar – this is your Tiny Feaster cheese sauce.
Into the remaining sauce, stir the 300g mature cheddar and English mustard until melted and smooth.
5. Build the lasagnes
Now for the good bit!
Spoon a layer of the grown-up meat sauce into the bottom of a large baking dish. Top with around 3 lasagne sheets, then repeat with more meat sauce and pasta to create approximately three layers.
Build the Tiny Feaster version in exactly the same way in a smaller dish. Break the lasagne sheets into smaller pieces as you layer them – this makes the finished lasagne much easier to portion and serve to little ones.
For both lasagnes, finish with a final layer of pasta.
Pour the appropriate cheese sauce generously over the top, spreading it right to the edges.
6. Bake
Bake both lasagnes at 180°C for around 45 minutes to one hour, until bubbling and beautifully golden on top, with those all-important crispy edges.
Allow to stand for 10–15 minutes before cutting and serving.
To serve
This is proper family comfort food. Serve it with a fresh green salad, garlic bread or – my personal favourite – a good old tin of processed peas!
This recipe freezes brilliantly.
For the grown-up lasagne: assemble the lasagne but freeze it before the final 45-minute bake. Defrost thoroughly in the fridge before baking until piping hot throughout.
For your Tiny Feaster: once cooked and cooled, divide into individual portions and freeze. They’re perfect to have tucked away for a quick and easy meal another day.
Tiny Feast tip: Always allow your little one’s portion to cool thoroughly before serving, and break up or cut the pasta and filling to a texture appropriate for their stage of eating.
One meal. Two versions. The whole family fed.
