Cheap and Cheerful (and TASTY)
Seen your mum and other culinary magicians make delicious Lasagna and thought it was impossible?
Think cooking fancy, tasty, wholesome dishes is for the elite? and you must be confined to frozen pizzas and all-day breakfast?
Bored through quarantine and want to start cooking, but think it could be a disaster?
It is actually not that hard.
All you need is:
- 750g beef mince meat
- Beef stock cube
- Lasagna Tomato Sauce
- 300g Lasagna pasta sheets
- 125g Mozzarella ball
- Lasagna White Sauce
- of your choice
- Garlic, salt, pepper, olive oil
All these ingredients are available cheap in Literally any supermarket you prefer. Not that difficult. Don’t psyche yourself out. Yet.
Method:
- The Meat.
First heat two dessert spoons of olive oil in a pan. Then add roughly chopped garlic (with chopped onions if you like) and cook on medium heat until golden. Throw in the beef mince and cook until brown.
- The Tomato Sauce.
Pour either a bottle of Tomato Sauce for Lasagna that you can get at any large supermarket, or try pouring 800g of passata. At this stage you can start adding salt and pepper. Try throwing oregano and basil in too if you have it. Throw in any veg that you deem fitting, common ones including carrots and celery, or you could go down the classic bell pepper route if you feel daring.
- Mmmm.
Allow the sauce to simmer for 20 minutes or so, while heating the oven to 180C/FAN or 160C without a fan. Get your ovenproof dish greased up with a few drops of olive oil.
- Finally, the cool part.
Spoon one third of the meaty sauce into the dish, then cover with lasagna sheets. Double up on the sheets if you want your moneys worth. Then apply the lasagna white sauce liberally. Repeat 3 TIMES.
White Sauce side note: You can buy jars of this anywhere, but if you want to make your own then simply add 50g of butter and 50g of flour, heat in saucepan while stirring until a paste forms. Then add 500ml of milk. Stir until you have your simple white sauce.
- Finally, Finally.
Chop up your mozzarella ball and sprinkle it on the top, before throwing the dish in the oven for 1 hour.
Eat and enjoy. Please.
Side Ideas
- Garlic bread.
Throw a few more delicious calories in the mixer with some garlic bread. Buy some at the shop for cheap or make your own with a crushed clove of garlic mixed with butter spread onto a sliced baguette. Simples.
- Simple salad.
You are fit are you? You treat your body like a temple? We get it. Take a variety of salad leaves to your liking (lettuce, rocket, spinach, kale, anything green.) and make a simple salad dressing of olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper, and balsamic vinegar (shake it.). Delish.
Are you happy with your delicious lasagna? Good. Thought so.
Looking for more dinner ideas for tonight? More simple meals? More cheap recipes? Try these links for inspo.
https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/easy-butter-chicken
https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/chorizo-mozzarella-gnocchi-bake
https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/thai-fried-prawn-pineapple-rice
https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/one-pan-spaghetti-nduja-fennel-olives
https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/easy-chicken-fajitas
https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/piri-piri-chicken-smashed-sweet-potatoes-broccoli
Yes. They are all from BBC GoodFood. And Yes. They are all delicious.
“This lamb is so undercooked, it's following Mary to school!” – Gordon Ramsey
“A recipe has no soul, you as the cook must bring soul to the recipe.” – Thomas Keller
“There’s enough garlic in here to kill every vampire in Europe.” – Gordon Ramsey
“Chefs are nutters. They’re all self-obsessed, delicate, dainty, insecure little souls, and absolute psychopaths. Every last one of them.” – Gordon Ramsey
Amazing.
