You can make your lasagna with chicken, beef, mutton or simply using vegetables. I have seen many people make a combo of spinach and mince chicken in the layering of lasagna and it tastes delicious, even if you are not a hard core fan of spinach 😀
I think lasagna is one of the easiest things to make. It is only time consuming. It involves simple steps which consume a lot of time but it’s all worth it in the end. I make it as a sidedish for dinner paries and as main course for kids and family. Because you can eat it as it is, no rice, no nothing. It’s got everything you need, meat, vegetables, pasta, cheese, milk, and it tastes fanstastic also.
What you need
Lasagna sheets———————————————— 1 packet, I used KOLSON
Mince meat—————————————————— 300 g chicken, beef, mutton
White sauce—————————————————– 2 – 3 cups
Cheddar Cheese———————————————— 100g to sprinkle on top
Mince Meat Recipe:
Mince Meat——————————————————– 300 g
Vinegar———————————————————— 3 tbsp
Ketchup———————————————————– 1 cup
Soya sauce—————————————————— 2 tbsp
Tomatoes——————————————————— 3 large, finely chopped
Chart masala—————————————————- 1 tsp
Water————————————————————– 2-3 tbsps
Capsicum——————————————————– 2 sliced
Onions———————————————————— 1 sliced
Tomatoes——————————————————— 3 large finely chopped
- Now I am sure all of you know how to make mince meat or Qeema. Use your favorite, tried and tested recipe and make your mince meat using only 2- 3 tbsp of oil (because once the lasagna is baked, all the oil comes on top,so try to minimize oil as much as you can).
- Once your Qeema or mine meat is ready, add vinegar, ketchup, soya sauce, rest of the ingredients along finely chopped tomatoes and cook till the tomatoes are soft and makes a paste.
- Add water if the mince meat is very dry. It should be like thick saucy mince meat, neither watery nor too dry.
- Add vegetables and cook for another 5 minutes, try not to cook the vegetables for too long, they’ll be cooked in the oven also.
- Set aside.
White Sauce Recipe:
Milk—————————————————————- 2 cups, more if needed
Flour————————————————————– 4 tbsp
Oil—————————————————————– 2 tbsp
Butter————————————————————- 2 tbsp
Salt—————————————————————- 1 tsp
Black Pepper————————————————— 1 tsp
White Pepper————————————————– 1/2 tsp (optional)
- Take a clean, dry pan.
- Throw in butter and oil together.
- Once the butter has melted add, flour and stir constantly for 2- 3 minutes, or until the flour turns slightly golden in color. Stir constantly or else lumps will form and your sauce won’t be smooth.
- Once the flour turns slightly golden, take the pan off heat and add warm milk to it, little by little and keep stirring continuously. Cook on a medium flame till the sauce thickens, stiriing occasionaly.
- Add salt, pepper and give it a good mix.
- Set aside.
The Final Assembly
- Boil Lasagna sheets as per the packets directions.
- Take your oven proof bowl and put 3 tbsp of white sauce in it, spread it all around.
- Spread boiled, lasagna sheets on top in a single layer form.
- Then spread your meat sauce over the sheets.
- Followed by lasagna sheets.
- Coat lasagna sheets with white sauce, generously.
- Spread mince meat sauce over it.
- again the lasagna sheets.
- Followed by white sauce all over and sprinkle shreaded cheese on top, all over.
- Bake in a pre heated oven at 200 C, for 30 – 40 minutes.
Be creative and start using different layering options, you can use anything you like, it shouldn’t be too watery though.
is chart masala and chaat masala same thing?
Yup. 🙂
looks yummy, but can we use electric oven to make it?
Ayesha I always bake in electric oven 🙂
Do we use normal flour (aata) or maida in this for the white sauce?
And also, is there any test for “doneness” in this?
Like, when can I be sure it’s done so I can take it out of the oven?
You use maida in this sauce and at 180 to 200 C check after 30 to 35 minutes. If it gets golden yellow on top, take it out carefully and insert a fork in it, right at the corner, if it goes in smoothly then it means envy thing has cooked nice and easy.
If I want to throw in some mushrooms and olives, how much of both should I use and how should I layer them in?
slice a tin of mushrooms and umm as many olives you like, according to your taste.
Oh, and also, since I use a gas oven,
I need to know if you use both bottom and top
heating on your electric oven so that I
can adjust my oven’s time and heat accordingly too
It can only give heat from the top or bottom at one time
Can you suggest any timings?
Like, when the baking part’s over and when we just
need the cheese to brown a little on top?
The upper grill is used to brown the top layer, so logically it should be turned ON in the last minute. I have no idea about gas ovens but ummm will let you know tomorrow, insha Allah!
But where in the layering do I throw in the mushrooms and olives?
with the cheese or in the qeema?
And also, I wanted to ask do we need to fully make qeema as we do
the Pakistani way or just “galao” it?
throw them over the white sauce or just about anywhere you want, no hard-fast rule to follow. Go as you please. And yes cook your mince meat/qeema like the proper way you cook at home, cook till it’s absolutely ready.
I often/always ask my cook to cook the qeema for me and then I take over and take all the credit, once it’s done hehehe
And by galao, I mean saute in very little oil until the water dries up
Noooo, galao means to cook in water till it is soft and tender.
I’m confused :-/
can u just briefly tell me how to make it?
Make qeema? Make it the way you make it regularly in your home. which is you boil your mince meat with onion till the mine meat is tender. Then you add all the spices and oil and tomatoes, yoghurt and cook it/bhoonofy till its dark brown, done.
Yeah ok, but once it’s done, do we add the tomatoes and onion AGAIN?
Like it’s directed in the recipe? That’s just for future reference… because
I made this today! It was AWEESOMEEEEE! 😀
I substituted ready-made marinara sauce for the ketchup btw…
but it was all just AMAZZZINGGG!
I cant believe I made lasagna… yayyy me!
One concern tho: I realized the wavy borders of my lasagna sheets remained
raw after boiling AND baking… what’s up with that?
Yup you need to add it again… sheets once they a
And umm boil them for a wee bit more next time and try to completely coat the sides of asagna sheets in white sauce once they are about to be baked.
And yay, so happy to see you like this… Did you take a shot this time… 🙂 Hope you did…
Well, as a matter of fact I did, but kinda embarrassed to share as it didn’t LOOK perfect :-/
So yeah, but it tasted perrfect! 😀
Also, for future ref, I wanted to ask that how can we avoid our roux from being lumpy… my sauce wasn’t lumpy in the end, but my roux, after I added flour just formed lumps whenever I stirred… if I didn’t stir it started liquefying at a point but once I stirred it formed lumps and separated again :-/
o Come on, I’m sure it ain’t THAT bad, please do upload it on fb on thechefinme’s page 🙂
And ummm maybe you used lesser amount of oil, but that shouldn’t happen.. As long as you didn’t get any lumps in the final sauce, everything is alright. I once got so many lumps in my white sauce that I actually had to strain it and it was nice., creamy and smooth, nobody found out hehehehe
That’s what I thought too… but I did use 2 tablespoons as directed…
but it makes sense, because flour is a solid and i used like 4 heaped tablespoons
and oil is a liquid and u can’t really heap it on, can you? lol, so yeah i’ll keep that
in mind…
and wow, that’s a great tip!
And Happy Belated Birthdayy! Waiting desperately for the cake recipe!
You know what, I think this is because of the cold weather as well. Because I made it yesterday and as I stopped stirring it coagulated and when I kept going it was light and saucy so it’s coz of the weather I guess.
And thank you for the wishes as well 😀
Can I use ready made sauce like three cheese sauce or no
I have never tried it but I guess you could use it. 🙂
please advise me how to bake the things with PEL microwave. because i am unable to bake the cakes, lasagnia, steaks etc things. i always destroy cake.
is there any suggestions. kindly do write me on my email id. naazbkhan@gmail.com
What if I don’t preboil the Lasagne Noodles ?