MAKING THE RAGU

Finely dice the onion and garlic

To a large, non-stick pan add oil and turn to medium heat

Pour in the diced onions and garlic - stir, and cook for 2-3 minutes (stirring often) until they begin to get some colour

Next, add in the minced beef. Once in the pan, begin to break up into small pieces using your spatula/spoon. Continue to cook the beef until it is brown throughout and no pink remains - stir often to incorporate the onions and garlic

Once the beef is cooked through, drain any excess oil from the pan

Add in the Italian seasoning - stir and cook for 1 minute

Then, add in the water or red wine, and stock cube

Stir to dissolve the stock cube and cook on a simmer until the liquid reduces by half (about 5 minutes)

Next, add in the tomato puree, tinned tomatoes and sugar - stir to make sure all are combined and bring the temperature to a simmer

Put a lid on the pan and cook on a LOW simmer for 30 minutes

Whilst this is simmering, skip to the 'sauce' section of the recipe

After 30 minutes turn the heat off - stir, then you're ready to assemble the lasagne!

MARKING THE SAUCE

Whilst the ragu is simmering, you can make the cheesy sauce 🙂

Grate the cheese

Heat a non-stick saucepan to low heat

Add in the butter until it has melted

Then tip in the plain flour, stirring with a wooden spoon until a paste forms

Cook this paste on low heat for 2 minutes (stirring throughout)

Next, GRADUALLY add milk - a little at a time. As you add the milk in, stir continuously to mix with the paste. You're aiming for a smooth sauce, so please don't add all the milk in at once, take your time to combine the paste and milk until smooth (as the milk heats up it'll help to melt the paste a bit too).

Once all the milk has been added, gradually begin to add in the grated cheese, stirring to melt as you do so

Cook for 3 more minutes, until the sauce is thick and smooth

Sprinkle in the garlic granules (if using) and salt - stir to combine

If the sauce is too thick, add some more milk

Once cooked, turn the heat off

ASSEMBLING THE LASAGNE

Once the ragu and cheese sauce are cooked you can assemble the lasagne!

Choose a deep-sided dish to make your lasagne - ideally rectangular or square and not too 'wide'.

Begin by spreading a layer of the ragu on the base, then top with a layer of cheese, then top with a single layer of lasagne sheets (you want the layers to be even, so use about 1/3rd of your beef here, and 1/4 of your cheese sauce - saving cheese sauce for the top, too )

Repeat this - layering beef, cheese, lasagne sheets - as many times as you can (I tend to average 3 layers in my dish - but this will depend on the width of your dish

Once you have repeated this and your top layer is a lasagne sheet - pour the remainder of your cheese sauce on top of this

Grate some more cheddar on the top

Cook this in the oven on 180C for 40 minutes (or, if you're not ready to cook, place in the fridge for up to a day until you're ready to bake it)

Once cooked, allow the lasagne to cool for 10 minutes before serving (this will allow everything to 'set' so it's holds together when you serve

NOTES

You can use either dried or fresh lasagne sheets.