For me personally, lasagne has to be one of the top tier comfort foods. Agreed, it is a massive effort to make, but it is always worth it in the end. However, by making the ragu in the slow cooker it feels a lot less effort, and tastes even better, what a win! This ragu recipe is the same as my bolognese recipe, so if you have remaining ragu from that, jump straight into paragraph 3 and make the béchamel sauce. This recipe is always a crowd pleaser too, and can be made ahead of time, so I would highly recommend if you're hosting.

Serves: 4

Cooking time: 1.5 hours + 6+ slow cooker time

Ingredients:

For the Ragu:

• 1/2 White Onion
• 1/2 Red Onion
• 2 Garlic Cloves
• 75g Chestnut Mushrooms (optional)
• 250g Beef Mince
• 1 x Tin of Chopped Tomatoes
• 125ml Beef Stock
• 125ml Red Wine
• 1 tsp Tomato Puree
• 1/2 tbsp Tomato Ketchup
• 1 tsp Marmite
• 2 tsp Granulated Sugar
• Dash of Worcester Sauce
• Bay Leaf
• Sprig of Thyme
• Salt and Pepper
• Olive Oil

For the Béchamel Sauce etc.:

• 500ml Milk
• 2 Bay Leaves
• Pinch of Nutmeg
• 50g Butter
• 3 tbsp Plain Flour
• 125g Grated Cheddar Cheese
• 1tbsp Panko Breadcrumbs
• 1 tsp Thyme
• Parmesan
• Lasagne Sheets

Instructions:

1. Start off by finely chopping the onions and crushing the garlic. Soften these in a frying pan with a little olive oil.
2. While these are softening, thinly slice the mushrooms, and throw in the pan. Stir and cook until both the onions and mushrooms are just on the edge of browning, then remove and put in the slow cooker.
3. Return the frying pan to the heat and brown off the beef, stirring occasionally to gently break the beef up. When most of the meat is browned, remove from the heat and throw in the slow cooker with the onions and mushrooms.
4. Add the tinned tomatoes, beef stock, red wine, tomato puree, ketchup, marmite, sugar, Worcester sauce, bay leaf, thyme, and seasoning to the slow cooker. Give it a good stir, and set the slow cooker on a low heat for the day.
5. When the ragu is nearing ready, start making the béchamel sauce. Put the milk in a saucepan with the bay leaves, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Place on a low heat, bringing to a gentle simmer before removing from the heat and setting aside.
6. In another saucepan melt the butter and stir in the flour to form a roux.
7. Gradually add the milk, stirring continuously until a smooth, glossy white sauce forms.
8. Remove from heat and stir in most of the cheddar cheese (reserving a small amount for the topping).
9. Preheat the oven to 180℃. Layer the lasagne starting with the ragu, followed by lasagne sheets, and béchamel sauce. Repeat until all ingredients are used up, finishing with the béchamel sauce on top.
10. Combine the remaining cheddar, an equivalent amount of parmesan, thyme, and a heaped tbsp of panko breadcrumbs. Sprinkle this mixture on top of the lasagne.
11. Bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes (on a baking tray to catch any overflow) until bubbly and piping hot.

Serving Note: Serve with a fresh salad, a big slice of garlic bread, and a large glass of red wine while listening to Florence and the Machine. It's even better the next day when reheated, so consider saving some leftovers.