One Pot Lasagna

Ingredients

• 24 oz Tomato passata (700g bottle; pureed tomato, divided use)
• 2 tbsp Olive oil
• 3 Garlic cloves (finely minced)
• 1 Onion (small, diced)
• 1 Carrot (small, optional, peeled and shredded using a box grater)
• 1 Celery stick (optional, shredded using a box grater)
• 1 lb Beef mince (ground beef)
• 2 tbsp Tomato paste
• 2 Beef bouillon stock cubes (crumbled)
• 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 0.5 tsp White sugar (for meat sauce)
• 0.5 tsp Cooking salt (for meat sauce)
• 0.25 tsp Black pepper
• 0.5 cup Water (for meat sauce)
• 1 tsp Dried Italian herb mix (for topping sauce)
• 0.5 tsp Garlic powder (for topping sauce)
• 0.25 tsp White sugar (for topping sauce)
• 0.5 tsp Cooking salt (for topping sauce)
• 0.25 cup Water (for topping sauce)
• 1 cup Ricotta cheese (good quality or smooth ricotta)
• 1 tbsp Milk (as needed for thinning ricotta)
• 0.25 tsp Cooking salt (for ricotta)
• 8 Dried lasagna sheets (250g / 8oz; use no-boil/oven-ready, not fresh)
• 1.5 cup Mozzarella cheese (tightly packed, shredded)
• 2 tsp Parsley (finely chopped, optional garnish)

Steps

1. 1

   Heat olive oil in a deep skillet or pan (approximately 26cm/10.5" wide and 5cm/2" deep) over medium-high heat.

2. 2

   Add the minced garlic, diced onion, shredded carrot, and shredded celery to the pan. Sauté until the onion is translucent, about 3 minutes.

3. 3

   Increase the heat to high. Add the beef mince and cook, breaking it up with a spatula, until it is no longer red.

4. 4

   Add approximately 2/3 of the tomato passata bottle to the beef mixture. Reserve the remaining 1/3 in the bottle for the topping sauce.

5. 5

   Add the tomato paste, crumbled beef bouillon cubes, Worcestershire sauce, 1/2 tsp sugar, 1/2 tsp salt, black pepper, and 1/2 cup water to the beef. Bring to a rapid simmer, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer gently for 10 minutes.

6. 6

   Preheat your oven to 180°C/350°F (160°C fan-forced).

7. 7

   Prepare the topping sauce by adding the dried Italian herbs, garlic powder, 1/4 tsp sugar, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 cup water directly into the remaining passata in the bottle. Shake well to combine.

8. 8

   In a separate bowl, prepare the creamy ricotta. Soften the ricotta using the back of a spoon, then whisk vigorously for 20-30 seconds (adding 1 tbsp milk if needed) until it reaches a whipped cream consistency.

9. 9

   Remove the skillet from the stove. Transfer half of the meat sauce into a separate bowl and set aside.

10. 10

    Create the base layer: Slide one lasagna sheet under the meat sauce remaining in the pan. Break additional sheets as needed to cover the bottom of the pan, sliding them under the sauce. Spread the sauce evenly over the sheets.

11. 11

    Create the second layer: Place another layer of dried lasagna sheets over the meat sauce in the pan. Spread the reserved meat sauce from the bowl over these sheets.

12. 12

    Create the third layer: Cover with a final layer of lasagna sheets.

13. 13

    Pour the prepared topping sauce from the passata bottle over the top layer and spread it evenly. Add 12-15 dollops of the whipped ricotta across the surface, then sprinkle with the shredded mozzarella.

14. 14

    Bake uncovered for 30 minutes until the cheese is bubbly and golden.

15. 15

    Remove from the oven and let the lasagna stand for 10 minutes to stabilize before cutting.

16. 16

    Garnish with chopped parsley if desired and serve.

Notes

Use dried lasagna sheets (no-boil/oven-ready), not fresh, as fresh sheets will become too soft in this one-pot method. For the best texture, use high-quality ricotta sold in baskets or delis; if using tub ricotta, it may remain slightly grainy but will still taste good. Resting for 10 minutes is essential for the layers to set so you can cut clean slices.

Nutrition per serving

• main
• one-pot
• lasagna
• beef
• dinner
• baked
• family-friendly