Easily adaptable from 6+ months with baby led weaning (BLW) and a family favourite
In our family everyone loves lasagne. As much as I enjoy traditional lasagne sometimes I prefer a simpler solution rather than faffing around with the different sauces and layers. This no layer lasagne recipe is perfect for those days you want an easy family meal which is delicious and comforting, but takes about half the time as a normal lasagne would to prepare.
So as the name suggests - this recipe tastes similar to a traditional lasagne, only it’s a one pot recipe which can go straight from the hob to the oven if you use an oven proof dish (I love my Denby pan from Amazon linked here - Aff).
This is a great kids meal - it’s ideal for the whole family including weaning babies who are doing baby led weaning (BLW), toddlers and big kids! My kids absolutely love pasta - especially lasagne and my sometimes fussy eater, Maxie, always has seconds when I make this meal.
To make this one pot lasagne recipe suitable for babies from 6+ months, leave out the beef stock and use water as an alternative instead. When I use water rather than stock I usually add a fraction more garlic and mixed herbs for added flavour. The reason young weaning babies can’t have beef stock is that they shouldn’t have any added sodium.
Babies over the age of 12 months can have beef stock, I simply dilute one beef stock cube in 400ml water.
If you are doing BLW, you could even freeze this recipe into small portions and defrost when you need a quick meal.
I start by browning off the mince in a little olive oil over a medium heat on the hob, I use beef mince but there are other suitable substitutes - my grandma always does half and half with pork and beef when she makes her lasagne and it’s delicious. You could also use turkey mince, or chicken in this recipe if you prefer to use white meat - or keep it meat free by using Quorn mince.
Once the mince has started to brown I then add the garlic, onions, mixed herbs and plumb tomatoes.
You can use any tinned tomatoes in this one pot lasagne, my favourite tomatoes to cook with are whole tomatoes such as plumb or cherry, then I break them up using a spoon. But you could also use chopped tomatoes, or passata depending on which you prefer.
I then pour in the beef stock and break up the lasagne sheets and mix them in with the sauce.
You can use gluten free lasagne sheets in this recipe, they actually work really well - I can’t even tell the difference between gluten free and normal pasta in a lasagne.
Instead of a béchamel sauce I am using a tub of ricotta cheese and mixing it in with the lasagne sheets and tomato sauce to make the dish extra creamy.
I then top with mozzarella and cheddar before popping the whole lot in the oven and letting it bubble away for 25 minutes.
Allow to cool before serving to toddlers, young children and babies as it will be piping hot and will take a little while to cool!
One Pot Lasagne
Ingredients
200g lasagne sheets
400g tin of plumb or chopped tomatoes (or passata)
400ml beef stock (or water for babies under 12+ months)
1/2 tbsp mixed herbs
3 chopped garlic cloves
200g mozzarella shredded
100g grated cheddar cheese
200g ricotta
400g beef mince
Method
Preheat oven to 200c (390f)
Add a little oil to a large oven proof casserole style dish and fry the beef, breaking it up as it starts to brown
Dice the onion and add the onion along with the garlic to the pan. After a few minutes, when the onion has turned translucent, add the mixed herbs and the tomatoes to the pan, using a wooden spoon to break up the tomatoes
Pour in the beef stock and bring to a gentle simmer, then roughly break up the lasagne sheets with your hands before adding them to the pan
Use the spoon to mix them in well with the sauce, then place the lid on top for a few minutes to allow the lasagne sheets to soften
Remove the lid and stir the lasagne, use a fork to pull apart any sheets which may have stuck together
Spoon in the ricotta and mix well, then sprinkle the mozzarella and cheddar on top
Bake in the oven for 25 minutes then allow to cool before serving to babies, toddlers and young children