Get ahead on some cooking for the long weekend with this family sized lasagne. If you’re going away or inviting friends and family over, it’s a great dish to make ahead. It also freezes really well.

Here’s what goes in

• 1kg of minced beef
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 clove of garlic, crushed
• Olive oil for frying
• 1 quarter cup of Worcestershire sauce
• 1 quarter cup of tomato sauce
• 2 tablespoons of chutney
• Salt for seasoning
• 2 teaspoons of meat seasoning
• 2 teaspoons of mixed dried herbs (or fresh chopped herbs like parsley, origanum or thyme)
• 3 tins of chopped or whole Italian tomatoes (400g tin)
• 3 cups of water (750ml)
• 2 boxes of lasagne sheets
• 2 cups of grated cheddar cheese and/or Parmesan cheese

For the cheese sauce:

• 4 tablespoons of butter
• 4 tablespoons of flour
• 3 cups of milk
• 2 cups of grated cheddar cheese
• Salt for seasoning

How to do it

To make the bolognaise: In a heavy-based pot, fry the onion and garlic in the olive oil until the onion is soft and appears slightly transparent. Add the mince to the pot and brown with seasoning and sauces. Once this has taken on a bit of colour you can add the tomatoes and water. Give it a good stir and leave it to simmer on low heat for about four hours. To give the meat an incredible flavour, you can also add a Parmesan rind to your mince, allowing it to gently melt away while the meat cooks. Return to the pot regularly to stir the bolognaise and check the liquid levels. Feel free to top it up with water if it’s getting dry but remember what you really want here is a reduction of these amazing flavours.

To make the cheese sauce: In a heavy-based saucepan melt the butter over low heat, add the flour and whisk vigorously until a paste is formed. Stir continuously with a hand whisk while gradually adding the milk so that lumps do not form. Keep stirring and add the cheese bit by bit as the mixture is thickening. When all the cheese has melted and your sauce has a thick, creamy consistency, the sauce is ready to use.

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease a large, rectangular oven dish and start layering the ingredients. Begin by laying the lasagne sheets side by side, making sure there are no gaps between them. You can even break the sheets into smaller bits if you have smaller gaps to fill. Spread a thin layer of bolognaise over the pasta, flattening it using the back of the spoon. Ladle the cheese sauce over the mince just enough to cover the meat. Place your next pasta layer, followed by the bolognaise and the cheese sauce, as before. And then repeat for a third time. On top of your final layer of cheese sauce, sprinkle the two cups of cheddar cheese. This will form a delicious cheesy crust.

Bake in the oven for about 45 minutes. The lasagne should be bubbling beautifully when it’s ready. You can also insert a fork to check that the pasta is tender.