Cheeky ricotta, fennel and sausage lasagne
A cheats take on lasagne (and even more delicious)
‘Why is this dish cheeky?’ you ask. Well, the cheek is using ricotta instead of making a béchamel. I’m all for keeping things as easy as possible. The filling is one of my favourite pasta dishes – a fennel and sausage beauty.
As much as I LOVE a proper homemade bechamel, I don’t always have time to crack out a sauce from scratch so this little hack gives you all the lasagne feels but with a few substitutions. Ricotta gives you that creamy, velvety texture, whilst the sausage and fennel give you a more unique and unexpected flavour that will make your midweek tea feel a little more special.
An exclusive recipe from my latest cookbook!
This recipe is from my latest book, Poppy Cooks: The Actually Delicious Batch Cookbook(opens in new tab), and you can find even more sneaky recipes right here. Don’t tell my publisher please, because I don’t think I’m allowed to share this many…but oh well! Have a few freebies on me hehe.
Why batch?
I can’t believe I didn’t batch more recipes earlier on, because it’s such a time and money saver! It’s also amazing having meals ready to go for those days when you just can’t be bothered to cook. Yes, even as a chef, there are days when I don’t want to see another chopping board or kitchen utensil.
And this cheeky ricotta, fennel and sausage lasagne is the perfect freezer-friendly recipe. It’s super filling, incredibly low-effort to serve and can be paired with whatever quick sides you have knocking about (not that it particularly needs much). A fresh side salad and green veg or garlic bread would work well. Dinner sorted.
Batch cooking has also been a lifesaver for me since having my baby. The time I save by having homemade meals ready to go is genuinely worth its weight in gold. Instead of starting dinner from scratch when everyone is hungry and I’ve got approximately 17 other things to do, I can pull something from the freezer and have a seriously good meal on the table in minutes. Everyone is happy.
To enjoy immediately…
To enjoy now, preheat the oven to 200c/180c fan. Place the lasagne on a baking tray (to catch the drips) and pop it into the oven to bake for 45-50 mins until the pasta is cooked through, the filling is bubbling and the top is golden (cover with foil if at any point the top seems to be browning too quickly). Leave to stand for 10 mins before serving.
To eat later…
Freeze the cooled, unbaked lasagne, wrapped tightly in cling film, for up to 3 months.
To bake from frozen, remove the cling film and cover with foil. Rreheat the oven to 190c/170c fan and place the lasagne on a baking tray (to catch the drips) and pop it into the oven to bake for 60 mins, then remove the foil and bake for a further 30-40 mins until the pasta is cooked through, the filling is bubbling and the top is golden (cover with foil if at any point the top seems to be browning too quickly). Leave to stand for 10 mins before serving.
Or you can defrost in the fridge overnight. Unwrap, then follow the instructions given to eat now.
Cheeky ricotta, fennel and sausage lasagne
By Poppy Cooks
https://www.poppycooks.com/recipes/cheeky-ricotta-fennel-and-sausage-lasagne/
Ingredients
- 12 good quality pork sauages, meat squeezed out
- 50g salted butter
- 2 leeks, thinly sliced
- 2 fennel bulbs, finely diced
- 6 garlic cloves, minced or grated
- 2 rosemary sprigs
- 50g plain flour
- 700ml chicken stock
- 250ml double cream
- 200g baby spinach, washed
- Freshly grated nutmeg, to taste
- 500g ricotta
- Zest of 2 lemons
- 400g dried lasagne sheets
- 100g cheddar, grated
- Salt and pepper
Metric
Imperial
Instructions
- Heat a large saute pan over a high heat and add the sausage meat. Use a spatula to break it up into small chunks, then fry for 7-8 mins until golden brown. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon, leaving the fat behind, and set aside in a bowl.
- Turn the heat down to medium. Chuck the butter into the pan and add the leeks and fennel, frying for 5-6 mins until softened but not coloured. Add the garlic and the herb sprigs and cook for 1 min until fragrant, then season with salt and pepper.
- Spoon the flour into the vegetable mixture and stir to combine. Cook out for 3-4 mins, stirring regularly, until thickened. Gradually add the chicken stock, bringing to the boil between each addition and ensuring everything is mixed in. Keep going until you've added all the stock.
- Stir in the double cream, chuck in the spinach to wilt, then give everything a good mix to combine. Season generously and add a grating of nutmeg to taste. Add the sausage meat back to the pan and fish out the whole herbs to discard.
- In a separate bowl, stir together the ricotta, lemon zest and a large pinch each of salt and pepper.
- To assemble, divide the sausage filling and ricotta between your ovensafe dishes, layering them up between lasagne sheets (start with a layer of sausage filling, then pasta sheets, then ricotta and so on, then finish with a layer of ricotta). Sprinkle with equal amounts of cheese.
- To enjoy now, preheat the oven to 200c/180c fan. Place the lasagne on a baking tray (to catch the drips) and pop it into the oven to bake for 45-50 mins until the pasta is cooked through, the filling is bubbling and the top is golden (cover with foil if at any point the top seems to be browning too quickly). Leave to stand for 10 mins before serving.