Batch Cook Lasagne Bolognese Recipe on a Budget

Comfort food at it’s very best!!  Scrumptious layers of pasta, Bolognese and white sauce topped with delicious cheese.  You wouldn’t believe that it’s also packed with veggies and costs just 40p per serving! Make a great big batch of this Lasagne Bolognese and fill your freezer for easy weeknight dinners on a budget.


Ingredients

  • 6 portions Slow Cooker Bolognese £4.14
  • 500g Lasagne Sheets 75p
  • 4 Pints Milk £1.60
  • 200g Butter 40p
  • 60g Plain Flour 15p
  • 500g Cheese £2.49

Total cost = £9.53

Makes 24 servings = 40p per serving

Food purchased from Aldi, UK


How to Make Lasagne Bolognese

Pop 200g of butter into a good sized pan.

I use a mix of margarine and butter which is much cheaper than using actual butter to cook with.

Lasagne Bolognese Recipe - Budget Batch Cook
Lasagne Bolognese Recipe – Budget Batch Cook

Turn the heat on low to melt the butter and gradually add 8 table spoons of flour.

Lasagne Bolognese Recipe - Budget Batch Cook
Lasagne Bolognese Recipe – Budget Batch Cook

Mix it well as the butter melts.

Lasagne Bolognese Recipe - Budget Batch Cook
Lasagne Bolognese Recipe – Budget Batch Cook

Gradually add 4 pints of milk.

Lasagne Bolognese Recipe - Budget Batch Cook
Lasagne Bolognese Recipe – Budget Batch Cook

Mix it well and allow it to thicken.

Lasagne Bolognese Recipe - Budget Batch Cook
Lasagne Bolognese Recipe – Budget Batch Cook

Add a ladle full of white sauce to each oven proof dish, completely covering the base.

Lasagne Bolognese Recipe - Budget Batch Cook
Lasagne Bolognese Recipe – Budget Batch Cook

Place a sheet of lasagne on top of the white sauce.

Lasagne Bolognese Recipe - Budget Batch Cook
Lasagne Bolognese Recipe – Budget Batch Cook

Add a few spoonful’s of Bolognese.

Lasagne Bolognese Recipe - Budget Batch Cook
Lasagne Bolognese Recipe – Budget Batch Cook

Then another sheet of lasagne.

Lasagne Bolognese Recipe - Budget Batch Cook
Lasagne Bolognese Recipe – Budget Batch Cook

Keep layering up white sauce, Bolognese then lasagne finishing with a final layer of white sauce.

Lasagne Bolognese Recipe - Budget Batch Cook

Top with slices of cheese.


How to Freeze Lasagne Bolognese

Cover your oven dishes with either cling film or a plastic lid and leave them to cool.

I recently invested in a set of these glass oven dishes with reusable plastic lids.

I save on using cling film but they are also stackable even before they’re frozen which I find much more convenient. If I’m using cling film I have to find spaces in my freezer with nothing stacked on top until the dishes are fully frozen. With these plastic lids I can easily stack my dishes while they freeze.

Once your Lasagne Bolognese has cooled down completely put the tubs into your fridge. Once they are chilled pop them in your freezer to freeze.


How to Defrost Lasagne Bolognese

For best results (as they say) take your dish of Lasagne Bolognese out of the freezer a day or two before you plan to eat it.

I like to plan my meals a few days in advance and choose from the defrosted meals on the day. That way there’s still some room for spontaneity.

But don’t worry if you forget, you can defrost your Lasagne Bolognese in the microwave. Just pop it on defrost for about 10 minutes.

In a real pinch you could cook this Lasagne Bolognese from frozen. You will need to increase the cooking time and I would recommend reducing the temperature to avoid burning the cheese on top.

To cook pop the Lasagne Bolognese in the oven and cook on gas mark 5 for about 45 minutes, when it’s done the cheese should be bubbling away and the lasagne should be fork tender.


How to Serve Lasagne Bolognese

We like our Lasagne Bolognese served with air fried chips and what ever frozen veggies the kids choose. It would be great with a jacket potato and salad but my kids don’t like either.


I do hope that my Lasagne Bolognese recipe has inspired you to have a go at making your own.

Follow me on your favourite social media channel for more budget family recipes.

Lasagne Bolognese Recipe - Budget Batch Cook

Pin It Now, Cook it Later

Pin this Lasagne Bolognese recipe to your Pinterest board so you can find it when you need a comforting batch cook recipe.

Lasagne Bolognese Recipe - Budget Batch Cook

Hobby Craft Baking

A Note on Food Safety

Freezing and defrosting food really isn’t complicated.  But it terrifies me how many people aren’t familiar with basic food hygiene so if you’re new to cooking from scratch and freezing please follow these safety guidlines.  

The important things to remember are:

  • Wash your hands and anything else that has been in contact with raw meat.
  • Meals should last for about 3 days in the fridge.
  • Do not defrost your meals at room temperature.    
  • Do not refreeze meals you have already defrosted.
  • Consume food before the use by date.

How to Batch Cook

A Little Bit About Me . . .

Hey there I’m Bridie, a busy mum to two amazing humans, a spirited border collie puppy and a pair of sweet guinea pigs. We homestead in a cherished Edwardian terrace in not so sunny Lancashire, England.

When I’m not spending time with my children and menagerie, I’m usually to be found in my craft room creating and blogging or in the kitchen cooking up a big batch of something tasty. I’m always looking for thrifty hacks to save money on my crafts and recipes. Crafting doesn’t have to cost a fortune!

I have been batch cooking for about 30 years (yikes that makes me feel old!) I’m sharing all my batch cook recipes, in depth batch cooking tutorials and all my tips and tricks to help you slash your food bills.

Each week I cook up a big batch of a single meal. Most of it goes in the freezer, then it’s just defrost and reheat or sling it in the oven. Even on busy school nights my family get to enjoy healthy home cooked meals that my kids actually eat.

Each week I share a new recipe on my blog. Most of my meals cost less than £1 per portion.

I really hope that my ideas can help you to stretch your budget.

Bridie @ Heart Hearth and Crafting

I’ve included links to my favourite retailers for the products I’ve used to make my crafts. Click on any of the product images and links for full details. If you decide to buy any of these products I may get a small percentage of what you spend. There’s no cost to you at all.


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Aran Knitting Baby Baby Scrapbooking Batch Cooking Beginner Scrapbooking Beginner Sewing Pattern Birthday Cards Budget Recipes Cards for Children Cards for Girls Chicken Recipes Christmas Christmas Cards Craft Sensations Dovecraft Easy Sewing Pattern Elasticated Channel First Edition Free Knitting Pattern Free Sewing Pattern Healthy Eating Healthy Recipe My Minds Eye Papermania Peek-a-Boo Patterns Polkadoodles ProMarkers Scrapbooking Sewing Sewing for Kids Sewing Pants Sewing Tops Sewing with Jersey Sewing with Wovens Simply Creative Sizzix Slow Cooker Recipes Soup Recipes Spellbinders Stitch Upon a Time Tim Holtz Top Stitching Vegetable Gardening Winsor Newton XCut


12 responses to “Batch Cook Lasagne Bolognese Recipe on a Budget”

  1. Liz @ spades, spatulas, and spoons Avatar

    What a wonderful thing to have in your freezer. Batch cooking at the very best.

    1. Bridie Avatar

      If anything it’s better after it’s been frozen.

  2. esmesalon Avatar

    Thanks for sharing at Senior Salon, juch appreciated

    1. Bridie Avatar

      Thanks for visiting.

  3. helenfern Avatar
    helenfern

    This looks so delicious – total comfort! Thanks for sharing at the What’s for Dinner party. Have a lovely weekend.

    1. Bridie Avatar

      Yes, it’s definitley winter comfort food at it’s best.

  4. Gloria Avatar

    Found this on Senior Salon’s Inlinkz. Lasagne is a firm favourite in this household. Unfortunately I gave up making it myself because the lasagne sheets never turn out nice for me. Chewy and hard round the edges! 😌 But now I want to try again!

    1. Bridie Avatar

      The trick is to make sure that the pasta sheets are completely covered with sauce. This stops them from drying out.

  5. Michele Morin Avatar

    Oh, yummy!

    1. Bridie Avatar

      Thank you for your visit.

  6. BERNADETTE Avatar

    Great post. Love my slow cooker.

    1. Bridie Avatar

      I couldn’t be without mine.

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I’m Bridie

Welcome to Heart and Hearth Crafts, my cosy corner of the internet dedicated to cutting the cost of crafting. Here you will find lots of projects and tutorials with tips and tricks to show you how to make creative projects you can be proud of on a budget. I’ll also show you how to save money in the kitchen too with weekly budget batch cook recipes.

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