The Canny Cook, lower your food bills and still eat well with food editor Eleanor Maidment: Cheat's lasagne

Browning meat is essential for a rich, deep, meaty flavour but, quite honestly, it can be a bit of a faff. Getting good colour on a steak is no problem, but when it comes to minced meat it requires a bit more effort.

You need to be patient, frying the mince in small batches (so it doesn't stew in the meat juices) and there's always a fair bit of splatter to clean up at the end.

This is why my ears pricked up when I heard a clever tip from chef Paul Ainsworth on TV a few weeks ago. 

He suggested, when making a bolognese – or any sauce with minced meat – browning the meat in the oven while you get on with making the base on the hob.

So I tried it, making the lasagne recipe here, and it was quite brilliant. Rather than browning the mince first in the pan as I usually would, I popped it in a roasting tin, broke it up a bit with a spatula, added seasoning, then cooked it for 20 minutes, stirring halfway.

Browning mince in the oven rather than on the hob is a masterful tip 

Meanwhile, I got on with sweating the vegetables, then adding the tomato sauce and letting it simmer away.

By the time the meat was golden, the sauce was silky and thick and the two were combined for a final quick simmer. It's a masterful tip and one that I shall be using from here on in.

CHEAT'S LASAGNE

This speedy recipe is full of shortcuts and requires no layering. Any cheese you have in the fridge will work too

FEEDS 4

£1.67* PER PERSON 

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Put the mince in a large nonstick roasting tin and break up with a spatula (no oil is needed). Season and roast for 20 minutes, stirring and breaking it up a bit more halfway.

Meanwhile, in a large ovenproof sauté pan or shallow casserole, heat 1½ tbsp olive oil over a medium-high heat. Fry the frozen vegetables with a pinch of salt for 10 minutes until soft and turning golden. Add the passata and simmer over a medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Stir the mince into the sauce. Fill the roasting tin with 250ml freshly boiled water and scrape up any brown bits, then tip into the pan. Simmer for 5 minutes. Halve the lasagne sheets lengthways and push into the sauce (don't worry if it's a bit messy or they break up a bit). Simmer for another 5 minutes. 

Preheat the grill to high. Scatter the top with torn mozzarella, grated cheddar, parmesan or dollops of ricotta. Pop under the grill for 2-3 minutes before serving. 

Do you have a great recipe for eating well and cutting food bills? Email editor@you.co.uk. If we print it here, we’ll send you a bottle of champagne

*THIS COST ASSUMES YOU ALREADY HAVE SOME BASIC STORE-CUPBOARD INGREDIENTS. PRICES TAKEN FROM ASDA AND CORRECT AT TIME OF GOING TO PRESS.