Reynolds says: “Seriously creamy, gooey, rich and comforting lasagne in less than an hour and all made in the one pan? Yes, please! This is by far and away the easiest lasagne recipe I’ve ever written and one of the most delicious. Leave out the bacon and this would be a great vegetarian main too.”

Serves 4

Prep: 15 minutes

Cook: 40 minutes

The shortcut: Traditional lasagne involves lots of layering and multiple sauces, but not this one! Breaking up the pasta sheets and submerging them into the creamy mushroom sauce is just the easiest way to make an unctuous, gooey lasagne in a fraction of the time it would take to make a traditional one.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
130g (4½ oz) bacon lardons
1 onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons thyme leaves
500g (1 lb 2 oz) chestnut (cremini) mushrooms, sliced
150g (5 oz) portobello mushrooms, cut into 1 cm (½ in) dice
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 vegetable stock cube or 1 tablespoon miso paste
450ml (15¼ fl oz/scant 2 cups) boiling water
300ml (10 fl oz/1¼ cups) double (heavy) cream
Grated zest of ½ lemon
Handful of flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
15 no-precook, dried lasagne sheets, roughly broken
50g (2oz) finely grated Parmesan
125g (4oz) grated mozzarella and Cheddar mix
Method

Heat the oil in a large, shallow, ovenproof casserole dish (Dutch oven) over a medium-high heat and fry the bacon and onion for 3 minutes, or until they are starting to take on some colour and soften.

Add the garlic and thyme and fry for 1 minute. Add all the mushrooms to the pan with plenty of salt and a good grinding of pepper and fry for 5 minutes, stirring frequently, then cover the pan with a lid and cook for a further 5 minutes. In a large heatproof bowl or jug, dissolve the stock cube or miso in the boiling water, then stir into the mushrooms. Add the cream, lemon zest and most of the parsley and bring the sauce to the boil.

Gradually add the broken lasagne sheets to the mushroom sauce, pushing the sheets under the surface as you go. Once all of the lasagne has been added, cover with a lid and cook for 15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes to stop the lasagne sticking together and to re-distribute the mushrooms.

Preheat the grill (broiler) to hot. Sprinkle the Parmesan over the top of the mushrooms and pasta, then cover with the mozzarella and Cheddar mix. Don’t worry if some bits of pasta are poking up, as these will become crisp and golden under the grill. Grill (broil) for 3–5 minutes until golden and bubbling, being sure to keep an eye on it so it doesn’t burn. Serve immediately, scattered with the reserved parsley.

Tip: frying the mushrooms first gives them some colour and flavour, then covering with a lid lets them release their dark, savoury juices, which form the basis of the sauce.

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