Name: One-pan Beef Ragu Lasagne
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 210 min
Total time: 220 min
Ingredients: 1 large brown onion, finely diced; 2 carrots, finely diced; 2 celery stalks, finely diced; 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped; 2 tablespoons tomato paste; 700 g (24 oz) passata; 375 ml (1½ cups) beef stock; 1 tsp dried oregano; 1 tsp dried thyme; 2 bay leaves; 1.2 kg (2½ lb) beef chuck roast, cut into 2 large pieces (see note 1); 1½ tsp sea salt flakes; ½ tsp freshly cracked black pepper; 2 tbsp olive oil; 125–250 ml (½–1 cup) beef stock, as needed; 375 g (13 oz) fresh lasagne sheets (see note 2 for dried lasagne); 200 g (7 oz) mozzarella, freshly grated or sliced (see note 3); 35 g (⅓ cup) parmesan, freshly grated, plus extra to serve; Fresh basil leaves, to serve; Green Leafy Salad with Balsamic Dressing; Garlic bread

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A rich, one-pan, slow-cooked lasagne with fall-apart beef, without all the usual lasagne-making effort.

I love lasagne. My family loves lasagne. What I don’t always love is spending half a day making lasagne. 😂 There are absolutely weekends when I’m happy to potter around in the kitchen, but there are also weekends when I want the pottering, but not around the stove!

beef ragu lasagne served with broccolini — I love serving this rich, slow-cooked beef ragu lasagne with something simple and fresh on the side. Steamed broccolini (tenderstem broccoli) finished with parmesan is perfect, but a leafy salad or roasted vegetables work beautifully too.

This One-pan Beef Ragu Lasagne came about after I watched Adam Hoad make a similar beef shin ragu on Instagram. You can view Adam’s recipe here. He put everything into one dish – no browning the meat, no frying the onion, carrot and celery first – and I remember thinking, “surely that sauce isn’t going to have enough flavour” … I had to try it!

I’ve made my version more times than I can count now, playing around with the cut of beef, the amount of liquid and the cooking time. My first attempt involved putting an enormous piece of beef into the oven, whole, at about 2.30 pm and assuming we’d be eating it for dinner. We did not. 😂 Six-ish hours later it was finally fall-apart tender, by which point I’d already cooked a completely different dinner and fed everyone that instead.

That little disaster did lead me here, though. I now cut the beef into two large pieces so there’s still plenty of exposed surface to become beautifully browned and caramelised, but it cooks in a much more reasonable amount of time. Once it’s fall-apart tender, I shred it straight into that rich tomato sauce, tuck fresh lasagne sheets through it, add cheese, then put the whole thing back into the oven until it’s bubbling and golden.

For me, this is Sunday cooking. Ten minutes getting everything into the dish, then a few hours where the oven is technically making dinner and I can wander off and do something else. I’ll usually serve it with whatever makes sense that day – a leafy salad with balsamic, some steamed broccolini (tenderstem broccoli) with parmesan, or garlic bread if we’re going all in.

And there’s something very satisfying about putting a big bubbling lasagne in the middle of the table when, really, you haven’t done all that much. It’s my favourite kind of weekend cooking.

onion carrot celery and garlic in casserole dish — The onion, carrot, celery and garlic go straight into the casserole dish. There’s no need to fry the vegetables first, which keeps the initial prep to around 10 minutes.

beef ragu ingredients added to casserole dish — Add the tomato paste, passata, beef stock, oregano, thyme and bay leaves directly to the vegetables. Everything for the ragu starts in the one casserole dish.

beef ragu sauce mixed in casserole dish — Stir the ragu ingredients together until well combined before adding the beef. It really is this simple – no separate saucepan and no frying required.

beef chuck added to ragu — Sit the two pieces of seasoned beef chuck roast on top of the ragu. Ideally, leave the tops exposed rather than completely submerging the beef – this helps the exposed surface brown and caramelise as it cooks.

slow cooked beef halfway through cooking — After 1½ hours, turn the beef over, cover again and return it to the oven. This gives both sides time exposed above the sauce to develop colour and flavour.

fall apart slow cooked beef chuck — This is what you’re looking for after slow-cooking: deeply browned beef that pulls apart easily with two forks. If your beef is still firm at this stage, simply cover it and keep cooking in 20–30 minute increments until fall-apart tender.

shredded beef ragu before adding stock — Shred the tender beef directly into the casserole dish and stir it through the tomato sauce. At this point the ragu will be thick and rich, so we loosen it with a little extra beef stock before adding the lasagne sheets.

fresh lasagne sheets cut into pieces — I use fresh lasagne sheets and cut or tear them into roughly 8–10 cm (31/4–4 inch) pieces. There’s no need to cook them first – they’ll cook directly in the ragu.

fresh lasagne sheets added to beef ragu — Add the fresh lasagne pieces randomly across the ragu, ready to be tucked through the sauce. No layering and absolutely no need to make it look perfect.

lasagne sheets tucked through beef ragu — Use tongs to tuck the fresh lasagne sheets throughout the ragu, making sure every piece is well surrounded by sauce. This is important as the pasta needs that moisture to cook properly in the oven.

one pan beef ragu lasagne topped with mozzarella — Once the lasagne sheets are tucked in, scatter over the mozzarella and it’s ready for the oven. You can also add the optional bechamel here if you want a more traditional creamy lasagne topping.

cheesy one pan beef ragu lasagne — After 20–25 minutes in the oven, the fresh lasagne sheets should be tender and the mozzarella bubbling and golden. Let the lasagne rest for 10 minutes before serving – difficult, I know 😂 – which helps everything settle slightly and makes it much easier to scoop.

What is the best beef to use for One-pan Beef Ragu Lasagne?

I use beef chuck roast because it becomes beautifully tender and fall-apart when slow-cooked, but still has enough fat and connective tissue to give the ragu loads of flavour. I buy one large roast and cut it into two big pieces rather than using smaller pieces. This gives me plenty of exposed surface area for the beef to brown and caramelise while it cooks, without it drying out. (In Australia, US and the UK, this cut is called chuck roast, but in the UK it may be called a blade roast or a chuck and blade joint.) Gravy beef (boneless shin) or chuck (braising/casserole) steak also work well. Whatever you use, choose a cut designed for slow-cooking rather than a lean roasting cut.

Why is my slow-cooked beef still tough?

It needs longer! If you’ve cooked it for the suggested time and it’s still difficult to pull apart, it generally doesn’t mean you’ve overcooked it – it means the connective tissue hasn’t had enough time to break down yet. Cover it again and continue cooking in 20–30 minute increments until you can easily shred it with two forks. The exact cooking time can vary depending on the size and thickness of your beef.

What can I use if my casserole dish doesn’t have a lid?

Cover the casserole dish very tightly with a double layer of foil. You want to trap the steam inside the dish so the beef stays moist as it slowly cooks. For even better moisture retention, you can place a piece of baking (parchment) paper directly over the surface of the beef and sauce before covering the dish with its lid or foil. I’ve tested it this way and it works beautifully.

Why do I need to add extra beef stock before adding the lasagne sheets?

After several hours in the oven, the ragu will have reduced and thickened. The fresh lasagne sheets need enough liquid around them to cook properly, so I add another 125–250 ml (½–1 cup) of beef stock before tucking them in. Have a look at your sauce rather than automatically adding the full amount. It should be loose and saucy enough that you can easily tuck the pasta through it, but it shouldn’t be watery.

Do I have to make bechamel sauce for this lasagne?

No – and that’s very deliberate! I wanted this to be a true one-pan lasagne, so my everyday version is simply topped with melty mozzarella and parmesan. However, if you love that creamy layer on a traditional lasagne, I’ve included an optional bechamel in the notes under the recipe. It is delicious, but it also introduces another saucepan to the situation! Choose your own adventure. 😂

What can I serve with One-pan Beef Ragu Lasagne?

Because the lasagne is rich, cheesy and filling, I tend to keep whatever I serve alongside it fresh and simple. You really don’t need much to turn this into a complete dinner – and if I’m serving it to friends or family, I’ll sometimes add garlic bread and a salad and put everything in the middle of the table for everyone to help themselves.

Here are some of my favourite sides to serve with beef ragu lasagne: