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What to make when... you're ready to shake up your lasagne recipe

Bored? From pesto to roasted vegetables, there’s more than one way to make lasagne.

LASAGNE IS ONE of the most famous dishes in Italian cuisine – a layered dish of pasta, meat, sauce and cheese, baked in the oven until bubbling and delicious.

One of the best things about lasagne is its versatility, and as time has gone on, chefs and cooks have created so many different and creative takes on this classic recipe, from pork sausage and fennel to chicken and pesto. I have yet to come across a non-traditional lasagne that doesn’t sound delicious.

If you’re in the mood to spice up your traditional lasagne recipe with some new ingredients or flavours, here are five recipes that should do the trick. 

A note on lasagne sheets: you’ll layer them in uncooked. After baking, insert a fork or knife to test whether the pasta has cooked through. Add another five minutes of baking time if they’re a little too al dente for your taste. 

Check out some of our favourite twists on the classic recipe below…

1. Creamy Pesto Spinach and Mushroom Lasagne: This creamy, flavour-packed dish is perfect for entertaining and won’t take all day to prepare. In a frying pan, fry chopped mushrooms, garlic and onion for about five minutes, then add in two bags of spinach. Stir until the spinach has wilted, then tip in a tub of cream cheese, a spoonful of pesto and a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Stir to combine, then add one third of the mixture to a lasagne dish and top with pasta sheets. Repeat this process until all of the mixture has been used, then top with bechamel sauce and some grated cheese. Bake for 20 minutes, until bubbling, and serve straight away with a rocket salad.

2. Italian Sausage Lasagne: Using good quality sausage is key to this recipe; if you can’t find Italian sausage, use any other variety with a high pork content. Start by removing the sausage meat from the skin, then fry in a pan on a high heat. Use a fork to break up the meat as it cooks to avoid it clumping together. Add in some crushed garlic, finely chopped red onion and fennel seeds, and stir for two minutes. Then pour over a tin of chopped tomatoes, some tomato puree and season with salt and pepper. If you don’t like fennel seeds, sage would also compliment the sausage really well, as in this version from Recipes of a Normal Mom. Simmer for five minutes, then tip some of the mixture into an ovenproof dish to layer up the lasagne, alternating sauce with lasagne sheets. Once all of the sausage mixture has been used up, top the lasagne with a mixture of creme fraiche and parmesan cheese, then top with grated mozzarella. Bake for 30 minutes, and serve with fresh bread.

3. Roasted Vegetable Lasagne: Toss a mixture of roughly chopped peppers, courgette and aubergine in some olive oil and roast in the oven for about 20 minutes until the vegetables are beginning to turn soft. Once they’re ready, dish them into a bowl and season well with salt and pepper, then add a jar of passata, torn fresh basil and some grated parmesan cheese. Arrange a layer of the vegetable mix into an ovenproof dish, then top with lasagne sheets. Repeat this process until all of the vegetable mix has been used up, then top with white sauce and a generous handful of grated cheese. Bake for 20 minutes until the top is golden and the mixture is bubbling.

shutterstock_584016349 Shutterstock / Studio Dagdagaz Shutterstock / Studio Dagdagaz / Studio Dagdagaz

4. Chicken Lasagne: Fry some bacon lardons in a saucepan and, once golden, add sliced chicken breast. Once the chicken is browned, lower the heat and add chopped onions, peppers and crushed garlic. Fry for a few minutes until the onion has softened, then add a tin of chopped tomatoes, tomato puree and some chili flakes. If you’re looking for an extra-indulgent lasagne, check out this recipe from Dean Edwards, which adds chorizo and a dash of white wine at this point. Allow to simmer for 10 minutes then remove from the heat and start to build the lasagne. Put a layer of the chicken ragu into an ovenproof dish, followed by a layer of lasagne sheets, and a layer of white sauce. Repeat this, then top with mozzarella cheese and some fresh basil leaves. Bake for 20 minutes, then remove from the oven and serve sharing style with plenty of garlic bread and a dressed salad.

5. Super Healthy Lasagne: Combining a mixture of vegetables and lean turkey, this recipe is super healthy but still packed with flavour. Gently fry some finely chopped celery, carrots, onion and garlic in a large saucepan for about 10 minutes until soft. Turn up the heat, and add lean turkey mince, stirring to break it up. Once the turkey is cooked, add chicken stock, a tin of chopped tomatoes, tomato paste and some chicken stock. Simmer for 10 minutes, then layer it up with some sheets of pasta in a lasagne dish. Top with low fat cream cheese, freshly ground black pepper and a little parmesan, and bake for 30 minutes. Serve with sweet potato wedges or a mixed leaf salad. 

More what to eat when… you want a comforting, flavour-packed dinner that’s meat-free too>

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    Mute David Corrigan
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    Oct 31st 2012, 10:29 AM

    All houses already come with a built-in app to check if there’s a power outage in your area… its called a light switch. :-)

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    Mute Damocles
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    Oct 31st 2012, 10:40 AM

    Couldn’t that just mean your trip has tripped?

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    Mute David Corrigan
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    Oct 31st 2012, 11:33 AM

    ..Then simply get a chair from the kitchen and get up and check! :D

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    Mute Andrew Brennan
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    Oct 31st 2012, 12:17 PM

    What is the definition of a shock absorber? A: A careless electrician.

    I’ll get my coat.

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    Mute John Finn
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    Oct 31st 2012, 4:55 PM

    Just because the power to your house is gone doesn’t necessarily mean there is a power outage in your area. It could be a fault in your own electrical installation or it could be that the ESB main fuse has blown. So, no … the light switch is not “a built-in app”.

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    Mute Paddy Mac
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    Oct 31st 2012, 10:45 AM

    I hate when your in the middle of typing something and the pow

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    Mute Paul Martin
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    Oct 31st 2012, 10:51 AM

    Are released?

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    Mute Kevin O'Sullivan
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    Oct 31st 2012, 10:26 AM

    Waterford also had a power outage…

    Non story.

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    Mute Sean Claffey
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    Oct 31st 2012, 10:46 AM

    Where the hell is Waterford?

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    Mute terayon100
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    Oct 31st 2012, 2:56 PM

    @Sean

    That’s a bit harsh, just because a town/city is outside the capital doesn’t make it any less important, if that’s what you’re implying.

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    Mute Alan Murphy
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    Oct 31st 2012, 11:52 PM

    A bit of balance would be great. Pretty much a third of the city was out this morning. Big deal in my book

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    Mute Graham Ó Móráin
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    Oct 31st 2012, 10:26 AM

    Where’s Daltry?!

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    Mute vv7k7Z3c
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    Oct 31st 2012, 10:27 AM

    That would be Dartry… have fixed the error!

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    Mute Graham Ó Móráin
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    Oct 31st 2012, 10:32 AM

    I was thinking :-P

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    Mute Gavin McDonnell
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    Oct 31st 2012, 11:17 AM

    Roger Daltry from the who, he passed out powerless last night

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    Mute jim ahh jim ahh jim
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    Oct 31st 2012, 11:37 AM

    Whatever happened to ‘power cut’ ?
    Who decided it was to be called by the American version ‘outage’

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    Mute Caitríona Sheridan
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    Oct 31st 2012, 12:36 PM

    The technical term in the power systems industry is ‘outage’.

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    Mute jim ahh jim ahh jim
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    Oct 31st 2012, 1:14 PM

    @Catriona
    Interesting, and you sound like you know what you are talking about.

    How do you know this ?
    When did it change in Ireland ?

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    Mute Professor Mehoop
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    Oct 31st 2012, 10:32 AM

    Ballsbridge was in the dark this morning? There must be a wise-crack about that….!

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    Mute John Finn
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    Oct 31st 2012, 1:46 PM

    I note one of the the dialogue boxes on the Powercheck website says: “Service Interruption Message:
    We apologise for the loss of supply. We are currently working to repair a fault affecting your premise and will restore power as quickly as possible.”

    I’m afraid someone in ESB Networks doesn’t know the difference between “premise” and “premises”.

    Premise: A previous statement or proposition from which another is inferred or follows as a conclusion.

    Premises: A house or a building.

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    Mute E
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    Oct 31st 2012, 10:27 AM

    Is the website up and running? Just tried checking the page and it doesn’t seem to load properly.

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    Mute vv7k7Z3c
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    Oct 31st 2012, 10:28 AM

    It should be fixed now if you try it again

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    Mute E
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    Oct 31st 2012, 10:32 AM

    Just tried it again… accessed it differently and it works fine.

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    Mute Andrew Brennan
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    Oct 31st 2012, 12:22 PM

    You can always trust the ESB to deal with current events.

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    Mute ronan kelly
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    Oct 31st 2012, 2:35 PM

    Must be a slow news day!!! The rest of Ireland could have no power but the poor dubs have to have a story loike!

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    Mute Marcus Kiely
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    Oct 31st 2012, 11:08 AM

    In a word, SO!!

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    Mute Luca Costa
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    Oct 31st 2012, 11:24 AM

    Bleedin frankenstorm.

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    Mute Sara Hogan
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    Oct 21st 2016, 11:14 AM

    Power was off in Rathfarnham, Dublin 14 for three hours last night.

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    Mute Dave Mullen
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    Sep 13th 2013, 11:56 AM

    Power outage for approx 3 hours in parts of Greystones this morning also.

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    Mute Louise Reid Mc Hugh
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    Oct 31st 2012, 11:10 AM

    Power, we have know water since yesterday evening :-( Glasanaon road, D 11

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