CONOR POPEreviews Lasagne

Casa Barelli Beef Lasagne from Aldi €1.99 for 400g, €4.97 per kg

This is made with 20 per cent minced beef and can be microwaved or oven cooked depending on how quickly you need to eat your ready meal. The grated parmesan on top was nice but when we delved a little deeper this lasagne disappointed. The beef has been very, very finely minced so does not have any real substance, the béchamel sauce lacked flavour and the pasta lacked texture. It is, however, very cheap and will fill you up but is unlikely to cheer you up.

Verdict: A bit dull

**

Marks & Spencer Gastropub Steak Lasagne €9.29 for 800g, €11.61 per kg

There is no getting away from the fact that this is the best lasagne reviewed this week and quite possibly the best store-bought lasagne we have ever had. The sauce is beautifully rich and tomatoey, the pasta layers are excellent, the béchamel sauce is pretty great and, as you will have guessed from the name, it is made with pieces of beef steak as opposed to mince. The ingredient list is nice and pure too.

It is, of course, pretty dear and we’re not entirely sure half a pack would keep us going.

Verdict: Amazing

*****

Carroll Cuisine Lasagne €4.99 for 700g, €7.12 per kg

Okay, the elephant in the room needs to be addressed immediately! This is made with 15 per cent pork which means that no cows were harmed in the making of this ready meal. Now, that is all well and good, but we would have thought that beef is an integral part of any self-respecting lasagne. The pasta here seems to be of good quality and the béchamel is nice. The tomato sauce is okay but could have been a little richer (like ourselves) and it could have done with just a little more meat. It was on special offer and so represented good value for money too.

Verdict: Grand

***

Tesco Finest Italian Lasagne €5.50 for 700g, €7.85 per kg

Tesco has a whole host of lasagne options ranging from the Value range to this high-end product. We figured we’d treat ourselves to this one and we’re quite glad we did. It is made with 22 per cent minced beef which seems to be of good quality, the pasta is very good and the sauce is nice and creamy, although there might have been a bit too much of it. It was lacking a little in flavour and while we reckon lasagne should be comforting and rich we figured this fell down a bit on both counts.

Verdict: Pretty good

***

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