Anna Louise I first made sausage lasagne when I had a packet of good Italian sausages in the fridge and was halfway through assembling a standard beef lasagne before realising I had forgotten to buy mince. The substitution was entirely accidental and completely transformative.
The sausage meat — squeezed from its casings and broken up in the pan — gives a ragù that is richer, more irregular in texture, and more deeply seasoned than a mince-based one, because a good sausage already contains herbs, garlic, and spices that infuse the sauce during the long simmer.
I have made it deliberately ever since. The key is using genuinely good sausages — Italian-style with fennel and herbs if you can find them, or a good quality British pork sausage with high meat content if not. The quality of the sausage is the quality of the ragù, and the quality of the ragù is the quality of the lasagne.
Everything else is the same as the classic version — a proper béchamel, layered no-cook lasagne sheets, plenty of Parmesan on top, a proper hot oven. The sausage is the one thing that makes this specific and memorable.
Ingredients for Mary Berry Sausage Lasagne
For the Sausage Ragù
- 800g Italian-style pork sausages — or best quality British pork sausages, high meat content
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 2 carrots, finely diced
- 3 celery sticks, finely diced
- 4 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 tsp fennel seeds — lightly crushed in a pestle and mortar
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp chilli flakes — optional but excellent
- 2 tbsp tomato purée
- 150ml red wine
- 2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp caster sugar
- 2 bay leaves
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Large handful fresh basil, torn — added at the end
For the Béchamel
- 75g unsalted butter
- 75g plain flour
- 900ml whole milk, warm
- 75g Parmesan, finely grated
- ½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
- Salt and white pepper
For Assembly
- 12 no-cook dried lasagne sheets
- 75g Parmesan, finely grated — for the top
- 125g fresh mozzarella, torn — for the top
How to Make Mary Berry Sausage Lasagne
Step 1 — Cook the Sausage Meat
Squeeze the sausage meat from the casings into a large bowl. Discard the casings. Break the meat into rough pieces with your hands — irregular pieces give a more interesting texture than finely broken-down mince.
Heat one tablespoon of the oil in a large pan over a medium-high heat. Add the sausage meat in batches — do not crowd the pan. Cook for eight to ten minutes total, breaking up further as it cooks, until deeply browned all over. Remove and set aside.
The browning step matters enormously here. Properly browned sausage meat gives a ragù with depth and complexity. Pale, barely coloured sausage gives something flat and disappointing.
Step 2 — Build the Ragù
In the same pan, heat the remaining oil over a medium heat. Cook the onion, carrots, and celery for ten minutes until completely soft. Add the garlic, fennel seeds, dried oregano, and chilli flakes — cook for two minutes until fragrant.
Return the browned sausage meat to the pan. Add the tomato purée — stir for one minute. Add the red wine — bubble and reduce for three minutes. Add the chopped tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, sugar, and bay leaves. Season generously. Bring to a gentle simmer.
Cook partially covered for 40 to 45 minutes until the ragù is thick, rich, and deeply flavoured. Remove the bay leaves. Add the torn basil. Taste and season assertively — this ragù should be confidently seasoned, because the béchamel and pasta will dilute the flavour slightly.
Step 3 — Make the Béchamel
Melt the butter over a medium heat. Add the flour — stir for two minutes. Add the warm milk gradually, whisking continuously. Cook, stirring, until the sauce comes to the boil and thickens to a consistency that coats the back of a spoon generously. Add the Parmesan and nutmeg. Season with salt and white pepper.
Step 4 — Assemble
Preheat your oven to 180°C / 160°C fan / Gas 4. Lightly butter a deep 30x20cm ovenproof dish.
Spread a thin layer of béchamel over the base. Lay four lasagne sheets. Spread half the sausage ragù over the pasta. Spoon a third of the remaining béchamel over the ragù.
Lay four more sheets. Spread the remaining ragù. Pour another third of the béchamel over.
Lay the final four sheets. Pour the remaining béchamel over the top completely. Scatter the torn mozzarella and grated Parmesan generously over the surface.
Step 5 — Bake and Rest
Bake for 40 to 45 minutes until deeply golden and bubbling. Rest for ten minutes before serving.
My Top Tips For Mary Berry Sausage Lasagne
Use good quality sausages with a high meat content. The sausage is everything in this ragù. A sausage with 70% pork meat or above gives a rich, meaty result. A cheaper sausage with a high cereal content gives something pale, slightly watery, and without the character this dish needs.
Squeeze the meat from the casings and leave pieces irregular. The irregular texture of hand-broken sausage meat gives the ragù a rustic, varied character that is one of this dish’s great pleasures. Finely breaking the sausage until it resembles minced meat loses what makes it specifically sausage meat.
The fennel seeds are the detail that makes this taste Italian. A teaspoon of lightly crushed fennel seeds in the base of the sauce gives a subtle, slightly anise warmth that is characteristic of Italian pork sausage cooking. If using Italian sausages that already contain fennel, reduce to half a teaspoon.
Brown the sausage meat deeply. Deep browning — not simply cooking until no longer pink — gives the Maillard reaction flavours that transform the ragù. Take the extra four minutes. The difference in depth of flavour is significant.
Season the ragù assertively before assembly. The pasta and béchamel dilute the flavour of the ragù during baking. Season until the ragù tastes slightly more assertive than you want the finished lasagne to be.
Serving Suggestions
With a simple green salad dressed with red wine vinegar and olive oil — the classic and completely correct accompaniment. With garlic bread. On its own — a generous portion of this lasagne is a complete meal.
How to Store Mary Berry Sausage Lasagne
In the fridge: Store covered for up to 3 days. Reheat covered with foil at 180°C for 25 to 30 minutes.
In the freezer: Freeze assembled before baking for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight and bake as directed, adding ten minutes.
Mary Berry Sausage Lasagne Recipe
Ingredients
Method
- Squeeze sausage meat from casings — break into irregular pieces. Brown in batches in hot oil 8–10 minutes until deeply browned. Remove.
- Cook onion, carrots, and celery 10 minutes. Add garlic, fennel seeds, oregano, and chilli — 2 minutes. Return sausage meat. Add purée — 1 minute. Add wine — 3 minutes. Add tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, sugar, and bay leaves. Season assertively. Simmer 40–45 minutes. Remove bay leaves. Add basil. Taste.
- Make béchamel: melt butter, add flour, stir 2 minutes. Add warm milk gradually — whisk smooth. Thicken over heat. Add Parmesan and nutmeg. Season.
- Preheat oven to 180°C / 160°C fan / Gas 4. Butter dish. Thin béchamel on base. Layer: 4 sheets, half ragù, third béchamel. Repeat. Final 4 sheets — remaining béchamel over top. Scatter mozzarella and Parmesan.
- Bake 40–45 minutes until golden and bubbling. Rest 10 minutes. Serve.
Notes
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use pork and fennel sausages from the supermarket?
Yes — pork and fennel sausages give exactly the right flavour for this ragù. They are the best choice if Italian sausages are not available.
Can I add spinach to the ragù?
Yes — 200g of baby spinach, wilted completely and squeezed very dry, stirred through the ragù before assembly gives colour and a slight freshness that balances the richness of the sausage.
Can I use turkey or chicken sausages?
Yes — turkey or chicken sausages give a lighter, less rich result. Use the same quantity and cook until deeply golden. The flavour is noticeably lighter — pleasant but different in character.
Why is my sausage lasagne watery?
The ragù was not reduced sufficiently or the béchamel was too thin. Both need to be thick before assembling — the ragù should hold its shape on a spoon and the béchamel should coat the back heavily.
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