Ready-to-eat lasagne are a staple of my diet, especially when the weather gets colder. There’s nothing like an oozy hunk of meat, cheese and carbs to make you feel as if you’ve just tucked yourself into a pasta doona. Eating lasagne under a blanket manifests a beautiful sense of symmetry: I’m at one with the universe in all its multi-layered glory.
Plus, it’s affordable: you can have a full meal for under $3 – though it’s a staggering testament to the speed of inflation that this is a 20% price increase since I last wrote about cheap lasagne.
As a public service, I tested eight chilled or frozen lasagne found at Aldi, Coles and Woolworths supermarkets. Most were single-serve beef lasagne, with one gluten-free version included, and were prepared according to the microwave directions on the pack. Each one was rated on its flavour (beefy, cheesy), appearance (bonus points for a parsley garnish) and – importantly – post-microwave structural integrity. Were my assessments entirely subjective? Yes, but after eating more than 3kg of lasagne in a week, I’m basically an expert.
Best overall, and best value for money
International Cuisine Italian Style Beef Lasagne 400g, $2.49 from Aldi (frozen), $0.63 per 100g
I’d never tried this Aldi one before my lasagnethon, but it’s now my top pick for flavour and value. There’s a good contrast in textures, and it’s meatier and cheesier than some of the others with 14% beef and more than 3% cheese, according to the ingredients list. The extra cheese does give it a more greasy look which I personally don’t mind (it’s kind of like how the oil and coconut milk separate in rendang), but some might find it off-putting.
The rest of the test
World Kitchen Beef Lasagne 1.2kg, $7.99 from Aldi (chilled), $0.66 per 100g
This is unbelievably good value. The pasta sheets are thick and soft, the cheddar and mozzarella are rich and creamy without being cloying, and the ragu feels hearty and wholesome with tomato, onion, carrot, zucchini, celery, spinach and red wine. It comes in a foil baking tray so it’s intended for the oven, but because it’s a fresh lasagne you could easily cut out a portion and microwave it instead, if you need a faster method. Whereas other lasagne puddled limply when transferred to a plate, the depth and structural integrity of this one makes it a good option to serve with a salad or sides. Honestly, if I didn’t live alone, I’d probably buy this regularly. But for one person, a kilogram of lasagne is … a lot.
Coles Frozen Beef Lasagne Pasta 400g, $3 from Coles (frozen), $0.75 per 100g
With more sauce than structure, the Coles brand lasagne is one to eat straight out of the tray, possibly with a spoon. Despite four layers of pasta sheets, it has a shallow profile that doesn’t really hold together after microwaving. The ragu is pretty light on mince (the ingredients don’t actually specify how much beef is present, which makes me suspicious) but the overall combination is still comforting.
Woolworths Beef Lasagne 375g, $4 from Woolworths (frozen), $1.07 per 100g
The sprinkle of parsley and parmesan is a nice touch, but it doesn’t contribute much to the flavour, which is pleasantly bland. This one features three layers of pasta and a very generous amount of bechamel (39%), yet it still holds its shape well after slicing. The meat sauce contains 15% beef but it’s a fine-textured mince that tastes more like the filling in a meat pie than a bolognese. That’s not a bad thing, and I would eat this again.
Note: there is supposedly another cheaper Woolworths brand lasagne but it wasn’t in stock at any of the stores I visited in Melbourne.
McCain Beef Lasagne 400g, $5.60 from Coles or Woolworths (frozen), $1.40 per 100g
McCain’s version made a decent impression at first bite but after a couple more forkfuls, I felt it went way too hard on the tomato. The acidity was overpowering and made me feel agitated instead of cosy. It’s also intensely salty, which bears out in the fine print: 378mg of sodium per 100g (others were in the 200 to 305mg range). I liked the texture of the parmesan crumb but otherwise, this one was my least favourite.
On The Menu Frozen Beef Lasagne 260g, $4.50 from Woolworths or Coles (frozen), $1.73 per 100g
This is tolerable and nothing more. My gripes are admittedly petty: there’s no cheese, only bechamel; there are only three layers of pasta instead of four. But the most serious flaw is the size. I just don’t know when I’d ever want a 260g serving of lasagne – it’s too small for a meal and too rich for a snack.
Tutto Pasta Gluten Free Lasagna 350g, $6.50 from Woolworths (frozen), $1.86 per 100g
This was the most affordable gluten-free option I could find and while it’s more expensive than the non-gluten-free lasagnes, it’s not any better. There are four layers here but they disintegrate and blend together as you eat because the pasta sheets (rice flour, water, eggs, tapioca, corn maize and xanthan gum) don’t hold together. There’s chunky beef, cheese and lots of tomato, but no bechamel so it tastes more like a bolognese polenta bake than lasagne. It is, however, actually quite tasty, and it reminded me how much I enjoy a polenta bake.
Latina Beef Lasagne 350g, $7.50 from Woolworths (chilled), $2.14 per 100g
This refrigerated or ‘fresh’ lasagne is pretty satisfying. There’s the innovative design of putting the bechamel in the middle instead of on top, and the ragu is flavourful. As a general rule, pasta sheets tend to have better texture in refrigerated lasagne compared to frozen ones. That said, you can get three times the weight of fresh lasagne for almost the same price at Aldi.
