Date: Tuesday September 3, 2019 at 3:52pm
I love how there are so many different
delicious ingredients you can add to a lasagne. This recipe serves 4 generous
sized portions. I like to serve my lasagne with some rustic garlic bread or a
side salad. This is how I make mine:
Ingredients:
-
splash of cooking
oil
- 500g lean beef
mince
- 4 cloves garlic,
finely chopped
- 1 large onion
diced
- 5 medium sized
mushrooms diced
- 1 grated carrot
- 1 stick of celery
thinly sliced
- 3 cubes of frozen
spinach or 2 big handfuls of fresh
- 1 small glass of
red wine (you can use any kind)
- 1 small handful
of red or green lentils (this is good for bulking it out)
- 1 heaped teaspoon
of oregano
- 1 heaped teaspoon
of basil or a bunch of fresh if you have it. The stems are also great for
flavour
- 1 Beef stock cube
- 1 tablespoon of
balsamic vinegar
- 500g of passata
- 1 tin of chopped
tomatoes (400g)
- lasagne pasta sheets
(About 12 sheets)
- salt and pepper
for seasoning
For the topping:
-
400g béchamel
sauce
- 125g grated
cheese
- 80g fresh
mozzarella cheese
- 1 tomato thinly
sliced
- A sprinkle of
oregano
Method:
-
In a slightly
oiled hot pan, cook the mince and drain if needed
- Add the lentils,
chopped garlic, onion, mushrooms, carrot, mushroom and celery, fry the
ingredients off for a couple of minutes or so
- Add the red wine
- Add the passata
and chopped tomatoes
- Sprinkle in the
herbs
- Add the balsamic
vinegar
- Allow to simmer
for a while, then add the spinach
- Let this simmer
for at least one hour. If it starts to reduce too much, then gradually add the
beef stock with some hot water.
- Season to taste
with salt and pepper
- Allow to cool
slightly
- Grab an oven
proof dish at least 2 inches deep
- Add a thin layer
of the mix into the dish and then top with a layer of lasagne sheets. Repeat
until the dish is almost full (2 – 3 layers). If you like, add a bit of cheese
in between the layers.
- On the top layer
of pasta sheets, pour the béchamel sauce over equally.
- Sprinkle the
grated cheese over evenly
- Space out the
tomatoes and fresh mozzarella, then sprinkle the oregano on top for decoration.
- Put in the oven
and cook for about 45 minutes on 170C. Stick a knife in the middle to make sure
the pasta sheets are soft.
- You may need to
put a tray underneath the oven proof dish to avoid a messy oven!