Recipe

Lasagne

Ingredients

Meat Sauce:

  • 2 tsp olive oil
  • 1 brown onion, halved, finely chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 750g beef mince
  • 2 x 400g cans Italian diced tomatoes
  • 1/2 cup dry red wine
  • 1/4 cup tomato paste
  • 4 fresh lasagne sheets
  • 1/2 cup coarsely grated mozzarella cheese
  • Salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • Extra Olive oil to grease

Cheese Sauce:

  • 4 cups milk
  • 1 brown onion, halved, coarsely chopped
  • 8 fresh parsley stalks
  • 8 whole black peppercorns
  • 4 whole cloves
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 60g butter
  • 1/3 cup plain flour
  • 1 cup finely grated parmesan
  • Pinch ground nutmeg
  • Salt & white pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until onion softens. Add the mince and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon to break up any lumps, for 5 minutes or until mince changes colour.
  2. Add wine, tomato and tomato paste. Bring to the boil then reduce heat to low. Simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes or until sauce thickens slightly. Remove from heat. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
  3. In a separate saucepan, combine milk, onion, parsley stalks, peppercorns, cloves and bay leaves. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Remove from heat and let stand for 15 minutes.
  4. Strain the milk mixture through a fine sieve into a large jug. Discard solids.
  5. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add flour stirring, until mixture bubbles and begins to come away from the side of the pan. Remove from heat.
  6. Pour in half the milk slowly, whisking constantly, until mixture is smooth. Gradually add the remaining milk, whisking until smooth and combined.
  7. Once combined bring to the boil, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until sauce thickens. Remove from heat. Add the parmesan and stir until cheese melts. Taste and season with nutmeg, salt and white pepper.
  8. Preheat oven to 180°C. Spread one-quarter of the cheese sauce into the base of the cubes. Arrange 1 lasagne sheet over the sauce. Top with one-third of the mince mixture and one-third of the remaining cheese sauce. Continue layering to the 2-cup line, with the remaining lasagne sheets, mince mixture and cheese sauce, finishing with a layer of cheese sauce. Sprinkle with mozzarella. Bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes or until cheese melts, is golden brown, and the edges are bubbling. Remove from oven and let cool.
  9. Once cool you can pop on the lid and freeze.