Lasagne
Solid, reliable and ridiculously tasty, this Lasagne recipe will be something you can pass down to your grandchildren.
Ingredients
Beef Mince Ragu
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 carrots
- 3 stalks celery
- 1 brown onion
- 2 teaspoon mixed herbs
- 240 g smoked streaky bacon approx. 14 rashers
- 500 g beef mince ground beef
- 250 ml red wine or 1 red wine stock pot
- 2 tablespoon tomato purée
- 400 g chopped tomatoes
- 400 g passata
- 350 ml beef stock
Bechamel
- 100 g salted butter
- 90 g plain flour
- 900 ml milk
Other Ingredients
- 200 g fresh lasagne sheets
- 100 g cheddar cheese grated
- 100 g mozzarella grated
- 75 g parmesan grated
Instructions
Lasagne Mince Ragu
- Add 2 carrots, 1 brown onion & 3 stalks celery to a blender and blitz until you have small pieces. Cook the vegetables in 2 tablespoon olive oil with 2 teaspoon mixed herbs until softened - 10 minutes
- Once vegetables have softened, add 500 g beef mince (seasoned with salt and pepper) with 240 g smoked streaky bacon (chopped) and cook until browned and cooked through - 10 minutes
- Pour in 250 ml red wine with 2 tablespoon tomato puréeand simmer until liquid has reduced slightly (alternatively stir through the red wine stock pot)
- Then add 400 g passata, 400 g chopped tomatoes and 350 ml beef stock
- Stir through and cook on low/medium heat for approx 90-120 minutes until flavour deepens, sauce thickens and consistency is ragu-like
- Note: the longer you cook the ragu, the better the flavour will be. I sometimes add a little extra water/stock or rinse out the tomato tins with water and cook the ragu for up to 2.5 hours. Game changer!
Béchamel (make this whilst ragu is cooking)
- Melt 100 g salted butter and stir through add 90 g plain flour - cook for 2 minutes to cook off the taste of flour
- Gradually add 900 ml milk in increments, whilst stirring/whisking continuously, until sauce thickens
Lasagne Assembly
- Mix together 100 g cheddar cheese and 100 g mozzarella so you have a mixed cheese blend
- Layer up lasagne in order: meat, drizzle béchamel, 200 g fresh lasagne sheets. And after the second meat layer, add half the cheese blend on top of the béchamel. Continue layers, until the top, where you add a thicker layer of béchamel on top of the last lasagne sheets before sprinkling the rest of the cheddar/mozzarella cheese blend on top and finished off with 75 g parmesan
- Bake in oven at 180C (fan) / 400F or Gas Mark 6 for 40 minutes - 20 minutes covered (with tinfoil or casserole lid), then 20 minutes uncovered
Notes
Lasagne Dish: 24cm x 24cm x 9cm/ 9.5" x 9.5" x 3.5"
If you’re cooking from cold i.e. you’re not cooking straight away and mince has been refrigerated etc. - bake for 1.5hrs total
Optional addition of mushrooms if desired - can be cooked at same stage as onion, celery and carrots.
Nutrition
Calories: 796kcalCarbohydrates: 42gProtein: 34gFat: 52gSaturated Fat: 24gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gMonounsaturated Fat: 19gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 152mgSodium: 896mgPotassium: 1092mgFiber: 3gSugar: 13gVitamin A: 3788IUVitamin C: 13mgCalcium: 469mgIron: 5mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!