Lasagne

This is a family classic, with a rich tomatoey sauce is just delicious.  It’s great with a green salad and a few slices of garlic bread to mop up any left over sauce.

Ingredients:

  • Dried pasta sheets
  • Grated parmesan cheese to sprinkle on the top

For the mince:

  • 1 tbsp. vegetable oil
  • ¼ tsp onion granules
  • 1 fat garlic clove, crushed
  • 500g mince beef
  • 1 tbsp. plain flour
  • 1 Beef stock cube, dissolved in 200ml boiling water
  • 400g passatta
  • 1 tsp worcester sauce
  • ½ tbsp. oregano
  • ½ tbsp. mixed herbs  
  • 1 tbsp. tomato puree
  • Salt and pepper

For the sauce:

  • 50g (2oz) lightly salted butter
  • 50g (2oz) plain flour
  • 600ml (1pint) milk
  • 50g (2oz) parmesan cheese
  • Ground pepper

Method:

  1. Preheat the oven to 180ºc/Gas 4.
  2. Heat the oil over a medium heat and add the crushed garlic and onion granules for 30 seconds.  Then add the mince and fry until all the pink meat has gone.  Drain any fat away.
  3. Add the flour and mix well.  Add the passatta, stock, worcester sauce, oregano, mixed herbs and tomato puree and mix well.  Season to taste.  Turn the heat down to low and simmer for around 10mins.
  4. Meanwhile make the white sauce.  Melt the butter in a saucepan, once melted over a low heat add the flour.  Once combined, with a large handheld whisk, gradually stir in the milk, whisking until you have a thickened, smooth sauce.  Add the cheese and season to taste with salt and pepper.
  5. Time to assemble the lasagne.  Pour half the mince mixture into a square ovenproof dish, then add half the white sauce on top.  Layer with dried lasagne sheets, then add the remaining mince on top, layer with lasagne sheets and then top with the remaining white sauce and then top with the parmesan cheese.
  6. Place in the oven and cook for 35-40mins.  Serve immediately with garlic bread and green salad.