Lasagne Episode 5.6

On cold winter nights there's nothing quite like sitting down to a plate of piping hot lasagne. This is my "I'm brain dead" meal that is easy to put together, and I always have the ingredients on hand. This is also such an easy recipe to convert to gluten free - just a straight swap with the pasta and plain flour.

In this recipe I have used dried lasagne sheets. These are easily stored in the cupboard for use at any time, especially weeknights. When making lasagne on the weekends, I usually use home made pasta sheets. These add an extra 45 minutes to the process, but disappointingly my family often cant tell the difference!

The trick to a fabulous lasagne is the meat sauce. It needs to be rich, thick and delicious. My recipe includes chilli, garlic, mushrooms and spinach. Of course these are all optional, and can be added or left out depending on your families preferences.

To have the lasagne slice maintain its structure, and hold all the layers together when served on the plate requires a small amount of béchamel sauce in each layer. This was taught to me by my high school friend's mum. Mrs Gatto's lasagne was unbelievably good. We weren't allowed in the kitchen when she was making the meat sauce, however we were allowed to watch her putting it all together.

To watch my Youtube video showing all the tricks to making a wonderful lasagne, click here.

Recipe
Serves 4

1 tbl olive oil
1 brown onion, diced
1 clove garlic minced
1 chilli, finely sliced (optional)
500 g beef mince
250 g mushrooms finely sliced
400 g tin diced tomatoes
140 g tomato paste
1 cup red wine (optional)
2 bay leaves
1 tbl fresh herbs, finely chopped (eg thyme, basil, parsley)
Salt and pepper to taste
500 ml water
100 g spinach leaves (optional)
1 pkt of lasagne sheets

Béchamel sauce:
60 g butter
Salt and pepper to taste
60 g plain flour
600 ml milk
150 g tasty cheese grated

Preheat oven to 190°C.

Heat oil in a large frypan. Add onion, garlic and chilli and gently fry until onions start to soften. Add mince and stir constantly, breaking up lumps of meat, until the meat is well browned.
Add mushrooms, tomatoes, tomato paste, wine, bay leaves, herbs, salt and pepper and stir well. Add water, cover and bring to a gentle simmer for 20 minutes.
Remove bay leaves.

Béchamel sauce:
In a medium saucepan melt butter. Season with salt and pepper.
Add flour, continuing on gentle heat to mix, until the mixture forms a roux and comes away from the sides of the pot.
Slowly add the milk, mixing well between additions to remove any lumps.

Assemble lasagne:
Spoon some of the meat sauce into a rectangular baking dish. Spread to cover dish. This prevents the lasagne from sticking to the bottom.
Place one layer of pasta sheets, then spoon on 1/3 of the meat sauce. Add a layer of spinach leaves. Then spoon two tablespoons of the béchamel sauce across the dish (this helps hold the lasagne together). Repeat these layers until all the meat sauce has been used. The final layer consists of a layer of pasta, which is then covered with a layer of béchamel sauce. Generously cover with grated cheese.
Bake in the oven for 40 minutes.

Serve with crusty bread.

updated June 2023