Warning: This is not a recipe for someone that goes on a diet – it has pasta, cheese, meat and tons and tons of flavor.
This is an easy dish that can feed a very hungry family or can be prepared in advance and frozen without baking it. It only needs to be thawed before baking.
Enjoy it with a smile! 🙂
How to
- YIELD: 8-12 servings
Ingredients:
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 kg (2 lb) minced meat
- 90 g (3 oz) plain flour
- 300 ml (1/2 pint) beef stock
- 1 can chopped tomatoes
- 6-8 celery stalks, finely sliced
- 2 onions, chopped
- 2 large garlic cloves, crushed
- 4 tbsp tomato puree
- 1 tsp sugar
- 60 g (2 oz) butter
- 600 ml (1 pint) milk
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
- 125 g (4 oz) mature Cheddar cheese, grated
- 30 g (1 oz) Parmesan cheese, grated
- 175 g (6 oz) lasagna sheets
- salt and pepper
- around 8 sheets of lasagna (store-bought)
Directions:
Start with the meat sauce by heating the olive oil in a large saucepan. Add the minced meat and cook, stirring, until browned.
Add half of the flour (45 g / 1.5 oz), mix it with the meat and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add the stock, chopped tomatoes, celery, onions, garlic, tomato puree and sugar. Season with salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 1 hour.
While the meat sauce is cooking, melt the butter in a saucepan, add the remaining flour, mix it thoroughly and let it cook for 2 minutes. Add the milk, gradually, mixing continuously. Bring to a boil and let it simmer for 3-4 minutes. Stir in the mustard and the nutmeg and season with salt and pepper.
Preheat the oven to 190°C (374°F).
Once the meat sauce and the white sauce are ready, take a large ovenproof dish and lay 1/3 of the meat sauce evenly on the bottom. Follow by laying 1/3 of the white sauce, sprinkle on top 1/3 of both the cheeses. Lay lasagna sheets on top so it covers the entire surface. Repeat the layering: 1/3 meat sauce, 1/3 white sauce, 1/3 cheese, lasagna sheets, 1/3 meat sauce, 1/3 white sauce and the last 1/3 of the cheeses.
Bake the lasagna for 50-60 minutes. The pasta should be tender – if not, continue cooking for another 10 minutes.