The family got together and cleaned the house yesterday. By house I mean mostly the kitchen - the oven, the rangehood, the flue, the floor ....oh, it was hard work scrubbing and washing. Lucky I didn't have to cook as we had plenty of left over pasta from the previous day. While we were cleaning the kids said, amma, we haven't made Lasagna in ages. So today, in the clean kitchen that was my first dish.
When the kids were little, Lasagna was a staple dish as it was easy to cook, easy to store in the fridge and easy to re-heat if needed. The kids are all grown up now and I realised I hadn't made this in a few years - so here is a nice recipe for a weekly staple for time pressed mothers!
Recipe adapted from Mama's Best Lasagna. Thank you for a great recipe!
Ingredients:
Step 1 - For the Bolognese Sauce:
1 large onion, chopped
7-8 cloves of garlic, chopped ( you can reduce if you want, I like garlic so I always use a lot!)
1 carrot, chopped
1 zucchini, chopped
1 big handful of mushrooms, chopped
3 tablespoons tomato paste
2 400 gm tins of peeled Italian tomatoes
1 cup red wine
1 cup beef stock (or stock cube and water)
1 cup water
700 grams lean beef mince plus 300 grams pork mince
OR - 1 kg beef mince and 3-4 rashers of bacon, finely chopped.
(The pork mince / bacon is optional - I use it just for enhancing the flavours)
1 tablespoon chilli flakes (reduce if you think it will be too hot)
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
2 tablespoons parsley, chopped and a few leaves for garnish.
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon olive oil
Method:
In a saucepan, heat oil. Add the onions. When they become soft add carrots. Saute for a few minutes. Then add all other chopped vegetables including garlic. Saute for a few minutes till you can smell the garlic.
Add the bacon if using and sauté it with the vegetables. Nest add the mince and break it up and brown.
Add the tomato paste, tinned tomatoes, red wine, stock, water and mix well. When it starts to boil, add the herbs, chilli flakes, and mix well.
Keep mixing once every few minutes and let the sauce cook for about 20 minutes.
The sauce should not be too runny. Check for salt and herbs and adjust as necessary. Turn off the stove.
Step 2 - For the Béchamel Sauce:
Ingredients:
3 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup plain flour
3 1/2 cups of milk
1 cup shredded parmesan cheese (DO NOT use Kraft powdered parmesan)
salt and pepper to taste
Method:
Heat a saucepan and melt butter. Whisk the flour in with the butter on low flame till the flour is completely mixed with no lumps.
Now add milk, one cup at a time, whisking constantly till it is mixed with the butter/flour mixture.
Keep stirring for about 10 to 15 minutes till the mixture thickens and coats the back of your wooden spoon.
Turn off the flame and add the parmesan cheese, mixing constantly till it dissolves.
Season with salt and pepper.
Step 3: Assembly
Ingredients:
2 packets Vetta Smart oven ready Lasagna sheets
About 300 grams mozzarella cheese or 3 cheese mix
( I used the 3 cheese mix)
Method:
Preheat oven to 180 deg C. Lightly grease a 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Lay one layer of Lasagna sheets, 2 cups of Bolognese sauce and 1 cup Béchamel sauce. Spread a layer of cheese.
Repeat till you come to the top and complete the top layer with a little extra cheese.
We had some sauce and pasta sheet left over so we were able to make an additional lot in a smaller container (8 x 5 inch )
Bake for 25 - 35 minutes till the cheese melts and the top layer is golden brown. Decorate with reserved parsley leaves. Let it rest for 10 - 15 minutes before slicing to serve. Dig in!
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