Lasagne

Ingredients

Meat sauce

• Beef mince: 250g

• Pork mince: 250g

• Brown mushrooms: 200g, thinly sliced (consider baking first to reduce moisture content)

• Brown onion: 1, finely diced

• Plain flour: 2 tablespoons

• Balsamic vinegar: 2 tablespoons

• Sugar, caster: 1 pinch

• Diced tomatoes, canned: 400 g (1 can)

• Tomato passata: 750ml

• Basil, fresh: Good handful

• Olive oil

Bechamel sauce

• Butter, unsalted: 50g

• Plain flour: 2 tablespoons

• Milk: 600ml

• Nutmeg: 1 pinch

Lasagne assembly

• Lasagne sheets: 2 packets (you may only use 1.5 packets)

• Mozzarella, fresh: 400g, torn

• Cheese: 1 cup, grated (could use parmesan, mixture of cheese suitable to be melted)

• Salt and pepper to taste

Method

Meat sauce

1. Cook the onion on medium-low heat until translucent. Add the meat and cook on high heat. Add flour and continue cooking for two minutes. Add the balsamic vinegar and stir through.

2. Add the sugar, mushroom, tomatoes and passata. Cook for 30 minutes or until sauce has reduced slightly. Add in basil and season with salt and pepper.

Bechamel sauce

3.  Melt butter in a heavy-based saucepan. Add the flour and cook through, stirring constantly. Use a wooden spoon to ensure that you are getting into the very edges of the saucepan. 

4. Gradually add the milk whilst stirring constantly. Add the nutmeg and continue to stir until it has thickened - but still a little light as it will continue to thicken once removed from the heat. Season with salt and pepper. Remove the pot from the stove.

Lasagne assembly

5. Pre-heat oven to 190C fan forced.

6. Prepare a tray of boiling salted water to soften the ready made lasagne sheets as you work. This will take the raw edge off the lasagne ensuring it is soft whilst eating and also makes it easier to snap pieces off to fit into the lasagne dish.

7. To assemble the lasagne:

   1. Spread 1/4 of the meat sauce on the base of the lasagne dish

   2. Place layer 1 of 3 of the lasagne sheets on top. You may need to snap some sheets to ensure an even layer. Soak more of the dried sheets in the salted water tray to soften ahead of assembling the next layer

   3. Place another quarter of the meat sauce on top of the lasagne sheet layer.

   4. Place layer 1 of 3 of the torn mozzarella on top. If you have any left over basil leaves, you can also add a few if you desire.

   5. Repeat the lasagne sheet, meat sauce and mozzarella layers two more times.

   6. Finally pour the bechamel sauce on top of the final mozzarella layer. Finish by sprinkling 1 cup of cheese on top.

8. Bake for 30 mins or until the lasagne is bubbling and golden.