Ingredients
1 tbsp olive oil
1 brown onion
finely chopped
1 carrot
peeled, finely diced
1 celery
finely diced
2 cloves garlic
crushed
1 tsp dried oregano
or 1 tablespoon freshly chopped oregano
600g lean beef mince
2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes
2 tbsp tomato paste
250g grated mozzarella
or bocconcini, cut into little pieces
400g instant lasagne sheets
or 375g packet fresh lasagne sheets
50g unsalted butter
For bechamel sauce
⅓ cup cornflour
For bechamel sauce
750ml milk
For bechamel sauce
Salt and pepper
For bechamel sauce
1 cup grated parmesan
For bechamel sauce
Equipment
- 1 Large frying pan
- 1 Saucepan
- 1 Whisk
- 1 20cm x 30cm baking dish
- 1 Plastic wrap
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium heat, add onion, carrot and celery and cook until lightly browned.
- Add garlic and oregano and cook for 2 minutes.
- Add mince and cook over medium-high heat, stirring, until browned.
- Add the tomatoes and tomato paste and stir to combine. Bring to the boil, cover, reduce heat to low and simmer for 1 hour.
- To make the cheese sauce, place the butter in a saucepan and melt over a medium-low heat. Stir in the flour and cook for 2-3 minutes until the mixture begins to bubble.
- Slowly add the milk, a ladleful at a time, whisking until all the milk is added and the sauce is smooth.
- Remove from the heat, season well with salt and pepper and stir in half the parmesan until combined and smooth. Cover with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming.
- In a 20cm x 30cm baking dish, layer the bolognaise sauce, then the cheese sauce, mozzarella and lasagne.
- Repeat the layering twice more, finishing with a layer of lasagne, then cheese sauce and the remaining parmesan.
- Bake in the oven for 40 minutes until golden brown and bubbling.
- Rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
Tip
Like many baked dishes, lasagne is often better the next day when the flavours have developed. You can cook the meat sauce the day before, then assemble and bake the next day.
Tip
If your baking dish is slightly bigger than the one given in the recipe, you may need to do fewer layers to ensure you have enough cheese sauce and avoid a hard crust.
Variation
Use gluten-free lasagne sheets (such as San Remo or Orgran) to make this dish gluten-free.
