Recipes
Meat and/or Vegetarian Lasagne
Classic Lasagne al Forno
Serves 4
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 large onion, peeled
- 1 large carrot, peeled
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled
- 2 pinches dried oregano
- 300g minced beef
- 1 tbsp tomato purée
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 bay leaf
- 30ml (2 tbsp) red wine
- 1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
- 50ml milk
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the Sauce
- 25g butter
- 25g flour
- 300ml milk
- Pinch of ground nutmeg
- 60g Cheddar cheese, grated
- 30g Parmesan cheese, grated
- 6 sheets of 'non-cook' lasagne sheets
Preparation
- Pre-heat the oven to 220C/ gas mark 7.
- Heat the olive oil in a hot pan. Grate the onion and carrot and crush the garlic before frying together. Season with the bay leaf, a pinch of oregano, Worcestershire sauce and a little salt and pepper. Allow the onion to soften before making a well in the centre of the pan. Place the mince in the middle of the pan and stir to break it up. Add the tomato puree and allow to cook out for 30 seconds. Continue until all the meat has browned nicely. Add the wine and cook off the alcohol before adding the tomatoes. Leave to simmer for a further 2-3 minutes. Finally add the milk, turn off the heat and set aside.
- To make the cheese sauce, first melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the flour and using a wooden spoon, stir to form a paste. Over a gentle heat add a third of the milk, whisking to prevent any lumps forming. Add the rest of the milk a third at a time, whisking as you go. Season with salt and pepper and a pinch of ground nutmeg. Allow the sauce to cook out for another minute before adding the Cheddar cheese. Stir and remove from the heat.
- Spoon half of the meat sauce into the bottom of the baking dish and place pasta sheets on top (break the sheets if necessary to avoid any overlapping). Next, pour in just under half of the cheese sauce, and spread evenly using a spatula before spooning the remaining meat on top. Add the final layer of pasta and use the spatula to pour over the remaining cheese sauce.
- Finish with the grated Parmesan and sprinkle with another pinch of oregano. Add a light seasoning of salt and pepper before cleaning the edges of the dish and placing in the oven to bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown.
Roasted Mediterranean Vegetarian Lasagne
Serves 6-8
Ingredients
- 2 small aubergines, cut into 2.5cm chunks
- 2 red onions, cut into wedges
- 2 red peppers, deseeded and cut into chunky strips
- 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 5 tbsp olive oil
- 450g courgettes, sliced
- 225g fresh lasagne sheets
- 50g vegetarian Parmesan, finely grated
- For the sauce
- 900ml semi-skimmed milk
- 60g sunflower margarine
- 70g plain flour
- 125g full-flavoured half-fat hard cheese, such as Cheddar, coarsely grated
Preparation
- Preheat the oven to 220°C/fan200°C/gas 7. Mix the aubergines, onions, peppers, garlic, 3 tablespoons of the oil, and a little seasoning in a bowl. Transfer to a large roasting tin and cook for 30 minutes, or until soft.
- Meanwhile, heat the rest of the oil in a large frying pan. Fry the courgettes over a high heat for 4 minutes, until browned. Tip onto a plate lined with kitchen paper and set aside.
- Remove the roasted veg from the oven. Stir in the courgettes. Lower the oven to 200°C/fan180°C/gas 6.
- Make the sauce. Bring the milk to the boil in a pan, then set aside. Melt the margarine in a pan, add the flour and cook for 1 minute. Remove from the heat. Gradually stir in the milk. Bring to the boil, stirring, then simmer gently for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Cook the lasagne according to the packet instructions, separating the sheets and draining on a clean tea towel.
- Add the cheese to the sauce and season. Spoon a thin layer over the base of a buttered 2.4-litre shallow ovenproof dish. Cover with 4 lasagne sheets, overlapping them slightly. Top with half the vegetables, then one-third of the remaining sauce and another 4 sheets of lasagne. Repeat once more. Spread over the remaining sauce and sprinkle with Parmesan. Bake for 40 minutes, until golden and bubbling. Serve with salad.