Sometimes you really just need the indulgent cheesy goodness of lasagne. But why go for a bland store-bought version when you can make your own? It’s worth it. The flavours in this amazing tray lasagne cannot be beaten.
Tray lasagne
Ingredients
Cheese sauce
- 50g butter
- 50g cake flour
- 1 litre milk
- 240g (2 cups) Cheddar, grated
- 80g (1 cup) Parmesan, finely grated
MINCE LAYERS
- 60ml (¼ cup) olive oil
- 1kg pork mince
- 1kg veal mince
- 2 brown onions, chopped
- 8 garlic cloves, crushed
- 8 rashers bacon, trimmed and chopped
- 6 sprigs oregano
- 250ml (1 cup) dry red wine
- 3 x 410g tins tomato purée
- 12 sheets fresh lasagne
Instructions
To make the cheese sauce, melt the butter in a medium saucepan over low heat. Add the flour and cook, stirring, for 1 − 2 minutes or until it comes away from the sides of the pan. Gradually add the milk and cook for 10 minutes, stirring until thick and smooth. Add the cheeses and stir until melted and smooth. Cover and set aside.
For the mince mixture, heat half of the oil in a large, heavy-based saucepan over high heat. Cook the mince in batches until browned, breaking up any lumps with a wooden spoon, about 8 − 10 minutes. Set aside.
Add the remaining oil to the pan with the onion, garlic, bacon and oregano and cook until the onion is soft, about 5 − 8 minutes. Return the mince to the pan, add the wine and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the purée, reduce the heat to low, cover and cook for 50 − 55 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the cover and cook until thickened, about a further 15 − 20 minutes. Set aside to cool slightly.
Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Arrange 3 sheets of pasta in the base of a 4-litre capacity baking dish and top with a quarter of the mince mixture. Repeat with the remaining pasta and mince. Top with the cheese sauce and bake until the top is golden, about 1 hour.
ALSO SEE: Mini lasagne ‘muffins’
