Beef lasagne recipe

Posted by Daniela Bonora on 30 September 2010

This lasagne consists of layers of rich home-made bolognaise sauce, creamy béchamel sauce and tender pasta. Lasagne is always best made with fresh sheets of pasta, but if you’re using dried lasagne, you should soften the sheets by leaving them in hot water for a minute or two before using.

Serves 4.

Ingredients:

1 onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
1 stick celery, finely chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
350 g mince
2 tins chopped tomatoes
1 small tin tomato paste
1 cup beef stock
200 ml red wine
1 handful fresh basil, roughly chopped
1 handful fresh parsley, finely chopped
1 bay leaf
1-2 teaspoons dried, mixed Italian herbs
Salt and pepper
Lasagna sheets
Mozzarella cheese

Bolognaise sauce:

Heat a good glug of olive oil in a pan over a medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, celery and garlic and fry until softened. Add about half the red win and cook until most of the moisture has evaporated. Add the mince, and cook until browned. Then add the 2 tins of chopped tomatoes, the tomato paste, stock, remaining red wine and all the herbs. Simmer, uncovered, over a low heat for an hour to an hour and a half, remembering to stir every now and then, to avoiding the sauce burning. Add more seasoning or wine as you see fit. The sauce should be moist but not watery.

Béchamel sauce:

80 g butter
50 g flour
625 ml (2 ½ cups) milk
44 g parmesan cheese, grated
½ teaspoon nutmeg
Salt and pepper

Melt the butter in a saucepan over a low heat. Stir in the flour and cook until a paste is formed. Gradually add the milk, stirring constantly, until the sauce is smooth. Continue cooking until the sauce bubbles and thickens. Remove from the heat and stir in the cheese. Season with nutmeg, salt and pepper.

To assemble:

Preheat the oven to 200°C. Spread a layer of the bolognaise sauce on the bottom of an earthenware lasagna dish. Top with lasagna sheets. Add another layer of bolognese, then a little béchamel sauce. Repeat the layers, finishing with a layer of pasta, covered in béchamel sauce and topped with a sprinkling of parmesan cheese and some mozzarella cheese. Bake for 30 – 35 minutes, until golden brown.

Serve with a crunchy green salad and some ciabatta bread, washed down with a glass of red wine.

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