By Marie Muccio
Lasagne would have to be one of the most universally cooked dishes in the world. Italian or not, everyone knows the time they had a really good lasagne. Growing up with an Italian family, this dish was always reserved for those special occasions like Easter, Christmas or a 21st. It is not something you can just throw together on a whim; it takes love and patience, especially if you’re making a traditional lasagne which can have layers of grilled eggplant and zucchini. They say good things take time and this is the case with lasagne.
Do not be put off, it is not a not a hard task and it definitely pays off in the end.
I am going to share a simple lasagne recipe which has a rich tomato and meat sauce, pretty much a bolognese. Depending on the region in Italy, some lasagnes will have a white béchamel sauce which is made with flour, butter, milk and cheese but I chose to keep it simple.
If you have never tried a homemade authentic lasagne before, and I don’t mean from a restaurant, I mean an actual home made lasagne, then you need to try this recipe.
There is something so comforting about a lasagne fresh out of the oven, so welcoming. A lasagne is always the main affair so all you need to accompany the dish is some crusty bread and a side salad to add some freshness to the richness of the lasagne.
You won’t regret making this but you will regret not trying it. So bookmark this page for a lazy Sunday or your next special occasion. Whether you are cooking for a crowd or a family dinner, this is sure to be a favourite.
Ingredients
- 1 onion diced
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 bay leaves fresh if possible
- 2 garlic cloves crushed
- 1 carrot peeled and diced
- 1 stick celery trimmed, halved lengthways and diced
- 400 grams pork mince
- 400 grams beef mince
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 cup red wine
- 2 400g tins of crushed tomatoes
- 700 grams passata
- 1 pinch sugar
- small bunch fresh basil, leaves picked 3/4 finely chopped and the rest save for garnish
- small bunch parsley stems removed and finely chopped
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp ground sage
- 1 pinch nutmeg
- 250g packet lasagna sheets or 350g if using fresh
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Method
TO MAKE THE SAUCE
- In a large heavy based pot on medium heat add 1 tbs olive oil and saute the onion until soft (around 6 minutes). Add the bay leaves, garlic, carrot and celery and continue to cook for a further 2 minutes.
- Turn up the heat to med-high. Add the mince, breaking up with the back of a wooden spoon and cook until browned all over.
- Add the tomato paste and red wine and cook until the wine starts to reduce.
- Add the crushed tomatoes, passata, sugar, basil, parsley, oregano sage and nutmeg and stir to combine. Fill one of the tomato cans with water and add that to the sauce. Bring to a rapid simmer and then reduce heat to low. Season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper and cook for 40 minutes.
TO ASSEMBLE THE LASAGNE
- Preheat oven to 180°C
- In a large rectangle baking dish, add a ladle full of the sauce to cover base, then cover with a layer of lasagna sheets. (Follow packet instructions as some need to be pre boiled.) The sheets can be cut to fit.
- Spread over 3 ladles of sauce ensuring the sheets are covered and scatter over half a cup of the cheese.
- Repeat the layers until you have used all the sheets and the dish is almost full.
- Top with more sauce and scatter over the rest of the mozzarella cheese.
- Bake for 25 minutes or until golden and bubbling.
- Serve with crusty bread and a garden salad.
