Lasagne

Dinner, dinner, dinner.............tonight's dinner.

What do you want for dinner???

The quickest response for that question would always come from Tristan, hands down...

Mum, I want Lasagne!!!!

I don't think he would be able to to survive without a serving of lasagne at least 3 times a month. He simply loves it! And it's not that often where he'll gobble up every morsel of food on his plate, esp. when there are vegetables involved.

So here's my lasagne recipe, quick and easy to put together. I'd often add vegetables to this lasagne without the kids knowing, simply by chopping it up finely or just letting it cook through with the sauce.

Lasagne

5oo g mince meat (chicken or beef)

4oo g tin of tomato puree + 1 tin of water

1 medium onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

400 g tin of whole tomatoes

OR 4 tomatoes, chopped roughly

2/3 cup of mushrooms/carrots, chopped finely

1/2 tsp thyme

1/2 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp sweet basil

cracked black pepper

sea salt to taste

2 tbsp oil

lasagne instant sheets

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Saute the onions and garlic until soft. Add the mince meat and cook until browned. Sprinkle in the herbs. Add the tomato puree plus 1 tin of water. Add tin of whole tomatoes or chopped fresh tomatoes and other vegetables (carrot/mushroom) I'd often disguise vegetables into the lasagne as it's so easy to blend them in without the kids knowing. Stir and bring to the boil, simmer with lid on for 15 mins. The meat sauce should have plenty of sauce and the vegetable soft. Remove from heat.

Cheese Sauce

2 tbsp Parmesan cheese, grated

3o g butter

2 tbsp plain flour

2 cups of milk

salt and pepper to taste

1. Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat. Add the flour and stir. Pour in the milk. Add the parmesan cheese and stir constantly to remove any lumps. Increase the heat to medium and cook until sauce creamy and thick. Remove from heat.

Lasagne

Preheat the oven to 180C.

1. Layer the meat in a rectangular baking dish first and then follow with the instant lasagne sheets. Repeat the meat layer and another lasagne sheet layer. Cover the last layer with the meat sauce mixture making sure that all the lasagne sheets are fully covered in the sauce.

2. Pour the cheese sauce over the last meat sauce layer, covering all the top. Sprinkle the cheese sauce with grated parmesan cheese. Bake for 30 mins or until the cheese sauce is golden brown.

You can either prepare this dish in a large rectangle ovenproof dish or 2 smaller ones.

Lasagne can be tricky to make but once you get the hang of getting the right amount of liquid in the sauce to cover the layers it's easy.