Directions
- 1Finely dice the carrots.
- 2Finely dice the celery.
- 3Mince the garlic.
- 4Add extra virgin olive oil to a stockpot.
- 5Add the beef or lamb mince to the stockpot and let it sear off on a high heat for 5 minutes until it develops a beautiful crust.
- 6Break up the mince and continue to sear it with the lid off until the moisture has evaporated.
- 7Add the tomato paste, salt, and bay leaf to the mince.
- 8Add the garlic to the mince and stir well.
- 9Sear the mixture off to cook out the tomato paste and allow the aroma from the garlic to infuse into the meat.
- 10Add the diced celery, onions, and carrots to the stockpot.
- 11Add dried Italian herbs and chilli flakes to the mixture and stir well.
- 12Close the lid and let the veggies sweat down for about 15-20 minutes until they're soft and translucent.
- 13Add cumin, coriander, and chilli powder to the mixture and cook these spices out for about 5 minutes, sautéing on a medium heat.
- 14Add the tinned plum tomatoes and passata to the stockpot.
- 15Add one can's worth of water.
- 16Close the lid and let the sauce simmer on a low heat for 1-2 hours, stirring every 20 minutes.
- 17Melt the butter in a pan.
- 18Add the plain flour to the melted butter and cook this out for 3-4 minutes, constantly stirring to prevent burning.
- 19Turn the heat down, add 1 cup of milk and whisk to break up any lumps.
- 20Add another cup of milk and whisk until lump-free.
- 21Add the remaining milk and whisk well.
- 22Turn the heat up to medium, constantly whisking, and cook until thick, similar to hot custard.
- 23Season the bechamel sauce with salt, pepper, and a tiny pinch of nutmeg.
- 24Add a little bit of meat sauce to the bottom of the baking dish to prevent pasta sheets from sticking.
- 25Lay fresh pasta sheets over the sauce.
- 26Spread a layer of meat sauce over the pasta sheets.
- 27Drizzle bechamel sauce over the meat layer.
- 28Add another layer of fresh pasta sheets.
- 29Add another layer of meat sauce.
- 30Add a generous amount of bechamel sauce on top.
- 31Top with freshly shredded cheese.
- 32Prepare garlic butter by adding minced garlic to butter.
- 33Add parmesan cheese and fresh parsley to the butter and garlic, and mix well.
- 34Slice a baguette diagonally and spread the garlic butter mixture into the cuts.
- 35Bake the lasagna in a preheated oven at 180°C for 20-25 minutes uncovered (if using fresh lasagna sheets).
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil
- 1 kg beef or lamb mince
- 2 large onions
- 2 medium sized carrots
- 2 celery sticks
- 15 garlic cloves
- 1 tbsp tomato purée
- 2 tins plum tomatoes
- 500 g passata
- 1 large bay leaves
- 1 tbsp dried Italian herbs
- 1.5 tsp sea salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- 1.5 tsp chilli flakes
- 2 tsp coriander powder
- 1.5 tsp cumin powder
- 0.5 tsp chilli powder
- 200 g freshly shredded cheese
- 1 ball fresh mozzarella
- 1 large handful Fresh parsley and coriander
- 100 g butter
- 4 tbsp plain flour
- 4 cups whole milk
- 1 tiny pinch nutmeg
Equipment
knifecutting boardstockpotwooden spoonlidpanwhiskbaking dishfoil
Tips
- For the meat, chuck in the mince and leave it alone to sear off on a high heat until it develops a beautiful crust, then you can start breaking it up. This will add an extra depth of flavor as well as getting rid of that gamey smell that minced meat can sometimes have.
- There is no need to remove the meat first and sauté the veggies separately, close the lid and let those veggies sweat down until they're soft and translucent.
- It’s really crucial to let the sauce come together for at least an hour, two if you really want to earn my respect. Just close the lid and go about your day. Start a fight with your husband, do the dishes. I don’t really care as long as you’re making sure to stir every 20 minutes.
- Fresh herbs make everything better so don't skimp out on this.
- If you are using dry pasta sheets and you're not pre-boiling, then make sure to foil the lasagna before popping it into the oven to ensure they cook nicely, because there is nothing worse than a crunchy or al dente pasta sheet.
- The key to an ooey gooey cheesy top is to leave a large amount of bechamel for the end and top with freshly shredded cheese. None of that pre-shredded stuff that's packed with anti-caking agents and never actually melts properly.
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