Beef Lasagna

Total Time: 3 hrs 30 mins Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 3 hrs

Ingredients

• Servings: 8
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 1 large onion, finely diced
• 2 slices bacon, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 600 g beef mince, leanest you can buy
• 1 (140 g) can tomato paste
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 1 (440 g) can chopped tomatoes, and their juice
• 2 cups beef broth
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 pinch mixed pumpkin spice or 1 pinch freshly ground nutmeg
• 50 g butter
• 50 g flour
• 600 ml milk
• 50 g shredded parmesan cheese
• salt and pepper
• 1 (250 g) packet instant lasagna sheets (12)
• 50 g shredded parmesan cheese

Recipe

• 1 meat sauce: heat the oil in a large fry pan over a medium heat.
• 2 add the onion and bacon and cook until the onion is golden and tender.
• 3 add the minced garlic and cook a couple of minutes more.
• 4 add the mince and cook, breaking up with a fork, until the meat has all changed colour.
• 5 now add the tomato paste and "cook it out" for another minute or two before adding the wine.
• 6 allow the wine to reduce a little, before adding the remaining sauce ingredients.
• 7 simmer until reduced and thickened and a deep rich red/ brown.
• 8 *you could call this"cooked" in 30 minutes, but i like to let it simmer about 2 hours, stirring regularly to make sure it's not catching.
• 9 add a little more broth or water if it looks like doing so.
• 10 cheese sauce:.
• 11 melt the butter, add the flour and stir well.
• 12 allow to cook gently for about 2 minutes, then add the milk all in one go, and whisk briskly until heated and thickened.
• 13 allow to cook a couple of minutes more on a simmer.
• 14 add the cheese and season to taste with salt and pepper.
• 15 assembly of the lasagna:.
• 16 spread a little of the beef sauce across the bottom of your pan.
• 17 cover with a layer of beef sauce and drizzle about half a cup of cheese sauce over this-no need to be too particular.
• 18 cover with a layer of lasagna sheets.
• 19 repeat the beef sauce and cheese sauce two more times, then a final layer of sheets.
• 20 spread the remaining cheese sauce (there should be about 1 cup) over the last layer of sheets, and sprinkle with the shredded parmesan cheese.
• 21 bake in a moderate oven for about 1 hour.
• 22 allow to stand about 15 minutes before cutting into squares to serve.