Lasagne is the simplest spaghetti dish ever, made with gooey mozzarella, beef mince, crème fraîche sauce, and streaky bacon, is a hit with kids.
Ingredients for lasagne
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- 2 rashers of streaky bacon, smoked
- 1 onion, chopped finely
- 1 celery stick, cut finely
- 2 finely chopped garlic cloves and 1 medium carrot
- 500g minced beef
- 1 tablespoon tomato puree
- 400g cans of chopped tomatoes in twos
- 500g of fresh egg lasagna sheets, 1 tablespoon clear honey
- 400 ml of crème fraîche
- 125 gms of roughly torn ball mozzarella
- handful of torn basil leaves, 50g freshly grated parmesan, optional
Procedure:
Step 1
Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Use kitchen scissors to snip the bacon into small pieces, or use a sharp knife to chop it on a chopping board. Add the bacon to the pan and cook for just a few mins until starting to turn golden. Add the onion, celery and carrot, and cook over a medium heat for 5 mins, stirring occasionally, until softened.
STEP 2
Add the garlic and cook for 1 min, then tip in the mince and cook, stirring and breaking it up with a wooden spoon, for about 6 mins until browned all over.
STEP 3
The tomato purée should be well combined with the steak and veggies before being cooked for 1 minute. Add the tomato chunks. Each can should be half-filled with water to rinse out any remaining tomatoes before adding them to the pan. Season to taste, then include the honey. 20 minutes of simmering
step 4
Heat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas. . Pour a small amount of the ragu sauce onto the bottom of the roasting pan or casserole dish and spread it out evenly to form the base of the lasagne. Overlap 2 lasagne sheets on top of the sauce to fit, then repeat with extra sauce and a second layer of pasta. Repeat the process, adding two more layers of sauce and pasta before adding the final layer of pasta.
STEP 5
Combine the crème fraîche with 2 tbsp water in a bowl to form a smooth, pourable sauce. Add the mozzarella on top after pouring this over the pasta. After topping with Parmesan, bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until bubbling and brown. Basil can be added as a garnish if desired.
