A home made Beef Lasagne is a real classic and easy to do. A bolognaisewith a simple home made white lasagne sauce between lasagne sheets topped with melted cheese and baked in the oven.
Pre-heat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas mark 6. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Fry the onion and carrot for around 5 minutes, until they start to soften. Add the garlic and fry for 2 more minutes. Remove from the pan and put to one side.
Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in the pan and add the mince. Cook for 3-4 minutes until browned. Break it down with a wooden spoon and keep stirring so there are no lumps. If you are cooking a lot of mince, you may need to do this in batches, otherwise you are stewing it not frying it.
Add the tinned tomatoes, passata, herbs, worcestershire sauce and red wine if using and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Reduce the heat and simmer for a minimum of 20 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent it sticking. Put a lid on the pan if you are leaving it to simmer for longer.
To make the cheese sauce
Put the butter, flour, milk, stock and mustard in a pan over a medium heat and keep stirring until the sauce starts to come to the boil and thicken. Flaten out any lumps against the side of the pan with the back of the spoon. Remove from the heat, add 85g of cheese, season with pepper and stir until the cheese has melted.
To assemble the lasagne
Spoon around ⅓ of the meat sauce into the bottom of the dish, place a single layer of lasagne sheets on top, not overlapping. Cover with some of the cheese sauce and repeat until all the meat sauce is used up. Finish off with a layer of lasagne sheets, the cheese sauce and sprinkle the remainder of the cheese over the top. Bake in the oven for 35 minutes.. If you have a large dish, you may need some more grated cheese for the top.
Serve the lasagne with a green salad
Notes
Tips
The sauce freezes well and is ideal for making a batch which will save time and energy costs. When making a batch, you may not need to double or triple the liquid content. Add just enough so the meat and vegetables are covered but not swimming in liquid.
Storing
Store in the fridge for 3-4 days. You can freeze lasagne for 3-4 months. Remember, the meat sauce should only be re-heated once, so if you made the sauce in advance and then cooked the lasagna, you shouldn't re-heat it.
Reheating
Ideally, defrost your lasagne before reheating. Single portions can easily be defrosted in the microwave. To reheat a large lasagne, cover with foil to stop the top from burning or browning further. Place it on an ovenproof dish and reheat in the oven at 190°C / 375°F/ gas mark 5 for 20 - 30 minutes or longer if it is frozen. The lasagne should be piping hot before serving. To check this, place a fork in the middle of the lasagne for a few seconds. If the fork is hot, the lasagne is also hot in the middle. The middle will be the last bit to reheat.