Beef Lasagna

This was my first time making an easy beef lasagna and it turned out really good! It wasn't mushy and gluggy like the ones I watched on Youtube! It turned out crispy and not dry and that's what I wanted. I was afraid that I didn't put enough meat sauce between the layers of the sheets but it turned out just right. Maybe when I bake it the second time I will put more meat sauce just to make the lasagna look a bit fatter :P.








Beef Lasagna (by San Remo)

• 250g San Remo Large Instant Lasagna
• 2 tbsp of olive oil
• 1 onion finely chopped
• 1 carrot finely chopped (I omitted it, added mushrooms instead)
• 1 clove of garlic crushed
• 500g of minced beef
• 5 tbsp of tomato paste
• 2 x 400g canned tomatoes
• 2 cups chicken stock (I just used water)
• salt and pepper to taste
• pinch of nutmeg (I omitted it, added oregano or Italian herbs)
• 2 tbsp of butter
• 2 tbsp of flour
• 2 cups of milk
• 125g of mozzerella cheese (I put more cheese in it :P....)

Meat Sauce:
Heat oil in sauce pan. Add onion, carrot and garlic and cook until soft. Then add the beef mince and cook til browned. Stir in tomato paste, canned tomatoes and chicken stock. Season with salt and pepper and nutmeg. Cover and cook gently for 20 minutes.

Cheese Sauce:
Melt butter in separate saucepan, stir in flour and cook for 2 minutes over gentle heat. Remove from heat and stir in the milk. Return to heat, stir til thick and smooth. Season with salt and pepper and add the cheese stirring over low heat til cheese melts.

Assembly:
Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Pour half cup of meat sauce into lightly greased baking dish. Alternate layers of lasagna, meat and cheese sauces ending with cheese sauce layer (allow four layers).

So - meat sauce first, sheets, meat sauce, cheese, sheets, meat sauce, cheese, sheets.....and repeat ending with cheese sauce layer.

Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese, bake in oven for 35 minutes to 40 minutes or until cooked through. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving. Can serve with hot chips or salad on the side.

Hint: Make sure the lasagna sheets are completely covered with the meat sauce to retain high level of moisture.