.
Makes
8
Portions.Suitable for freezing
. Preparation
25
minutes.
45
minutes cooking time.200 C°, 400 F°, Gas Mark 6
Ingredients
- 12 fresh lasagne sheets (each approx 10x15cm)
- 500g minced beef
- 3 Tbsps of olive oil
- 1 large carrot (peeled and grated)
- 1 onion (peeled and finely chopped)
- 1 celery stick (finely chopped)
- 1 x 700ml bottle of passata (sieved tomatoes)
- 1 Tbsp of tomato puree
- 1 glass of Italian dry red wine
- 100g freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 50g salted butter (cold and cut into 1cm cubes)
- Salt and pepper to taste
For the Bechamel sauce
- 100g salted butter
- 100g plain flour
- 1lt full fat milk (cold)
- a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
For the pesto sauce
- 40g of basil leaves
- 1 clove garlic (peeled)
- 30g pine nuts
- 120ml of extra virgin olive oil
- 20g freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- Pinch of salt to taste
Method
- To prepare the pesto, place the basil, garlic and pine nuts in a food processor.
- Pour in the oil and blitz for about 10 seconds until smooth.
- Transfer the mixture into a bowl and fold in the cheese.
- Season with salt and set aside.
- For the meat sauce, heat the olive oil in a large saucepan and cook the onions, carrot and celery for 5 minutes on a medium heat.
- Add in the minced beef and continue to cook for a further 5 minutes stirring continuously until coloured all over.
- Season with salt and pepper and cook for a further 5 minutes stirring occasionally.
- Pour in the wine, stir well and continue to cook until the wine has evaporated. (approx 3 minutes).
- Add in the sieved tomatoes with the tomato puree, lower the heat and continue to cook for 1 hour, lid off, until you get a beautiful rich sauce. Stir occasionally, (after about 30 minutes, taste for seasoning).
- In the meantime, to make the Bechamel sauce, melt the butter in a large saucepan on a medium heat.
- Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute until it becomes a light brown colour.
- Gradually whisk in the cold milk, reduce the heat and cook for 10 minutes whisking constantly.
- Once thickened, stir in half of the Parmesan cheese with the nutmeg and the pesto that you previously prepared.
- Season with salt and pepper and set aside to slightly cool.
- Spread a quarter of the Bechamel sauce on the bottom of a deep ovenproof dish measuring approx 30x25cm.
- Lay 4 lasagne sheets on top and if necessary cut them to fit the dish. Spread over half of the meat sauce then top with a third of the remaining Bechamel sauce.
- Lay 4 more sheets of lasagne on top and cover with the remaining meat sauce.
- Spread over half of the remaining Bechamel sauce.
- Add a final layer of lasagne sheets and gently spread the rest of the Bechamel on top making sure that you completely cover the lasagne sheets.
- Sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan and scatter over the cubed butter.
- Grind some black pepper over the whole lasagna.
- Cook on the bottom of a pre-heated oven at 180º for 30 minutes then place the dish in the middle of the oven, increase the temperature to 200º and continue to cook for a further 15 minutes until golden and crispy all over.
