Just a one-pot dish with meat, an assortment of colourful veggies, heaps of spinach and layers of pasta topped with lots of cheese and homemade white sauce, could be the most satisfying meal at any time.
The warmth of this dish is quite appealing during the Autumn and Winter months when the atmosphere is cold, dark and damp. The delicious meaty flavour, laced with the sweetness of veggies and the creamy savoury taste of cheese and white sauce will wrap you like a warm blanket giving ample warmth and contentment.
Rather than making the pasta sauce from scratch, I opted for my favourite Loyds Grossman pasta sauce. Its unique flavours fulfil all the needs of a juicy sauce that satisfies everyone’s taste buds. Also, it is best if you could make the white sauce at home. I have given the simplest recipe which contributes a great deal to the creamy texture of the lasagne. Believe me. the shop-bought brands could never live up to the standards of the white sauce with a homemade touch!
So, precisely this is not the traditional way of making lasagne, but, it is rather a quick fix, but an insanely delicious one!
So, let’s start,
Gather all these necessary ingredients
Ingredients Amounts
- Lasagne sheets 1pkt
- Minced beef 500g
- Onions 1
- Garlic 4cloves
- Pasta sauce 1bottle
- Soy sauce 4tbsp
- Ketchup 2tbsp
- Mayo 2tbsp
- Salt&pepper
- Lots of Cheddar and Mozzarella cheese
Vegetables
Carrots, baby spinach, garlic, mushrooms, onion, and bell peppers in all colours
For the white sauce
Ingredients Amounts
- Butter 2tbsp
- Plain fl. 1cup
- Fresh milk 1cup
- Cheddar 2tbsp
- Mayo 1tbsp
- Salt and pepper powder
- Oregano(dried)
Boil and keep the Lasagne sheets ready
- Fill a tall, large pan with water and add 2 tbsp of oil
- Boil the water rapidly
- Arrange lasagna sheets upright around the pan as shown in the picture, and lower the flame to medium
- They will slide down slowly while boiling away
- Boil them for 5-8 mins, constantly stirring with tongs not letting the sheets stick to each other.
- Once all the sheets are tender, remove them gently
- Sprinkle some cold water on a tray and arrange lasagna sheets separately until needed
Let’s make the filling now
- Into a large wok, pour 2 tbsp of olive oil
- Fry the chopped onion and garlic
- Drop carrots cut into thin rounds. Stir fry until tender
- Drop halved button mushrooms
- Add three bell peppers cut into squares
- Stir fry until the veggies are soft
- Add salt and pepper powder to taste
- Push all the veggies into a side of the wok and add the minced meat. Brown the meat
- Stir fry under medium flame. Do not close the lid
- Now add the Loyd pasta sauce or any pasta sauce
- Add 2 tbsp of mayo, 3 tbsp of soy sauce and 2 tbsp of Ketchup
- Bring veggies and meet together and stir fry for a few more minutes
- Drop half a bag of spinach
- Stir fry until the sauce is properly cooked. Do not close the lid as it will ooze out water
- Increase the flame and let all the water evaporate. The meat and veggies must be juicy, not watery. Also, the veggies must have their natural colours intact
- Adjust taste at this point
- Keep aside
Home-made white sauce
- Heat 2 tbsp of butter in a pan
- Toss in 1 cup of plain flour and fry the flour for a little while
- Now add a cup of fresh milk and keep stirring
- Drop grated cheese
- Add salt, pepper powder and oregano
- Mix a little white until the sauce thickens
- Check the taste and take it out from the pan
- If the sauce is too thick add a little more milk and stir
- Finally, add 1tbsp of mayonnaise
- Keep aside until needed
- Always homemade white sauce tastes better than any shop-bought ones!
Now preheat the oven to 180 C
Let’s start the fun part of layering the lasagne sheets
- Get a wide Pyrex dish/oven-proof baking dish. The best choice is a typical lasagne dish
- Spread a layer of meat first
- Then lay lasagna sheets neatly on top to cover the meat. Do not overlap the sheets. Cover the whole surface without gaps
- Next, pour a layer of white sauce on top of the lasagna sheets
- Spread a handful of cheddar cheese on the top
- Another layer of meat goes next
- A layer of Lasagna sheets on top
- Again pour a layer of white sauce and top with cheese
- Keep repeating the same steps until the layers come to the brim of the dish.
- Now, toss a lot of cheese on top
- Cover the dish with a strong foil sheet
- Place the dish on the middle shelf of the oven
- Bake for 30mins
- Once baked, take the dish out of the oven and take the foil off. lightly cover with it and let the lasagna sit and cool off for 15mins before serving
- Cut into squares and dip a spatula to gently lift the pieces up onto plates
- Serve warm with garlic bread or on its own
- Delicious!
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