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Hearty cheat's lasagna

<p>It’s quick and easy to make and it’s packed with flavour. Try it out for yourself! You won’t regret it.</p> <p><strong>Serves:</strong> 6</p> <p><strong>Prep:</strong> 20 mins</p> <p><strong>Cooking time:</strong> 50 mins</p> <p><strong>Ingredients</strong></p> <ul> <li>1 tbs olive oil</li> <li>2 red onions, peeled, finely chopped</li> <li>2 garlic cloves, crushed</li> <li>500g beef mince</li> <li>3 x 400g cans diced tomatoes</li> <li>1 tsp white sugar</li> <li>1⁄2 cup fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped</li> <li>625g packet fresh ricotta and spinach tortellini</li> <li>250g piece mozzarella, thickly sliced</li> <li>fresh basil leaves, to serve Béchamel sauce</li> <li>40g butter, chopped</li> <li>1⁄4 cup plain flour</li> <li>3 cups full cream milk</li> <li>Pinch ground nutmeg</li> </ul> <p><strong>Method</strong></p> <ol> <li>Preheat oven 220°C fan forced. Lightly grease a large, deep ovenproof dish.</li> <li>Heat oil in a medium, deep frying pan over medium heat. Add onions and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally for 6 minutes, or until onion is soft. Increase heat to high, add mince. Cook, stirring to break up mince, for 4 minutes, or until browned.</li> <li>Add tomatoes and sugar. Bring to boil. Gently boil, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes, or until sauce thickens slightly. Stir in basil. Season.</li> <li>Meanwhile, cook pasta in a large saucepan of boiling, salted water for 3 minutes. Drain.</li> <li>For béchamel sauce, melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat until foaming. Add flour. Cook, stirring for 2 minutes, or until bubbling. Remove from heat. Slowly add milk, whisking constantly, until smooth. Return to the heat. Cook, whisking until sauce comes to the boil. Remove from heat. Stir in nutmeg, season.</li> <li>To assemble, spoon half the pasta into the prepared dish. Spoon over half the beef mixture. Spoon over half the béchamel sauce. Repeat with remaining pasta, beef mixture and béchamel sauce. Top with mozzarella.</li> <li>Place onto a tray and bake for 25 minutes, or until cheese is golden. Sprinkle with extra basil leaves and pepper. Serve.</li> </ol> <p><strong>Serving suggestion:</strong> Delicious served with rocket and baby spinach tossed with balsamic dressing.</p> <p><strong>Tip:</strong> Tortellini can be replaced with other types of filled pasta i.e. agnolotti or ravioli.</p> <p><strong>Tip:</strong> Try adding 2 teaspoons dried chilli flakes with onion and garlic for a spicy kick.</p> <p><strong>Make ahead tip:</strong> You can make the lasagna to the end step 5 the night before. Cover and place in the fridge. It will take about 40 minutes to cook from fridge temperature.</p> <p><em>Photo and recipe courtesy of </em><a href="https://www.australianonions.com.au/#Weo4XWk0tYlugxcw.97"><em>Australian Onions</em></a><em>.</em></p>

Food & Wine

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Cheesy tomato and ricotta lasagne

<p>Store-bought lasagne might be quicker and easier to prepare, but there’s nothing better than the taste of homemade. Trust us – this recipe for cheesy tomato and ricotta lasagne is worth the extra effort.</p> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Serves:</span> </strong>4 to 5 people</p> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Ingredients:</span></strong></p> <ul> <li>1 brown onion, finely diced</li> <li>2 tablespoons lasagne herbs (see recipe below)</li> <li>70g tomato paste</li> <li>½ teaspoon salt</li> <li>½ cup red wine or vegetable stock</li> <li>1 x 680ml jar tomato passata</li> <li>1 carrot, grated</li> <li>3-4 x 100g sheets fresh lasagne pasta (or sheets about same size as your baking dish)</li> <li>120g baby spinach leaves, roughly chopped</li> </ul> <p> </p> <p><em>Lasagne herbs</em></p> <ul> <li>2 teaspoons garlic powder</li> <li>2 teaspoons dried basil</li> <li>2 teaspoons dried chives</li> <li>2 teaspoons paprika</li> <li>Pinch of dried rosemary</li> </ul> <p> </p> <p><em>For the béchamel sauce</em></p> <ul> <li>2 tablespoons butter</li> <li>2 tablespoons flour</li> <li>1½ cups milk</li> <li>½ cup finely grated parmesan cheese</li> <li>200g ricotta cheese</li> </ul> <p> </p> <p><em>For the salad</em></p> <ul> <li>1 shallot, finely diced</li> <li>2 tablespoons red wine vinegar</li> <li>1 tablespoon olive oil</li> <li>½ cup finely grated parmesan cheese</li> <li>1 apple</li> <li>1 baby cos lettuce</li> <li>½ telegraph cucumber</li> <li>1 zucchini</li> </ul> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Method:</span></strong></p> <p>1. Preheat oven to 210C. Lightly grease a large baking dish (measuring about 35 x 25cm).</p> <p>2. Heat a drizzle of oil in a large, deep fry-pan on medium-high heat. Cook onion for about 2 minutes, until tender.</p> <p>3. Add lasagne herbs, tomato paste and salt and cook for a further 2-3 minutes, until fragrant.</p> <p>4. Add wine/stock and simmer for 1 minute, until almost evaporated. Add passata and carrot, bring to a gentle simmer and cook for about 2 minutes, until thickened. Remove from heat and season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.</p> <p>5. While sauce is simmering, melt butter in a small pot and whisk in flour. Add milk, a little at a time, whisking constantly for about 3 minutes, until sauce is thick and creamy. Whisk in first measure of parmesan and ricotta then remove from heat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.</p> <p>6. Lay 1 sheet of pasta in the bottom of the prepared dish (cut to fit and cover base) and top with ⅓ of each of the cooked tomato sauce, spinach and béchamel sauce. Repeat with remaining ingredients, finishing with béchamel.</p> <p>7. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until cooked through and golden.</p> <p>8. While lasagne cooks, combine shallot, vinegar, oil and parmesan in a large bowl. Quarter apple and thinly slice; roughly chop lettuce; thinly slice cucumber; peel zucchini into long, thin ribbons. Toss veggies with shallot dressing just before serving and season to taste with salt and pepper.</p> <p>9. To serve, divide cheesy tomato and ricotta lasagne between plates and serve with a handful of salad.</p> <p><em>Written by Nadia Lim. Republished with permission of <a href="http://www.stuff.co.nz/" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Stuff.co.nz</span></strong></a>. Image credit: My Food Bag.</em></p>

Food & Wine