This tasty beef lasagne recipe can be made entirely from scratch or by using a combination of ready-made and home made ingredients. For the best flavours and the healthiest option, we recommend all ingredients are freshly bought or made for the dish but if you are short on time, you can buy lasagne sauce, lasagne sheets and minced beef beforehand.
We produced our own mince by using a good quality joint of Rump Steak together with the Kenwood AT950A Food Mincer attachment on our Kenwood Chef.
Fresh lasagne sheets were made by mixing the ingredients in our Kenwood Multi-Pro Food Processor with the knife blade attachment and a traditional Pasta Maker machine to roll out the lasagne in preparation for our dish.
Our Bechamel Sauce was also made from scratch at home.
- Serves: 3-4
- Prep Time: 55 mins
- Cooking Time: 30 mins
- Ready In: 1 hour 25 mins
Ingredients
- 8 oz Minced Beef – shop bought or minced at home
- 2 oz Back Bacon – smoked or unsmoked – fat removed but keep the rind
- 2 tbsp Tomato Concentrate or 4fl oz Passata
- 1 Medium Onion – chopped
- 1 Large Carrot – diced
- Sprig of Fresh Chopped Rosemary or 1 tsp Dried Rosemary
- 2 oz White Mushrooms – sliced
- 1 dessert spoonful of Dark Muscavado Sugar
- 1/2 Pint Beef Stock
- 3/4 Pint Bechamel Sauce (see recipe)
- 1/2 lb Freshly Made Lasagne or pre bought sheets
- 2 oz Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese
- 1 oz Butter or substitute
- 1 tbsp Olive Oil
Method
- Pour 1 tbsp olive oil into a non-stick frying pan and heat until hot
- Add 8 oz minced beef and brown in the pan together with 2 oz bacon, discarding the fat but cooking the bacon rind with the meat
- Blend in your tomato concentrate or passatta and cook for 2 -3 minutes
- Remove the mixture from the pan and keep this in a warm dish whilst you cook the vegetables
- Add 1 tbsp olive oil to the pan then cook the onion & carrot until brown and softened
- Add your mushrooms and brown slightly
- Pour away any excess liquid then add your meat mixture to the vegetables and heat until the mixture begins to boil
- Add the sugar
- Gradually stir in the Beef Stock or Bouillon, trying to keep the temperature of the mixture constant whilst adding
- Simmer for approximately 40 minutes
- Whilst this is cooking, prepare your lasagne sheets if necessary and make your fresh Bechamel Sauce
- Pre-heat the oven
- Take your lasagne dish (approx 10″ x 7″ high sided ovenproof dish) and visually divide the ingredients into three. The lasagne is made up of layers of the meat mixture, the lasagne sheets and lastly the Bechamel sauce and then repeated to create multiple layers (amount will depend on the size and height of your dish).
- The top layer should be the Bechamel sauce
- Sprinkle the freshly grated parmesan cheese or other similar hard cheese
- Place in the pre-heated oven for approximately 30 minutes until the top is golden brown
- Serve with rocket or watercress and a little crusty bread, alternatively a green salad or jacket potatoes and fresh green beans
Recommended Equipment
For meat mixture
- Large frying pan-preferably non stick
- Large saucepan-for bechamel sauce
- Fine metal seive
- Wooden spoon
- Digital kitchen scales for measuring
- Measuring bowl
- Fine hand grater
- Flat bladed spatula
Hints & Tips
Lasagne is also spelt Lasagna, typically by North American English speakers. The word and the dish originated from Italy and describe the flat, wide pasta and the dish made from it. The word lasagne is the plural, meaning more than one piece of lasagna.
If using freshly minced beef there should be little water. Some shop bought mince will be more watery and need cooking until evaporated.
Bouillon is a clear tasty broth made by simmering beef, chicken or vegetables and ingredients as desired and is normally seasoned.
Stock is made by simmering bones and is not normally seasoned.
