Homemade Beef Lasagne

I find that it is always better to make the lasagne the day before and heat throughly the next day as this allows the sauce to soak into the lasagne sheets.

Bolognese sauce

Ingredients:

500g mince beef

1 onion, chopped

250g mushrooms, sliced

Clove of garlic, crushed

1 tbsp basil (or mixed herbs)

1 tin of chopped tomatoes

300ml beef stock (1 beef OXO cube desolved in boiling water)

1tbsp of tomato purée

1/2 carrots, chopped into small pieces (optional)

1 green/red pepper, cut into cubes (optional)

200-250g lasagne sheets

300ml creme fraise (reduced fat)

150-200g grated cheese

Method:

1. Fry the onion with the herbs and garlic until soft.
2. Add the mushrooms until soft.
3. Add the beef and fry until browned.
4. Add the peppers, carrots, tinned tomatoes, stock and tomato purée and mix together well.
5. Bring to the boil and simmer gently for 10-15 minutes until reduced.
6. Once the bolognese sauce is cooked, you can start layering the bolognese, creme fraise and lasagne in a Pyrex dish.
7. Start with a layer of lasagne sheets, then a few spoonfuls of creme fraise spread over the lasagne, followed by a centimetre thick layer of bolognese sauce. Keep layering in this order until you fill the dish or run out of bolognese sauce. (see photos below)
8. Always finish with a layer of lasagne and top with grated cheese.
9. Leave overnight or for a few hours for the juices to soak into the lasagne and then cook at Gas Mark 3 or 160C for approximately 45 minutes, until the cheese has nicely browned and the sauce is bubbling away.

Serve with garlic bread and/or salad.

Layer the fillings - lasagne sheet, creme fraise
& bolognese sauce

Making the lasagne

Top with cheese

Beef lasagne