Comforting lasagne

If you follow me on twitter you will see that today I'm wanted to have a VERY BIG RANT about a few things that seriously annoyed me. 

I didn't.

Instead I jumped on my mac to blog about one of my favourite comfort foods - lasagne. Just saying the word makes me feel like I've been enveloped in a great big hug with a snuggly woolly blanket and the arms of a loved one.

Fortunately I've made lasagne twice in the last 5 days so I have had plenty of practice! I've also taken plenty of photos - in fact I've taken 70 photos just of the 2nd lasagne! And to those of you who have asked, YES, I'm POSITIVE I have taken more than 70 photos of my hubby in the last year. Just not in the last 5 days. :)

I love both meat and vegetarian lasagnes and have made a lot of both this year (it's been a difficult year). This recipe has meat, but you could easily substitute the meat for extra veggies or for lentils.


What you need:
Olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 onion, peeled and chopped

250g pork mince

250g veal mince (you can buy veal and pork mince in one packet from some supermarkets)

1 x 750ml jar of tomato passata

1 x tin chopped tomatoes

2 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

pepper to taste

2 tsp Italian seasoning

4-5 shakes of Tabasco

1/2 cup red wine (or water)

200g mushrooms, sliced

1 packet lasagne noodles (fresh or dry, I used dry this time)

250g ricotta cheese

250g mozzarella cheese, cut into cubes or grated

50g parmesan or pecorino, grated

1 packet frozen spinach, defrosted and with as much liquid squeezed out as possible

cubed mozarella

• In a large frypan heat 2-3 tsp olive oil. Add the garlic and onion and saute for 3-4 minutes. 

Sauteeing garlic and onion - hear the sizzle! 

• Add the mince and cook until browned (about 4-5 minutes). 
• Add the tomato passata, tin of tomatoes, wine, sugar, salt, pepper to taste, Italian seasoning, Tabasco, stir to combine and bring to a simmmer. Simmer for about 30 minutes. 
• Heat the oven to 180c
• While meat and tomato mix is simmering, mix the ricotta and the spinach in a medium sized bowl

mmm spinach. Popeye would be proud!

To assemble:

• Put about 2 tsp olive oil on the lasagne dish, mix with your fingers so the bottom of the dish is lightly coated (this prevents the lasagne sheets from sticking). 
• Put the first layer of lasagne noodles in the dish

I used a packet of Barilla lasagne sheets this time, but usually I use fresh

• Spread half the meat mix over the lasagne noodles, add half the mozarella 

If you want to make it a bit healthier you could always leave out the mozzarella, but I love cheese!

• Add another layer of lasagne noodles and gently press down
• Spread the ricotta/spinach mix, put the mushrooms on top

This is the first time I've added the spinach to the ricotta and it added an extra dimension of flavour that  really enhanced the dish

• Add another layer of lasagne noodles and gently press down
• Add the remainder of the meat, then the remainder of the mozzarella. Finally evenly sprinkle the parmesan cheese on the top. 

My favourite bit is when all the mozzarella melts when it's cooked. I could just eat the top!

Cook at about 180c for about 30 minutes or until golden on the top and the cheese has all melted.

It looks so pretty with the layers! But not so pretty that it won't be eaten!

Serve with salad, garlic bread and a big glass of red wine (for the over 18s. Or the over 21s in America). 

So OK, there's no salad or garlic bread in this pic, but there IS wine. 

This is simple and a real crowd pleaser! 

How do you like your lasagne? The traditional way or with a bit of variation?