Beef Lasagne

Beef Lasagne is a favourite in our house and I usually make two and stick one in the freezer. It can then be defrosted overnight and cooked, or cooked from frozen. Gluten and wheat free lasagne sheets are layered with beef ragu, and cheese sauce and then baked to perfection. Once you have tried this recipe, I guarantee you will make it time and time again.

Ingredients

1kg lean beef mince
Packet of gluten and wheat free lasagne sheets
2 tbsp olive oil
1 carrot - finely chopped
1 large onion - finely chopped
3 cloves garlic - peeled and crushed
1 courgette - finely chopped
1 bay leaf
½ bottle red wine
2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes
4 tbsp tomato puree
200ml beef stock (made from gluten and wheat free stock cubes)
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 litre milk
pinch of nutmeg
50g butter
50g gluten and wheat free flour
100g strong mature cheese - grated
freshly ground black pepper

Information

Serves: 6

Diet: Gluten and Wheat Free

Cuisine: Italian

Type: Main

Method

Prep time: 20 mins Cook time: 100 mins

Heat the oil in a large frying pan and gently sauté the carrots and onion for about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, courgette and bay leaf. Add the beef mince and cook until the meat has browned.

Pour in the wine, tin tomatoes, tomato puree and stock. Cook the mixture uncovered for around 1 ½ hours. The sauce should be thick and reduced right down, there shouldn’t be a lot of liquid left – if there is, continue cooking uncovered until the liquid has evaporated. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and remove bay leaf. Preheat the oven to 180°C, 160°C fan, 350F, Gas mark 4.

In a pan, add the butter, flour and milk and whisk continually over a low heat. Once it has come to the boil, cook for a further 2 minutes, continuing to whisk. Add the nutmeg, black pepper and half the cheese and heat gently for 2-3 minutes.

Building the lasagne - start off with a layer of the beef ragu, followed by a layer of lasagne. Follow this with a layer of beef ragu and then another layer of lasagne. Finish with all the cheese sauce on top of a layer of lasagne and top with the remaining grated cheese. The lasagne can be cooled and then frozen at this stage.

Bake in the pre-heated oven for 45-50 minutes, until the top is browned and bubbling – personally I like it when the cheese just starts to burn and blacken slightly. If you are cooking from frozen, you should allow another 45 minutes on top of the original 45-50 minutes cooking time, to ensure it is completely cooked through.

Serve with a green salad and some gluten and wheat free garlic bread.

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