Lasagne - meat

Lasagne - meat

Recipe thanks to Healthy Eating Advisory Service

Ingredients

• Brown onion - 1 small
• Carrot - 1 large
• Celery - 2 stalks (130g)
• Zucchini - 1 large
• Brown lentils - 1 x 125g can (canned)
• Olive or canola oil - ½ tablespoon
• Garlic - 1 clove (5g) (crushed)
• Lean beef mince - 400g
• Reduced salt crushed tomatoes - 1 x 800g can
• Dried basil - ½ teaspoon
• Dried oregano - ½ teaspoon
• Instant lasagne sheets - 225g
• Ricotta cheese - 375g
• Parmesan cheese or grated cheese - ¼ cup

Method

1. Finely chop onion, carrot & celery. Grate zucchini. Drain and rinse lentils.
2. Heat oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add onion, garlic, carrot, celery and zucchini. Cook, stirring for 3 to 4 minutes until onion is tender.
3. Add mince. Cook, stirring and using a wooden spoon to break up mince, for 5 to 6 minutes until browned.
4. Add tomatoes, lentils, basil and oregano to pan. Reduce heat to medium–low. Cook covered, stirring occasionally, for at least 30 minutes or until the sauce has thickened slightly.
5. While the sauce is cooking, preheat oven to 200°C
6. Place a small spread of meat sauce on the base of a large baking dish.
7. Place lasagne sheets over the sauce in a single layer.
8. Add a second layer of meat sauce and half the ricotta cheese.
9. Continue layering lasagne sheets and meat sauce, repeating until the dish is almost full. Finish with a layer of meat sauce.
10. Top with remaining ricotta cheese and sprinkle with parmesan or grated cheese.
11. Bake in oven for approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour, until cooked through and top is golden.

Recipe tips

• If you have enough red meat on your menu but need an extra pork or poultry dish, try substituting beef mince for chicken or pork mince.
• For a milk protein free option, lasagne can be made without ricotta and parmesan cheese.
• For a wheat/gluten free option, gluten free lasagna sheets can be used.
• For an egg free option, ensure pasta sheets are egg free.
• For a nut free option, ensure crushed garlic does not contain any nut products (if using commercial crushed garlic).