This is a recipe I have used for a few years now. I really like it and being a student it's handy for me to make on a day off and eat the rest the day after when I am too busy to cook! It also helps me to stay healthy. I usually eat a quarter per meal with either new potatoes and salad or wedges (I don't like oven chips). Of course, you can pair it with anything you like.
What you will need: 1 large knife 2 large hob pans 1 brownie tin (you can use a casserole or deep dish but since I cook this for one, I use a brownie tin) 1 chopping board
Ingredients: For the tomato sauce: 500g minced beef (you can use what you prefer i.e. lamb or quorn. if you're vegetarian you can use lentils if you don't like quorn meat) 3-4 garlic cloves (finely chopped, grated or crushed) 2 tins of tomatoes (chopped) 6 fresh tomatoes (I like mine peeled, to do this cut a cross at the top of the tomato and place in boiling water for a few minutes, also chopped) A pinch of salt A pinch of pepper A pinch of cinnamon powder A table spoon of oil (I like to use extra virgin olive) 1 large white onion Optional: 1 large courgette (chopped) 1 red pepper (chopped) 100g of mushrooms (peeled and chopped) Anything else you would like to add vegetable wise For the White Sauce: 150g butter 150g plain flour 300ml milk
150g cheese lasagne sheets (I use about 10-12)
Method: 1. Heat up the oil in your pan. When it's hot add the mince and cook on a medium heat until browned. Stir often so you don't burn the mince. 2. Add the onion, garlic and mushrooms and leave to cook for about 5 minutes, stirring often. 3. Add the pepper and courgette to the pan. Stir for around 3 minutes. 4. Add the tins of tomatoes and fresh tomatoes. Stir in the cinnamon, salt and pepper. Stir regularly. The sauce is done when the majority of the water has evaporated. 5. For the white sauce you need to heat up a clean pan and melt the butter. Add the flour slowly until it becomes a thick paste. I do this in stages by adding a tablespoon of flour at a time. 6. Add the milk in 3 stages. If the sauce is too thick with the first stage, go on to the second until it becomes perfect. It takes about ten - fifteen minutes to see if the sauce is going to be too thick. If it becomes too thin get a clean pan out and add some more butter and flour to create the paste and add it to the sauce. 7. Time to combine it all together: Place a layer of minced meat at the bottom of your tin or dish. 8. Place lasagne sheets on top. I break them if they are too big to fit. 9. Add the white sauce. 10. Place more lasagne sheets on top. 11. Continue the process until you have ran out of sauces. Make sure there is 1 layer of white sauce left in your pan. 12. Add the last layer of white sauce on your lasagne sheets and sprinkle grated cheese on top. I like a lot of cheese so I completely cover it. Do it to how you like it. 13. You don't have to put it in the oven straight away you can leave it for a few hours until you're ready to eat if you wish. When you are ready to eat, heat your oven to 200C (fan), gas mark 6 and place your dish in the middle of the oven. It should take about half an hour. You can check if it's done by sticking a knife in the center and if it's soft all the way through then it's done, if not stick it back in the oven and check it every 10 minutes. - If you are using a glass dish you can see if the lasagne sheets are cooked or not at the side.
Serve!
I hope you give this recipe a try. If you do, please leave a comment below telling me how it tasted!