Pappa’s Lasagne
I know that’s not how you spell lasagna in English – but just learned it’s the correct Italian! – and this recipe is based on what my Dad used to make in Norway, hence the e at the end.
Mixing the roux, adding milk a bit at a time.
Making sure it’s all mixed well into a nice ball of buttery goodness.
It should be fairly thick once it has simmered for a while. Make sure to stir often, over low heat.
Looks like your basic meat ragu, with a few carrots tossed in.
Layer the pasta over the meat sauce. These are oven ready, packaged, sheets and work well. If you have fresh lasagna sheets, even better.
I like to add a sprinkle of cheese in-between the layers as well.
Smells and looks about ready to eat!
Meat Lasagne
Meat Sauce
- 3 lbs lean ground beef
- 4 small onions, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 4 carrots, peeled and sliced
- 1 large (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
- 1 bottle Passata
- oregano, paprika, salt, pepper
Béchamel Sauce
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- 4 Tablespoons flour
- 4 cups (1 litre) milk
- freshly grated nutmeg
- salt & pepper
- 1 lb lasagna sheets, fresh if possible, but oven ready works fine
- 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan
- 1-2 cups grated Mozzarella
Fry the ground beef over medium-high heat until cooked through. Add onions, garlic and herbs, let simmer for 8-10 minutes over medium-low heat.
Add carrots, mix well, then pour in the tomatoes and bring to a boil. Simmer over low heat for up to an hour.
While the meat sauce is cooking, make the béchamel sauce. In a heavy sauce pan, melt butter over low heat, then add the flour and stir well with a wooden spoon until it forms a roux. Gently add the milk, a little at a time, and stir well until the butter and flour forms a ball before adding more milk. It goes a bit quicker if the milk is warm, but it’s not necessary.
Keep adding milk and stirring well until the sauce has the consistency of heavy cream. Bring to a boil, stirring continuously, then add salt, pepper and freshly grated nutmeg to taste. Let cook for at least 5 minutes until thickened. Add the grated Parmesan, stir until melted and season to taste. Set aside.
Start with a layer of meat sauce in an oven proof dish (this recipe makes two 7×4), then a layer of pasta, then bechamel and a sprinkle of cheese. Repeat three to four times, ending with the meat sauce and lots of grated mozzarella.
Bake, covered with aluminum foil, at 375 for 20-30 minutes, until bubbly. Remove the foil, turn the oven to 450 and bake for another 10 minutes until golden brown.
If using fresh pasta sheets, reduce the baking time by half, but then cook the meat sauce for an additional 10 minutes until the carrots are almost done.
Sprinkle with fresh basil and enjoy.
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hegelincanada
February 6, 2013
It IS actually the correct spelling in Italian – as usual it’s the anglophones that screw it up
mainlyfood
February 6, 2013
Ah! Thank you! I should have checked first ; )