Ingredients

(Serves 6)

Sauce

1 carrot, finely diced

2 sticks celery, finely diced

1 onion, finely diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbsp finely chopped rosemary

1/2 Tbsp finely chopped thyme

300g pork & fennel sausages, removed from casing

500g beef mince

1/2 cup white wine

1/4 cup tomato paste

1 tsp salt

1 x 400g can tomato passata

1 x 400g can cherry tomatoes

1/3 of each can of water

1 cup milk

Pasta

1 portion of whole egg pasta dough (recipe here), rolled into thin sheets

You could also use store brought dried or fresh pasta

Béchamel

50g butter

3 Tbsp flour

2 cups milk

1/2 tsp salt

2 cups grated cheese (tasty, edam, colby)

To Assemble

200g buffalo mozzarella, drained & roughly torn

1 cup finely grated Parmesan

1 cup shredded mozzarella (the firm packet kind)

Prep It

Finely dice carrot, celery and onion. Mince garlic and finely chop rosemary and thyme. Remove casing from the sausages and discard. Break the sausage up into little pieces and set aside. Set aside a 25 x 15cm size baking dish with nice deep sides.

That Meat Sauce

Ideally you would start this the day before so your not having a marathon in the kitchen. It also tastes way better the next day!

Heat a drizzle of oil in a heavy base fry-pan on high heat. Add beef mince, broken up sausage and a pinch of salt and cook for about 5 minutes, until golden brown and cooked through. Remove meat from pan and return pan to medium-high heat. Add a little oil if needed, carrot, onion, celery, garlic and herbs and cook for about 5 minutes, until tender. Stir often.

Add tomato paste and cook for about 3 minutes stirring often, until caramelised. You may have to scrape the bottom of the pot here so it doesn’t stick. Add wine and cook for about 2 minutes, until completely absorbed. Scrape the bottom of the pot to release all those stuck flavours!

Add canned tomatoes and passata. Fill each can a third of the way up with water and add that to the pan too. Add salt and milk and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium low and cook for about 1 and a half hours, until thick, rich and a deep red, orangey colour. Stir occasionally and as always season to taste with salt and pepper.

That Pasta

When your ready to make your lasagne, be it the day after or when your meat sauce is ready, make your pasta. Roll your pasta dough through a pasta machine and cut the sheets to fit the size dish you are using. Bring a pot of very salted water to the boil. Set aside a large bowl of cold water and lay a large tea towel on the bench. Cook the pasta sheets 2 at a time in the boiling water for about 15 seconds and then transfer to cold water. Allow to cool before laying out on the tea towel to dry. Repeat until all are finished. Set aside for assembling.

That Cheesy White Sauce

We’re almost there…

Grate cheese and set aside. Place butter in a small pot and cook on medium heat for about 1 minute, until melted. Add flour and cook for about 30 seconds, until it smells toasty and foams. Add milk and salt and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and cook for about 1 minute, until thick. Add grated cheese, stir well and remove from heat. Set aside for assembling.

Assemble & Bake

Preheat the oven to 180º C.

Roughly tear buffalo mozzarella into medium size pieces and set aside. Grate Parmesan and firm mozzarella, mix together and set aside.

Ready to go you should have your baking dish, cooked pasta, meat sauce, white sauce and all the cheese.

Everyone likes to assemble their lasagne a bit different, so I ain’t gonna tell you how you should do yours. You go for it BUT I start with a scoop of white sauce followed by meat, give it a little stir around, sprinkle over some of the mixed mozzarella and Parm and then top with single layer pasta sheets. I then continue this, finishing with a layer of pasta and white sauce. I then sprinkle over the buffalo mozzarella and then it’s good to go.

Cover with foil and bake in the oven for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes remove the foil and continue to bake uncovered for a further 15-20 minutes, until hot through, golden and bubbly. Remove from the oven and rest for 15-20 minutes to allow everything to settle nicely.

Eat It!