Lover’s Lasagne

(Serves 6-8 portions)

For the Ragu
500 g beef mince
250 g pork mince (or use all beef if you prefer)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely diced
2 carrots, finely diced
2 celery sticks, finely diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp tomato paste
2 × 400 g tins chopped tomatoes
150 ml red wine (optional but gorgeous)
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried thyme
Salt & pepper to taste

For the béchamel
50 g butter
50 g flour
700 ml whole milk
Pinch nutmeg
100 g parmesan, grated
200 g mozzarella, shredded

12–15 lasagne sheets

Method

Make ragu: Heat oil in a large pan, sauté onion, carrot, celery until soft. Add garlic, tomato paste, cook 2 mins. Add mince, brown well. Pour in wine, reduce. Add tomatoes, herbs, salt & pepper. Simmer uncovered for 45 mins until rich.
Make béchamel: Melt butter, whisk in flour. Gradually add milk, whisk until smooth & thickened. Season with nutmeg, salt, pepper. Stir in 50 g parmesan.
Assemble: In a large oven dish, layer ragu → lasagne sheets → béchamel. Repeat 3 layers. Top with béchamel, mozzarella, parmesan.

Bake: 180°C for 40–45 mins until bubbling, golden. Rest 10 mins before serving.

Keeps: 3 days in fridge, 3 months in freezer (slice before freezing).