I always find the answer to life’s problems in a lasagne.

seriously it’s true…

Having people over? Cook a lasagne. Going to a family get together? Bring a lasagne. If something awful happens,  send lasagne! Hungover? lasagne! Honestly, lasagne has the answer,

Nothing says I’m thinking of you or I love you like a huge dish full of tasty lasagne! ( well that or cake.)

I have the recipe for lasagne with two types of white sauce for you here.  I know most of you have the mince part covered. It’s the white sauce that can flummox us.  (leaving no alternative than to grab a jar) I don’t judge 😉

.  A no-fuss slimming world friendly white sauce made creme fraiche and cheddar with a pinch of nutmeg.

.And a traditional sauce made with butter, cheese and nutmeg. (you decide which one to cook) 

Tip.. When cooking dried lasagne sheets.. make sure you put loads of the sauce and mince over the top of it,  leave a good space between each sheet and also between the edge of the dish and the sheet of pasta, that way they don’t get hard at the edges or dry up..

lasagne with two types of white sauce

Ingredients

• 500 g pack of extra lean mince beef
• 1 carrot chopped really small
• 1 onion  (or chopped really small)
• 2 cloves of garlic (crushed)
• 1 red pepper
• 1 pack of lasagne dried sheets
• carton of passata (500g)
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons tomato puree
• 1 tablespoon of Basil (dried)
• 1 tablespoon of oregano (dried)

 The no-fuss white sauce 

• 200g  Creme Fraiche ( for slimming world one level tablespoon of low-fat creme Fraiche is 1/2 syn  using 10 tablespoons works out at less than 1/2 syn per serving..  )
• 2 tablespoons of water to loosen it
• 180  grated cheddar (one slice of lasagne is a healthy extra A on slimming world)

 The traditional white sauce

• 1 tablespoon of butter
• 1 heaped tablespoon of plain flour
• 1/2 pint of milk mixed with 1/2 pint of hot chicken stock
• 1 teaspoon of nutmeg (optional)
• 200g grated vintage cheddar (I like the Dubliner one) save a bit to scatter on top

Method Preheat oven to 180 C gas mark 4.  (Serves 6 )

Crush garlic and chop your onion frying it in a large pan over a medium heat with a little olive oil or fry light until it softens

add the mince breaking it up as you brown it

when browned chuck in the  sliced red pepper and carrot  cook for 10 mins, sift off any fat and excess liquid

squeeze in tomato puree, dried herbs, season and mix…

pour over passata leave to simmer while you make your white sauce

For the no-fuss white sauce 

Mix creme fraiche with 2 tablespoons of water to loosen it add a pinch of nutmeg and pour it over the assembled mince and pasta sheets .. top with grated cheese.

for the traditional sauce

Melt butter over a medium heat

add your heap tablespoon of flour and mix with a whisk

slowly quarter by quarter add the pint of milk and stock liquid mix (add whisking as you go, adding the liquid quarter by quarter whisking as you add, until it eventually thickens)

sprinkle over the grated cheddar keeping some aside to sprinkle on top.  you will end up with a lovely cheese sauce .. (if you end up with any lumps? Don’t worry just sift them out, I won’t tell anyone) 😉

When you’re ready to layer your lasagne up remember to put lots of sauce on the dried pasta sheets and don’t overlap them. (this helps cook the pasta)

Put on the bottom shelf of a preheated oven  at 180c and cook for 50 mins ..  (this works for whatever sauce you decide to make)

and that’s it lovelies .. looking forward to hearing how you get on with this one… join in on the chat over on the facebook page or join our home cooks group x

Ps: Lasagne always tastes better the next day and will slice better after an hour out of the oven 

Jolene x