Lasagne

Ingredients for the Ragu:

  • 1 medium onion – chopped
  • 2-4 garlic cloves – chopped
  • 2 tbsp. olive oil
  • 500g minced beef
  • 100g cooked ham/lardon, roughly chopped
  • 1 tin chopped tomatoes
  • 200ml water or stock
  • 2 tbsp. tomato puree
  • 2 tbsp. chopped, fresh oregano – optional
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Lasagne sheets 9 – 15, depending on your dish size

 

For The White Sauce

  • 50g butter
  • 50g plain flour
  • 500ml Wexford Creamery Milk – at room temperature

 

For The Topping

  • Wexford Cheddar – need to grate (enough to sprinkle over top of dish)

 

DIRECTIONS

You will need one oven-proof dish, approx. 20cm x 30cm

  1. In a wide pan, heat the olive oil and cook the onion and garlic gently for about 5 minutes. Add the mince and brown it well, breaking it up as you do, add the ham, tomatoes, purée, water or stock and bring to a bubble. Turn the heat to a simmer and cook, uncovered for 30-40 minutes. Stir occasionally until the sauce is a nice thick consistency.  Season with salt and pepper and add the oregano if using. Turn off the heat and make the white sauce.
  2. Melt the butter gently in a medium sized pot, add the flour and stir to cook the flour for 3-4 minutes. Slowly add the milk, stirring as you go until all the milk has been added to the pan. Don’t worry if it seems like it won’t work, keep stirring and turn the heat to low. The sauce will become thick and smooth, season with salt and pepper.
  3. Assemble the dish by spreading a layer of meat sauce on the bottom of the dish, drizzle over some white sauce and lay the lasagne sheets on top. Be careful not to overlap any sheets. Repeat the layers until the sauces are used up, this quantity will make three layers of pasta and sauce.
  4. Sprinkle the Wexford cheddar (grated) over the top and bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for 40-50 mins until golden brown and bubbling.
  5. Serve with salad and garlic bread