A few of my colleagues will be moving out from my floor to a different building, so we decided to throw a farewell potluck of sorts (an excuse to eat good food is always welcome), and one of them was craving lasagne. Since it has been quite a while since I made it, I decided to oblige. This version is far less tedious and much much cheaper to make compared to Emeril’s Manly Man Lasagne, yet is just as tasty. Definitely my go-to recipe from now on.
Lasagne
Ingredients
450 grams Italian sausage, removed from casings and crumbled- 350 grams lean ground beef
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed
- 2 (411-gram) cans whole tomatoes, crushed
- 2 (170-gram) cans tomato paste
- 1 (350-gram) jar Prego traditional pasta sauce, or your favourite brand
- 1/2 cup prune or red grape juice
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
- 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds (jintan manis)
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 beef stock cube
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 4 tablespoons chopped celery leaves (daun sup)
- 1 (425 gram) can button mushrooms, sliced
- 12 oven-ready lasagne noodles
- 2 cups (450 grams) ricotta cheese
- 1 egg
- 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- 3/4 cup grated Parmesan
Directions
In a large, deep skillet over medium heat, cook the sausage, ground beef, onion, and garlic, stirring frequently, until well browned. Stir in the canned tomatoes, tomato paste, pasta sauce, and juice. Season with sugar, basil, fennel seeds, Italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon salt, the beef stock cube, pepper, and half of the celery leaves. Add the mushrooms and simmer, covered, for about 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.
In a mixing bowl, combine the ricotta cheese with egg, nutmeg, the remaining celery leaves, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
Preheat oven to 190 degrees C (170 degrees C fan).
To assemble, spread 1 1/2 cups of meat sauce in the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Arrange 6 noodles lengthwise over the meat sauce. Spread with half of the ricotta cheese mixture. Top with 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella. Spoon 1 1/2 cups meat sauce over the mozzarella, and sprinkle with 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Repeat layers, and top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Cover with foil: to prevent sticking, either spray foil with cooking spray, or make sure the foil does not touch the cheese.
Bake in the oven for 25 minutes. Remove the foil, and bake for an additional 25 minutes. Let cool for 15 minutes before serving.
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