Beef and Broccoli Lasagne
Total time: 60 minutes
This is a hearty lasagne with a vegetable Béchamel sauce, filled with carrots, onions, mushrooms and broccoli and layered with fresh mozzarella cheese.
Ingredients:
- The vegetables:
-
2 carrots
- 1/2 head broccoli, about 4oz (120gr)
- 1 onion
- 6oz (180gr) mushrooms, trimmed
- 1 tbs butter
- 1 tbs olive oil
- 2 tbs flour
- 1 1/4 cups (10oz, 300ml) milk
- The beef:
-
2 cloves garlic
- 12oz (360gr) ground beef (mince)
- 2 cups (15oz, 450gr) whole tomatoes
- 1 cup (8oz, 240ml) tomato sauce
- 1 tbs paste
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1 tbs olive oil
- The rest:
-
8oz (240gr) package fresh mozzarella (4oz, 125gr net weight)
- 1/4 cup (1oz, 30gr) shredded cheese
- 1/2 cup (2oz, 60gr) shredded Parmesan
- 12 - 16 sheets 'no-cook' lasagna noodles
Instructions:
- The vegetables:
- Roughly chop the broccoli.
- Peel and chop the carrot and onion.
- Trim and chop the mushrooms.
- Heat butter and oil in a large skillet. Add vegetables and sauté until tender, 12 - 15 minutes.
- Add flour and stir well.
- Slowly add milk, stirring constantly as it thickens, until it is all added.
- Continue stirring until it just starts to simmer. Remove from heat.
-
The tomato sauce:
- Mince garlic.
- Heat oil a large nonstick skillet. Add garlic and sauté briefly.
- Add beef and brown well, breaking it up.
- Open tomatoes and roughly chop, reserving juices.
- Add tomatoes, juices, sauce, paste and herbs to beef.
- Bring to a simmer and let cook, uncovered 5 minutes.
- The rest:
- Slice the mozzarella as thinly as possible.
- Shred the cheeses.
- To assemble:
- In a 10" (25cm) square (or 11 x 9) baking dish, or so... make the following layers:
- 1/3 of the meat / tomato sauce
- 3 - 4 noodles, breaking as needed to get good coverage
- 1/2 of the vegetable / Béchamel sauce
- 1/2 of the mozzarella
- 3 - 4 noodles, breaking as needed
- 1/3 of the meat / tomato sauce
- 3 - 4 noodles, breaking as needed
- 1/2 of the vegetable / Béchamel sauce
- 1/2 of the mozzarella
- 3 - 4 noodles, breaking as needed
- 1/3 of the meat / tomato sauce
- 1/4 cup shredded cheese
- Cover and bake 425F (215C) for 25 minutes, or until noodles are done. Test in center with a sharp knife.
- Uncover, sprinkle with Parmesan and bake 5 minutes longer to brown cheese.
- Remove and let rest for 5 minutes. Cut into squares (or oblongs) and serve.