Beef & Mushroom Lasagna

My first taste of beef lasagna was way back in 1979 when we left Singapore for London. I still vividly remember the good old days when our dinner was either a store cooked tandoori chicken or Findus frozen beef lasagne from Waitrose supermarket. They were so good, we had these for dinner regularly for the next 3 years we were in London! I like the layers of beef mince and mushrooms smothered in rich tomato sauce and the creamy bechamel sauce mixed with the smooth lasagne pasta. The layer of golden brown melted cheese completes a most satisfying meal.Beef & Mushroom Lasagne -June 2023 update: Here is a recent video I made in June 2023. I have replaced mushrooms with sun dried red pepper. They are both delicious. Amounts are doubled as  I like to freeze the extra for another day.https://youtu.be/NLFcxcbSvKk

INGREDIENTS

• 3 lasagna pasta sheets

• 250 gm beef mince

• 4 fresh mushrooms (cubed)

• 2 large tomatoes (cubed)

• 1 tablespoon oil

• 1 clove garlic (minced)

• 2 tablespoons fried onions

• 3 tablespoons tomato paste

• salt to taste

• sugar to taste

• water

• Bechamel sauce

  • 2 tablespoons flour

  • 20 gm butter

  • 300 ml milk

  • 3 tablespoons parmesan cheese

  • pinch of nutmeg

  • Grated mozzarella cheese

METHOD

1. Boil the lasagna sheets in salted water till just tender. Drain and set aside.

2.Heat 1 tablespoon of oil and fry garlic till fragrant. Add beef mince and brown. Add fried onions and stir-fry for a couple of minutes.

3. Add mushroom, tomatoes and tomato paste. Stir to combine well.

4. Add water to a level just covering the mince. Bring it to boil and simmer the mixture for 1/2 an hour till thick and saucy. Taste and add salt & sugar as needed.

5. In the meanwhile, make the Bechamel sauce. Melt butter in a saucepan until foaming. Add flour and stir till well combined. Remove from heat and add milk (a little at a time) and whisk to combine.  Stir constantly until the mixture is smooth.

6. Return the saucepan to the heat and cook the mixture, stirring constantly until the mixture boils, is thick and saucy. Remove from heat and stir in the parmesan, salt & nutmeg.

7. Assemble the lasagna: place a layer of beef mince at the bottom of the dish. Place a lasagna sheet on top. Then followed by bechamel sauce and beef mince. Repeat this till lasagne sheets are used up and ending with beef mince. Sprinkle grated mozzarella cheese generously over the top.

8. Bake in 180C pre-heated oven for 30 minutes or until the cheese has melted to a golden brown. Enjoy 😋