L is for ...

 I love lasagne!  Who doesn't??  My husband loves it!  My kids love it!  And what is not to love about this delectable, mouthwatering, give-me-more dish?

I love the way you can adapt this dish.  I usually add some mushed up carrots to my lasagna but the one day I had three measly looking carrots left in the fridge, no transport and a father-in-law on his way for supper!!  What to do??

Frozen peas to the rescue!  Yes, you heard right, I added frozen peas to my lasagna.  Now before I did this, I would have snobbishly looked on at a lasagna with peas in it!  It's like committing the ultimate food no-no!  Peas go with dishes like cottage pie or shepherd's pie but not lasagna.  It's just weird.  But I had no choice, either have a very bland lasagna or add some flair with... peas :)  

I waited on edge as everyone took a first mouthful, watching every move of their mouth, every flicker in their eyes.  And when the mouths were empty?  They loved it!  A lasagna with peas was a success.

But without further ado, let me share my usual (non pea) recipe without you and if you would like you could add some peas to it:

Shaz' No-Mess No-Fuss Scrumptious Lasagna (child-friendly)

 

 

1 tbsp Olive Oil

500g Extra lean beef mince

400g Bottled Pasta Sauce (your choice of flavour)

4 - 5 Medium Carrots

250g Mushrooms (your choice)

80ml Butter

80ml Flour

5ml Salt

Black pepper

400ml Milk

9 Lasagna Sheets

250g Grated Cheese (Try cheddar, gouda, mozzarella or even better a mixture - yum!)

1. Turn on the oven now at 220 degrees Celsius.
2. Okay, so you heat your oil in a pan and brown your mince.  Once your mince is browned, add your pasta sauce and cook for another 5 minutes on high, to get the flavour to stick to your mince.
3. While you are browning the mince, you can start peeling and chopping your carrots into biggish chunks and cook in a little bit of water (I use the microwave on 100% power for 10 minutes). Use a blender to liquidise carrots and add to your mince mixture (for the kid's sake).
4. Start chopping your mushrooms into big chunks and arrange in a single layer on a baking tray while your carrots are cooking.  Bake in a preheated oven at 220 degrees Celsius and remove after 10 minutes. Add to your mince and carrot mixture. 

White Sauce

1. Melt your butter in the microwave.
2. Add flour, salt and pepper and stir.
3. Add your milk, little by little as you keep on stirring.
4. Microwave on high for 5 minutes or until your sauce has a nice thick consistency.

You are ready to assemble :)

1. Start with some white sauce on the bottom of your dish and on top of that lay down a layer of lasagna sheets (my rectangular dish takes 3 lasagna sheets next to each other).
2. On top of that (yes, you guessed it) comes the beautiful mince sauce, then your beautifully smooth creamy white sauce and lastly some grated cheese. 
3. Repeat this process another two times, ending off with a lot of grated cheese on top.

And pop it into the oven!  I usually make my lasagna in the morning and let it stand until just before supper time, that way you can never have under-cooked lasagna sheets :)  Then I pop it into a preheated oven at 220 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes.

But if you have to go at it immediately, preheat your oven to 190 degrees Celsius and bake for 1 hours.

PS:  The secret to this recipe is to first cook the mushrooms separately, in order for it to retain it's own flavour.  So, I know it is very tempting to throw everything in one pot and be done with it but trust me, it will be lacking sorely!  You will be forgiven if you have no choice, the kids are screaming and it's just been one of those days ;)  

Another thing that adds a bit of spunk and more vivacious flavour, is the cheese.  Do not skimp on the cheese!  Come on!  Get that cheese into each layer!   

And lastly, I always add a bit of love, that way, no shop bought lasagna will ever taste like home's.

Enjoy!