Lasagna Recipe

Welcome to my first ever #whatscookingchallenge by @jaynie, I was nominated by both @rwedegis and @happycrazycon some time ago and now have a moment to share one of my favourite meals with you.

This is also one of the first things I learnt to cook after pancakes and spaghetti bolognese which really is the base for the lasagna. My mum taught both me and my younger sister how to cook before we were ten, over time we have adjusted them and added more veggies but the base is still the same as are her instructions which never started with a teaspoon of this or a cup of that.

To this day my sister and I still get together and have cooking days which always leads to mass production of lasagna. We often give some away to our neighbours and split the rest, I still have two left in my freezer from this cook, and will have another cooking day in the near future.

Where do we start?

With the prep of course and what is required when chopping veggies, onions in particular? Onion Goggles! Yes, they are a thing. See my awesome pink ones that save from kitchen tears. I peel the carrots pre grating them but each to there own, some people like the extra fibre, my diet doesn't allow for it.

Side note I need to get a mini pair for my son as he was in the kitchen yesterday as I was preparing taco's and the onions from the mix was making his little eyes water. Cute but not funny. Well, maybe a little funny...

I think a pair of goggles would work well for him and harder for him to pull off. Children they rarely know what's best for themselves yet they are so determined to do things their way. I'm not sure this ever changes. lol... But before I get too far or too off topic, let's have a look at the ingredients...

Ingredients

White Sauce

• Milk
• Butter
• Plain Flour

This base can be used to make many white sauces, two common ones would be cheese sauce (add cheese) and garlic sauce (add garlic).

Bolognese Sauce

• Lean Mince - as this is a mass cook there is a lot, you can use normal mince too but I like to think this is healthier.
• Zucchini - just for some extra substance, it really has no flavour but soaks up whatever you are cooking it with.
• Carrots
• Minced Garlic
• Tomato Paste
• Tomatoes - Diced - I use tinned just cause it's already portioned for me and I am lazy
• Tomato Soup - I am sure you can make your own but I don't have time for that
• Worcestershire Sauce
• Mixed or Italian Herbs
• Salt and Pepper
• Oil

Cook up some spaghetti and you have Spag Bog.

Lasagna

• Pasta Sheets
• Parmesan Cheese
• Grated Tasty Cheese
• Combined with the two sauces above

Process

First, we make the white sauce and put it to the side out of the way. It is a simple roux - which is equal parts flour and fat, in this case, butter, mixed into a paste overheat and then add milk, continually stirring it as it thickens. I used skim milk but full cream would work.

The roux is a thickening agent that can be used as a base for many soups, stews, sauces and gravies.

Next, add our prepared onions into a hot pan with some oil and garlic and saute until the onions begin to turn translucent. I love garlic so I would use more than required in most dishes.

There are many health benefits to eating garlic from lowering cholesterol to invigorating the hair and skin.

One my mother always told me as she added that extra tablespoon was that its good at keeping the common cold away, one I didn't know but do after researching for this post is that it's known back in the day to help remove a pesky splinter.

Place a piece of cut garlic over the splinter cut and cover with a bandage- and voila! Bye-bye splinter.

Once the onions start to change you can add the meat, it's best if you break it up as who want's lumpy lasagna, I stir it often to avoid any burning, the element is still on high at this point as we will next be adding the cold ingredients and will need a hot pan to bring back to simmer.

You can use any type of mince, this is beef mince as it's most common in Australia and one I like a lot. If you don't like meat, exchange the meet for more veggies as a base.

Once the meat is brown in goes the veggies to soften, this is not part of my mother's recipe but my sister and I often add veggies to her bases to hit the 5 veg quota for a healthy lifestyle. With the veggies goes the mixed herbs, Italian ones are better but I used what I had in the cupboard at the time. Chuck in the all the tomato components and stir until mixed in well.

Add the salt and pepper and don't forget the dash of Worcestershire Sauce which really brings out the flavour in the dish. Bring to the boil and then turn the dish on low to simmer away.

At this stage you could put some sauce aside for spaghetti bolognese as a change from lasagna, equally delish and the sauce always tastes better the next day.

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All the preparation is now done and it's time to pull it all together. First a layer of white sauce, then a pasta sheet, some bolognese sauce, grated cheese and repeat until the tin or tray is about a centimetre under the rim ending with the pasta sheet.

We didn't use all those pasta packets, I always over exaggerate when buying lasagna sheets for some reason. No worry they keep when in a dry place, so will be used in the sister cooking adventure.

Glutin intolerance? Use eggplant instead of pasta this also works well for the vegetarian option.

The final step before cooking/freezing brings the dish together. Add the remnants of the bolognese sauce to the remaining white sauce. Add a scoop to the top of each lasagna, spread out with the scoop before sprinkling grated parmesan cheese on top and sealing with the lid or alfoil for cooking.

It not only tastes delicious but it stops the top sheet of pasta getting dry and nasty, no one likes a dry pasta.

Cook it at 180 degrees Celcius I generally cook it for 20mins (40mins if frozen) with the lid on and then remove the lid and add more cheese and cook it for another 20minutes.

The extra cheese is not needed but I just love browned cheese on top of pasta and with the lid off it gives it a chewy crunch and a texture that is too hard to resist.

The obligatory selfie with the end result, we managed to get nine individual lasagnas, each will feed three people with a side salad or some chips. Not bad for an hours work.

The #whatscookingchallenge challenge a foodie challenge by @jaynie. Here are the current rules for the challenge as far as I know:

1. Use the #whatscookingchallenge tag and tag me @jaynie in your post.
2. Create and publish a post showcasing something that you have prepared in your kitchen which is either a) uniquely yours, or b) has been adapted and made your own. (The more elaborate the post the better, naturally...)
   _{This is NOT limited to "plates of food" - it can be preserves, snacks, baking anything!}
3. Accompany the post with at least 2 photos of whatever it is that you have prepared as well as a photo of you WITH your dish! Guys this is COMPULSORY - posts without the selfie... won't be considered
4. Tag at least 5 (but not limited to) of your foodie friends that you think would like to participate.

I am not a huge tagger as I find it hard to compete in these so those I do tag don't feel the requirement to join in but if you do have an awesome recipe that you would like to share then give it a go. Without further ado, here goes:

@lynncoyle1 - who I am sure like me would have been tagged multiple times already so what is one more to the pot.
@viking-ventures - I am not sure if I have seen a foodie post from you but I am sure you can cook. :D
@mirrors - I would be interested to see something from your kitchen.
@simplymike - Show me some of those fresh veggies at their best.
@helenoftroy - I would be interested in what you feed your twins and the hubby in Malaysia.

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Source 7 Surprising Health Benefits Of Garlic}