Curly lasagne

This lasagne uses three kinds of mince, cooked in a rich tomato and herb sauce, and layered with curly lasagne sheets and two kinds of cheese.

Curly lasagne. Credit: Everyday Gourmet with Justine Schofield

• serves

  8

• prep

  20 minutes

• cook

  2:45 hours

• difficulty

  Mid

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 brown onions, finely diced
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 celery sticks, finely diced
• 2 carrots, finely diced
• 4 bay leaves
• 1 sprig rosemary, finely chopped
• ¼ bunch sage, finely chopped
• 150 g chicken mince
• 150 g veal mince
• 150 g pork mince
• ½ cup white wine
• 4 cans tinned tomatoes
• Sea salt flakes
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 2 packets curly lasagne sheets
• 250 g grated mozzarella
• 150 g grated parmigiano reggiano or pecorino

Bechamel sauce

• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp plain flour
• 2 cups full cream milk
• Nutmeg, grated

Instructions

1. To make the sauce, heat oil in a large pot. Add the onion, garlic, celery and carrots and cook off for a few minutes to gain a little colour, on a medium-high heat. Add the bay leaves, rosemary and sage and continue to cook off. Once the mixture has gained a light golden colour, add the minces and brown off.
2. Once browned, deglaze the pan with the white wine. Add the tomatoes and begin to cook off on a low-medium heat. Season with salt, pepper and sugar and let it bubble away for around 1½-2 hours.
3. In the meantime, pre-heat oven to 200°C and make the béchamel sauce. Heat a small pan and add the butter and flour. Continuously whisk until the flour until it has bubbled and cooked out, then slowly add the milk whilst whisking. Add the nutmeg, season with salt and pepper, and continue to whisk until the mixture has thickened.
4. To assemble: place a layer of sauce on the bottom of a large baking dish. Then layer pasta sheets to cover the whole tray. Add more sauce, then a good drizzle of béchamel, and the grated cheeses. Repeat until the tray is full.
5. Cover with foil and bake in pre-heated oven for 45 minutes, or until pasta has cooked. Serve immediately.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.