Lasagne is one of the most heart warming layered pasta recipes that you can’t forget easily. You can make this with your own choice of minced meat. I am making it with minced chicken here. I have tried a few variations before coming up with this one. This one has a balance in flavours while it also remains smooth and creamy in texture. Hope you enjoy the recipe.
Equipment
- 2 saucepans
- flat baking dish
- aluminium foil to cover
Ingredients
For meat sauce:
- 200 gm minced chicken Marinate chicken with half lemon’s juice, 1 tsp turmeric powder and some salt, then refrigerate for 1 hour.
- 1 medium onion finely chopped
- 2 cups canned tomato puree (or one can)
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp red chilli powder
- 3 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried basil
- Salt to taste
For white sauce
- 8 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp all purpose flour
- 1 pinch of nutmeg
- 1-1/2 cup full cream milk
- pinch of salt
Other:
- 15-18 Instant pasta layers for lasagne (to make 3-4 layers of 3 sheets in each layer)
- 1 large ball of fresh mozzarella cheese cut into thin slices
- 1 cup grated parmesan
- 1 cup grated cheddar
- 1 cup fresh chopped basil leaves
- 2 cups of boiled water
Instructions
For meat sauce
- Heat oil and butter in a saucepan then fry garlic in it.
- A garlic turns golden, add red chilli powder and black pepper in it.
- Add onions and stir fry them till golden.
- Now add the minced chicken and cook for 10 mins, ensure there are no lumps, use wooden spoon to break lumps.
- Add tomato puree and mix well, keep stirring and breaking any lumps, cover and let it cook for 5-10 mins on low flame.
- Check the consistency of sauce, it should be watery to be able to soften the instant pasta layers. So add some water at this point if the sauce is getting drier. Let it boil.
- Add some salt, oregano and basil, cover and cook for another 5-10 mins. Then turn off the heat and let it steam.
For white sauce
- Heat butter in a non stick saucepan at low flame.
- Add flour and mix well, keep stirring as it gets creamy
- Now start adding milk very slowly while you keep stirring, do not stop stirring at this stage, it is very important to avoid formation of lumps.
- Initially the mix gets tighter but keep stirring and adding milk and it will began forming a loose paste, then later a very thin sauce.
- Keep the flame low as you stir, let the sauce boil slowly as it starts thickening after about 4-5 mins. Keep stirring.
- Once the sauce thickens a little, add nutmeg and salt, mix well, keep heating for 2 more mins, then turn off the heat.
- Keep aside to allow cooling.
Layering & baking the pasta
- Grease a wide lasagne dish with butter and pour some meat sauce to form base.
- Now spread the first layer of pasta sheets (takes 3-4 sheets depending on dish size) to cover all over the sauce.
- Pour meat sauce over the sheets to soak them entirely, then pour white sauce over the meat sauce.
- Place some mozzarella slices, chopped basil leaves, then grated cheeses.
- Repeat the same process for all layers, lasagne should have at least 3-4 layers. All the above material shall be consumed in about 4 layers of three sheets each. Ensure placing sheets in the same direction.
- On the topmost layer, you should add extra cheese and sprinkle some crushed black pepper along with the remaining basil leaves.
- Cover the top of the dish with aluminium foil from all sides to ensure steam doesn’t gets out.
- Bake in oven at 200°c for 40 mins, then remove the foil and bake another 5-7 mins to brown the cheese on top and allow evaporation of extra liquids.
- Serve hot.
Great content! Super high-quality! Keep it up! 🙂
Superb recipes, Continue the beneficial job. Thanks a ton!
Thanks ! I hope you enjoyed it.