Smashed Boozy Lasagne – Recipe below – this is a very lazy lasagne recipe that I started to make when I didn’t have time to cook the full luscious, layered event. Essentially, you make a boozy ass ragu, smash up a load of pasta and cover it with cheese. When you leave it to cool, the pasta firms up so you get more texture. The optimum time for this is when you are hungover from the night before and you can have emergency left over lasagne in bed, a friend said. Enjoy x JGS
Serves 6
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
4 tbsp tomato puree
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dry thyme
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 bottle of red wine
1 tin chopped tomatoes
350ml beef stock (1 cube)
750g ground beef
40g butter
40g plain flour
400ml whole milk
70g cheddar, grated
40g Parmesan, grated
20g dried lasagne sheets
Salt and pepper
1. Pre heat the oven to 180c fan. Heat the oil in a saucepan over a medium heat and add the onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 6-8 minutes until a little golden.
2. Add the garlic, tomato puree, garlic powder, oregano, thyme, paprika and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Mix well to get some heat into the spices and then add the wine. Mix well and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 6-8 minutes until the alcohol smell is gone and it has reduced by about half.
3. Add the tomatoes, stock and beef to the pan. Mix well. Cover and pop into the oven for about 1 ½ hours. What you want is the ragu to be cooked but not too thick. The pasta will thicken it later.
4. Meanwhile, melt the butter in saucepan over a medium heat and add the flour. Mix well and whisk in the milk, a little at a time, until combined and smooth. Add most of the cheese and season well. Reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, for 4-5 minutes until the cheese has melted.
5. Tip the beef into a baking dish (I used 34x22cm). Break the lasagne sheets up straight into the mince. Jiggle the pasta into the sauce and pour over the cheese sauce. Smooth it out and the scatter over the remaining cheese. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the cheese is bubbling and then serve immediately.
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