Horse Meat Free Lasagne

Apologies for the joke, but seriously I think horse would taste quite nice. This recipe is one that my mum has made for many years and is probably my favourite dish whenever I am home from Uni. However, this dish is not suitable for those who are lactose intolerant because there is a hell of a lot of cheese in it. 

Although this is probably very unhealthy, I have made it as a calorie and carb building meal in advance of the Nottingham Legend of Sherwood Night Run. This is a run that takes place in Sherwood Forrest at Night (hence the title!). It is a 10k run with the addition of steep hills, obstacles, mud pits, and a cargo net. I've also packed the mince with loads of veg for good measure.

Ingredients

12 - 14 Dried Lasagne Sheets

For the Mince:

500g Lean Beef Mince

1 Large Onion (diced)

1 Clove of Garlic

150g Mushrooms (quartered)

3 Small Carrots (diced)

Broccoli (in florets)

100ml Red Wine

1L of Pasata

1 tbsp Pesto

2 tbsp Tomato Puree

1tbsp Dried Oregano

1 tbsp Dried Basil

For the Cheese Sauce:

100g Butter

100g Flour

1 Pint of Whole Milk 

400g Mature Cheddar

25g Parmesan

25g Blue Cheese (If there is any lying around)

1. Heat Oil in a frying pan and sweat the Onions, garlic, carrots, and mushrooms for 5 minutes
2. Crumble the beef mince (this stops big chunks of mince) into the pan and brown on a high heat for 4-5 minutes or until the meat is brown
3. Season with the dried herbs and black pepper. Beef and black pepper go together like Morecambe and Wise, you can't over use it. 
4. Add the Pesto and Tomato Puree and stir into the mixture.
5. Add the Pasata and bring to a simmer for 30 minutes
6. Whilst the mince is simmering heat the butter in a pan. Once melted. take of the heat and mix in the flour until it resembles a paste
7. Return to the heat and gradually add the milk a bit at a time so that it stays as a nice thick and smooth sauce.
8. Add all the cheeses to the sauce and stir until they have melted and the sauce has thickened even more.
9. Alternate layers of the Pasta Sheets, mince, broccoli and cheese sauce, finishing with a layer of cheese sauce on top. Sprinkle with more cheese
10. Bake in an oven at 180'C for 45minutes or until the top is golden.

The Lasagne waiting to go in the oven!

Bon Appetite!