Friday Feast - Creamy Courgette and Beef Lasagne

This has to be my current favourite lasagne recipe - the 'two-legged mouse' voted it the best ever:

Creamy Courgette and Beef Lasagne

Serves 4

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
500g beef lean steak mince
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
390g carton (or 450g can) chopped tomatoes with basil and oregano
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Approx a handful of fresh coriander, chopped
2 tablespoons tomato purée
50ml red wine, or beef stock
250g pack fresh egg lasagne sheets
2 courgettes, sliced into ribbons with a peeler
400g jar white sauce for lasagne
50g grated mature cheddar cheese

Heat the oil in a frying pan and sauté the onion and garlic for 1 minute. Add the mince and cook for 10 minutes, until brown; add the cinnamon for the final 2 minutes.

Stir in the tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, coriander, tomato purée and wine (or beef stock). Simmer for 15-20 minutes, until reduced to a thick, glossy sauce. 

Preheat the oven to 200ºC, fan 180ºC, gas 6. In a large baking dish, spoon a layer of the mince sauce, topped with a layer of lasagne sheets, followed by a layer of courgette and the white sauce. Repeat, finishing with a layer of courgette ribbons and a thin layer of white sauce. Sprinkle with the grated Cheddar and bake for 20-25 minutes.

 

Serve with a mixed green salad and/or garlic bread. 

 

Things I do: I did find a can rather than a carton of chopped tomatoes with basil and oregano, but you could probably just add a little pinch of each to an ordinary can of tomatoes. And, I cheated and bought the jar of white sauce as the recipe said (the recipe came from a Sainsburys in-store magazine) - you could make your own of course. 

It's the addition of the cinnamon and coriander, along with the courgette strips, that give this recipe that something special - and of course the red wine helped, hic!

Enjoy!

Di

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