Robyn’s italian lasagne

In partnership with Mainland

We put the word out that we were looking for the best Lasagne recipe in the country, and so we scoured kitchens from Cape Reinga to Bluff and beyond. We found the cream of the crop in this home loved Italian special from Robyn. Cheers, Robyn!

Prep time – 60 mins

Cooking time – 50 mins

Serves 6

Ingredients

Beef Mix:

1 large	Onion
4 cloves	Garlic
700g	Organic Ground Beef Mince
2 Tbsp	Tomato Paste
1 tin	Diced Tomatoes
2 tsp	Basil
2 Tbsp	Oregano
A generous seasoning of Salt & Pepper to taste
1	Beef Stock cube
Pinch	of sugar
1/2	Fennel bulb (shredded)
4	Hard-boiled eggs (crumbled)

Bechamel Sauce:

1/4 cup	butter
1/4 cup	flour
3 cups	Blue Top Milk
Salt and Pepper to taste
Pinch	nutmeg

Cheese (for bechamel and topping):

2 cups	Mascarpone
2 cups	Mainland Parmesan
2 cups	Mainland Tasty Cheddar

Method:

Beef Mix Method

• In a dry pan roast 2 Tbsp Shredded Fennel until golden, remove half and set aside.
• Add your onion, ground beef, and oil. Fry until browned and cooked through.
• Mix in your diced tomatoes and tomato paste (feel free to use a passata if more convenient). Use your tomato tin or passata bottle to measure a serve of water, and add that to the pan too. Cook for ten minutes.
• Add 2 tsp cracked pepper and crumble your stock cube into the mix. Add more tomato puree if needed for taste.
• Add sugar in small pinches at a time to taste, until the tartness of the tomato has been reduced (Around 1 tsp)
• Close the lid and leave to simmer on a low heat for 40minutes.

Bechamel Sauce

• While your mince is simmering prepare your Bechamel over very low heat.
• Melt 2 Tbsp butter in a saucepan, and then add 2 Tbsp flour and cook for a mite, constantly stirring gently, until a smooth paste forms. Slowly add in your milk and keep stirring away.
• When the sauce is smooth, add a handful of cheddar and half the parmesan as well as a scoop of mascarpone, stir the mix until smooth and all the cheese has melted through.
• Add a pinch of cracked pepper and a pinch of nutmeg, stir until everything is dissolved and take off the heat to rest.

Preparation

• Preheat your oven to 190°C Peel your eggs and chop them into 1/2cm chunks.
• In your lasagne dish layer beef mix on the bottom, followed by overlapping lasagne sheets.
• Add another layer of beef mix, then sprinkle some eggs on top, before adding another layer of lasagne sheets. Continue until the top of the dish (feel free to mix a little bechamel in amongst the lasagne sheets)
• On the top layer of lasagne sheets spread the majority of the bechamel directly on top and sprinkle with cheddar and oregano. Cover with foil.
• Cook in the oven for 25-30 minutes before carefully removing the foil.
• Sprinkle with parmesan and a handful of oregano, before cooking for 10 more minutes.

The Mainland Special Reserve range is available at supermarkets and retailers nationwide. For this and more Mainland recipes to make and share, head to nzherald.co.nz/eatwell