Lasagna

When I show the savory dishes I prepare in my Instagram stories, I often receive many requests for the recipes; I have already posted a few, and here is a new one, the classic Italian lasagna with its meat-flavored tomato sauce and a good dose of parmesan.
For a vegetarian version, you can of course replace the meat with plant-based mince.

Equipment:
I used my Kenwood Cooking Chef to make the béchamel and the homemade lasagna sheets with the pasta roller attachment; you can get the roller and 2 other accessories for free with the code FLAVIE when purchasing a Cooking Chef (3 accessories offered worth up to €500) / commercial collaboration.

Shopping list:
380g of flour
3 eggs
300g of parmesan
300g of minced beef
300g of minced pork ham
4 medium yellow onions (500 to 700g)
4 cloves of garlic
Olive oil for cooking
50g of butter
500ml of milk
1.6kg of crushed tomatoes (I use canned tomatoes from the Mutti brand)
Salt & pepper
Thyme & bay leaf to taste
½ teaspoon of grated nutmeg
A few fresh sage leaves if you have them

Homemade pasta:

Which you can of course replace with dried or fresh lasagna sheets from the store.

300g of flour
3 eggs

Make a well with the flour, and place the eggs in the middle. Gradually mix with a fork, then finish by hand to obtain a smooth dough. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it rest for at least 2 hours. In the meantime, you can prepare the sauce and the béchamel.
Then, cut the dough into portions and pass them through the pasta roller gradually, going up to setting 5 or 6 depending on whether you prefer the dough thin or very thin. If necessary, lightly flour the dough so it doesn't stick.

Tomato & meat sauce:

300g of minced beef
300g of minced pork ham
4 medium yellow onions (500 to 700g)
4 cloves of garlic
Olive oil for cooking
1.6kg of crushed tomatoes (I use canned tomatoes from the Mutti brand)
Salt & pepper
Thyme & bay leaf to taste
A few fresh sage leaves if you have them

Quickly sauté the minced beef in a pan until just cooked, then add the minced ham and remove from heat. If the meat is still a bit pink, no problem, it will finish cooking in the oven.
Peel and finely slice the onions and sauté them with the olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Also add the minced garlic. Sauté until the onions are soft and golden. Then add the crushed tomatoes, salt, pepper, thyme, bay leaf, and sage. Let simmer uncovered over low/medium heat, stirring regularly, to reduce (about 1 to 1.5 hours).
When the tomato sauce has reduced, remove it from the heat and add the cooked meat. Mix well.

Béchamel:

50g of butter
80g of flour
500ml of milk
½ teaspoon of grated nutmeg
150g of grated parmesan

Melt the butter and add the flour to make a roux. If you are using the Cooking Chef, there is a béchamel program that does it for you 😉 Then add the grated nutmeg, and gradually the milk while mixing well. Thicken over low heat, stirring constantly, then add the parmesan and set aside.

Assembly & cooking:

150g of grated parmesan

In a large baking dish, spread a thin layer of the meat tomato sauce. Cover with a layer of lasagna sheets, then add more meat tomato sauce. Add a thin layer of well-spread béchamel, then grated parmesan. Repeat the process: lasagna sheets, tomato sauce, béchamel, and parmesan. For the last layer, repeat: pasta, tomato sauce, and then I prefer to reverse and put the parmesan before the last layer of béchamel to have soft and melting lasagna; if you prefer a gratin effect, finish with the parmesan.
Bake in a preheated oven at 190°C for 20 to 30 minutes, then let cool for a few minutes. Serve with a green salad and enjoy!

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