Beef and Spinach Lasagne

My mum is a great cook and one of the first things I remember her teaching me was a how to make a white sauce. It's such a versatile base to lots of dishes, I make it so often I could do it in my sleep. My favourite use for the sauce is Beef and Spinach Lasagne.

We love this meal because its not as heavy as a beef lasagne. The spinach makes it really tasty and a bit healthier too! We made two big dishes of this for my family on New Year's Eve with garlic bread and salad and everyone cleared their plates, including our 10 month old baby Hannah Rose who was actually licking the tray of her high chair after it! 

Serves 4.

Ingredients

400g minced beef

Small bag of frozen spinach

Half a tub of Ricotta chesse

1 tin of plum tomatoes

2 or 3 cloves of chopped garlic

1 chopped onion

Lasagne sheets- fresh or dried

Grated cheese, mix of cheddar and mozzarella 

For the white sauce

Large knob of butter

3 heaped tablespoons plain flour

250ml milk

grated nutmeg



Method

  1. Fry off the onion on a low heat until soft and add the garlic, fry for a couple of minutes.
     
  2. Add the minced beef until browned - drain off excess liquid.
     
  3. Add tomatoes and allow to simmer for 20 - 30 minutes.
     
  4. Defrost the spinach and drain well to remove all the excess liquid.
     
  5. Mix the spinach in a bowl with the Ricotta cheese until fully combined.
     
  6. To make the white sauce, melt the butter in a pot and add the flour to make a thick paste. With the pot on a medium heat gradually add the milk and continue stirring until you have a thick sauce. 
     
  7. Add the grated nutmeg and some of the grated cheese.
     
  8. Using a square baking dish spread the beef mixture on the bottom of the dish.
     
  9. Place a layer of pasta sheets on top to cover the meat.
     
  10. Cover with a thin layer of white sauce.
     
  11. Spread the spinach mixture on top of the white sauce. The sauce and spinach will get a bit mixed up here.
     
  12. Cover with another layer of pasta sheets.
     
  13. Spread the remaining white sauce on top of the pasta and sprinkle with the grated cheese.
     
  14. Bake in the oven for about 40 minutes at 180 degrees until golden and crispy on top. Serve with freshly grated parmesan cheese, salad and garlic bread. 

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