Cook with Avonmore: Beef Lasgane

The perfect comfort food for a chilly midweek evening, here's a tasty Tried & Tested: Cook with Avonmore guide to a delicious lasagne.

Ingredients

For the ragu

• 1 medium onion – chopped
• 2-4 garlic cloves – chopped
• 2 tblsp olive oil
• 500g minced beef
• 100g cooked ham, roughly chopped
• 1 tin chopped tomatoes
• 200ml water or stock
• 2 tblsp tomato puree
• 2 tblsp chopped, fresh oregano - optional
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Lasagne sheets 9 – 15, depending on your dish size

For the white sauce

• 50g Avonmore butter
• 50g plain flour
• 500ml Avonmore Milk – at room temperature

For the topping

• 1 x 250ml carton Avonmore Cooking Cream
• 200g Avonmore Cheddar Cheese, grated

Method

You will need one oven-proof dish, approx 20cm x 30cm

1. In a wide pan, heat the olive oil and cook the onion and garlic gently for about 5 minutes. Add the mince and brown it well, breaking it up as you do, add the ham, tomatoes, purée, water or stock and bring to a bubble. Turn the heat to a simmer and cook, uncovered for 30-40 minutes. Stir occasionally until the sauce is a nice thick consistency.  Season with salt and pepper and add the oregano if using. Turn off the heat and make the white sauce.
2. Melt the butter gently in a medium sized pot, add the flour and stir to cook the flour for 3-4 minutes. Slowly add the milk, stirring as you go until all the milk has been added to the pan. Don’t worry if it seems like it won’t work, keep stirring and turn the heat to low. The sauce will become thick and smooth, season with salt and pepper.
3. Assemble the dish by spreading a layer of meat sauce on the bottom of the dish, drizzle over some white sauce and lay the lasagne sheets on top. Be careful not to overlap any sheets. Repeat the layers until the sauces are used up, this quantity will make three layers of pasta and sauce.
4. Pour the contents of the Avonmore Cooking Cream over the top and down the sides of the dish. Sprinkle generously with Avonmore cheddar cheese and bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for 40-50 mins until golden brown and bubbling.
5. Serve with salad and garlic bread