Lasagne

Ingredients

For basic pasta recipe

  • 330g plain flour
  • 33g rice flour
  • 1tsp (approx 3g) xanthan gum
  • 1tsp (approx 3g) salt
  • 4 eggs
  • Water, as needed (approx 200ml)
  • 5ml olive oil

For basic sauce

  • 500g minced meat of your choice (omit if preferred)
  • 10-20ml olive oil
  • 1 onion, chopped finely (omit if required)
  • 3 garlic gloves, or to taste, minced (omit if required)
  • 2 celery stalks, chopped finely
  • 1 carrot, chopped finely
  • 10 basil leaves, torn
  • 3g dried oregano
  • 800g whole, peeled tomatoes, tinned or cooked
  • 700g tomato passata
  • 200ml water
  • 200ml red wine (omit and replace with stock if desired)
  • salt, to taste
  • fine black pepper, to taste
  • 3g sugar or 5ml honey, or to taste

Method

To make sauce

  1. In a saucepan, fry up onion and garlic with olive oil, on low heat until onion begins to clarify. (closing the lid helps keep the onion moist and not burn whilst clarifying).
  2. Add other chopped veggies and continue to cook.
  3. Add seasoned mince and brown with chopped vegetables.
  4. Add whole peeled tomatoes, pressing and mixing with a potato masher.
  5. Add tomato passata, water, wine, salt and pepper to taste, sugar or honey, torn basil leaves and dried oregano.
  6. Cover with a saucepan lid slightly ajar, allow to boil and lower heat.
  7. Allow to cook for a further 20-30mins. Turn off heat and allow to cool.

To make pasta

  1. Sift plain flour, rice flour and xanthan gum. Add salt and combine dry ingredients.
  2. Make a well in the dry ingredients and add 4 eggs.
  3. Combine dry ingredients and eggs until they begin to amalgamate.
  4. Gradually add water, a bit at a time until you have a desired consistency (aiming for a firm, elastic dough, which is not at all sticky). Hand mix or mix in a food processor.
  5. Once you are happy with the consistency, knead a few minutes into a smooth ball.
  6. Divide ball in half and continue halving until you have 16 small, individual pieces.
  7. Slightly flatten dough pieces, with a little white rice flour.
  8. Roll individual pieces using rolling pin, or pasta roller (until you can just see through the pasta sheet). Aim for roughly rectangular pieces, trimming with a knife where required.

Makes 8-12 serves

To assemble the lasagne

  1. Alternately layer cooled sauce, parmesan cheese, mozzarella or melting cheese, then pasta for about three or four layers, ending with a good layer of sauce and cheese (covering all pasta).
  2. Sprinkle a little dried oregano on top if desired.
  3. Cover with bake sheet and foil, then bake at 180c for 20-30mins until pasta is cooked through and cheese is melted.
  4. Remove foil and cook uncovered for a further 10mins or until top begins to brown and bubble.

Enjoy! Also delicious layered with a mix of spinach, ricotta cheese, fetta cheese, egg and a little cream to combine. Add cracked black pepper and seasoning as desired. Try adding mint to cheese mix for a fresh alternative