My Super Cheesy Beef Lasagna, yummmms!

As I have mentioned numerous times before in my previous posts, I have been extremely unwell as of late, which caused me not to enjoy my weekends as much as I usually do. It has been an endless tiring cycle of visiting the doc, gagging horrible meds, getting slightly better, and then getting unwell again. Just thinking about it gives me a pounding headache that I finally give up and resolve to think on more pleasurable things in life.

Interestingly though, in the midst of my chaotic health cycle, I have uncharacteristically spent my time in the kitchen poring over recipes (simple ones of course, I wouldn’t want to overestimate my limited capabilities in the kitchen) – and decided to try a few!  And I am not ashamed to say that I have managed to produce some edible dishes, did not burn the kitchen down, and Pedro is still alive and kicking after tasting some of my humble attempts.  (We do not count Kimy into this experiment as he still insists to maintain ‘nasi + kicap + telur’ and ‘maggie +kicap’ in his daily menu, God bless my son).

I recently made a home-made super cheesy beef lasagna which I successfully baked in my new oven (thanks to Pedro). I googled the recipe from the internet and found a simple one which I felt brave enough to try, credits to Kak Ida of http://www.koleksi1001resepi.com/. Since I am happy with the result, herewith I’d like to share the recipe with you (p/s: I made slight revisions to the original recipe in accordance to my own personal preference J ):

The Beef Sauce – ingredients:

Minced beef – amount depending to your preference, add more if you prefer a thicker sauce mixture

Butter - loads of this as well as I love the richness and intensity of the buttery flavour

Olive oil

Garlic, Large onions, finely chopped – I prefer to have loads of this, adds more taste to the sauce

Button mushrooms – thinly sliced

1 bottle of Prego Tomato-based Pasta Sauce – you may not need the whole bottle, depending on the amount required.

Seasonings – Salt, Pepper, Fresh/ Dry Basil, Dry Oregano

Note:

1.       Heat butter mixed with olive oil, sauté garlic and large onions until slightly golden

2.       Add minced beef according to your preference, stir a little until the mixture is incorporated.

3.       Add button mushrooms, and the pasta sauce. Stir until the sauce thickens and the mixture is well combined.

4.       Season with salt, pepper, herbs, or any seasonings of your preference.

The Cheesy Sauce – ingredients:

Butter – 3 table spoons

Plain Flour – 2 table spoons

Full cream milk – 3-4 cups

Grated cheddar cheese – 2-3 cups

Salt & pepper, to taste

Note:

1.       Heat 3 table spoons of butter, 2 table spoons of plain flour, and stir until mixture turns slightly golden and bubbles.

2.       Add 3-3 cups of full cream milk. Continue to stir, and leave the milk to simmer for a few minutes.

3.       Add 2-3 cups of grated cheddar cheese, stir until sauce thickens.

4.       Season with salt & pepper.

Pasta:

250g of packet dry instant lasagna sheets (amount needed will depend on the measurement of your baking dish)

Toppings:

1.       Grated mozzarella cheese – amount depending on preference

2.       Grated cheddar cheese – amount depending on preference

Lasagna Assembly:

Start the layering in your baking dish by spreading the meat sauce over the base of the dish, followed by a layer of the lasagna sheets. Cut or break the sheets to fit the shape of the dish. Spread another layer of the meat sauce, followed by a layer of the cheese sauce. Top with another layer of the lasagna sheets. Repeat the steps of layers, allow to at least 4 layers of each combination. Finally, sprinkle the combined mozzarella cheese and cheddar cheese.

Bake in oven for 35-40 minutes at 180’c, until cheese is golden and the pasta is tender. Set aside for 10 minutes to allow lasagna to cool off before cutting and serving.

And here’s the result, yumsss! Try it – it’s real simple, especially for kitchen-newbies like me!