BEEF AND LEEK LASAGNE

SERVES: 6

TIME: 1 - 2 HOURS

CALORIES 354

PROTEIN 29

CARBS 22

FATS 15

FIBRE 6

INGREDIENTS

2 leeks, trimmed to length of your lasagne dish

1 white onion, diced

1 white onion, cut into wedges

2 celery sticks, diced

2 carrots, peeled and diced

500 grams of beef mince

2 garlic cloves, crushed

150 grams of chestnut mushrooms, roughly

chopped

2 tablespoons of plain flour

150 millilitres of red wine

200 millilitres of beef stock

1 400 gram tin of chopped tomatoes

2 tablespoons of tomato puree

1 teaspoon of dried oregano

2 bay leaves

500 millilitres of milk

2 tablespoons of corn flour

A pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

20 grams of parmesan cheese

20 grams of cheddar cheese

INSTRUCTIONS

The leeks in this dish become a replacement for lasagne pasta sheets so begin by trimming them

to be the same length as the ovenproof dish you are using. Then cut leeks lengthways through

the core but no further – do not cut the leek completely in half. Open the leeks up like wings

and remove the narrow leaves from the centre of each, these can be finely sliced and put aside

for now. Finally, separate the larger leaves from the rest of the leeks, as these are your ‘lasagne’

sheets.

Heat a large non-stick frying pan over a medium-high heat and add the minced beef, sliced leeks,

onion, celery, carrots and garlic and fry without added fat for around 10 minutes, or until the beef

and vegetables have begun to brown slightly. Stir in the chestnut mushrooms and cook for a few

more minutes until they have started to soften. At this stage, the pan should look reasonably dry.

Add the plain flower to the pan and mix it through the mince and vegetable mixture. Add the red

wine and beef stock and let the alcohol of the wine cook off for a few minutes before adding the

tinned tomatoes, tomato puree, oregano and 1 bay leaf. Season with freshly ground black pepper

and leave the pan to simmer for around 30 minutes until the sauce looks glossy and thick.

Meanwhile, make the white sauce by adding the onion wedges, the remaining bay leaf, milk and

corn flour to a pan and simmer over a low heat for around 5 minutes until the sauce thickens and

becomes creamy and luxurious. If the sauce becomes too thick simply add a splash of extra milk.

Season the sauce with plenty of ground black pepper and a pinch of grated nutmeg.

In another pot, add boiling water and the leek ‘lasagne’ sheets. Bring the water back to the boil

and cook the leeks for five minutes, or until they are very tender, before draining in a colander. It

is important that the leeks are soft as otherwise the lasagne will be hard to cut.

Start layering the lasagne by spooning a layer of mince onto the bottom of the lasagne dish and

topping this with the leek ‘lasagne’ sheet. Repeat this until all the leeks and mince are used up,

you should have enough for around three layers. Pour over the white sauce and sprinkle the

cheddar and parmesan over the top for a deliciously cheesy finish.

Bake the dish in the oven for around 30 minutes, by which point it should be golden on top &

bubbling.