I made Pakistani lasagna recipe with beef/qeema yesterday with desi twist. The ooey-gooey with perfectly cooked noodles and yummy sauces. My very desi taste-buds family has come to terms with this version of Meat Lasagne as it contains spicy mince meat filling, a super cheesy white sauce and vegetable laden tomato sauce. The layers when perfectly cooked and layered gives the optimal flavor and mouthfeel and everything comes together wonderfully for a very satisfying meal.
Lasagne is an Italian word and of course being a variation of pasta is Italian origin. Lasagna simply means single sheet while Lasagne is plural. Though vegetarian, chicken and keto varieties are surfacing, I am more for the traditional version. The recipe I am going to share is a variation of the original which I have modified over years to achieve the perfect one. It may seem long, but if you look at the tips, with little management you can easily nail it.
I have also never liked what they serve in restaurant because their meat has that peculiar aroma and also the ratios are a bit off. This is what works for me but you may increase the quantity of meat to 200 grams if desired.
So without further ado, here you go. Don’t forget to comment and share.
- 125 grams or 8 ounces mince meat
- 1 small onion chopped
- 1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon red chilli powder
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
- corriander and green chillies for garnishing
- 2-3 cloves garlic chopped
- 1 tablespoon onion chopped
- 3-4 mushrooms sliced
- 1 carrot grated
- 2 tablespoon oil
- 1 cup blended tomatoes
- 4 tablespoon ketchup
- 1 teaspoon red chilli flakes
- 2 teaspoon oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/2 cup flour
- 3-4 cups milk
- salt according to taste
- 1 teaspoon white pepper
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
- 12 Lasagne sheets
- 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese grated
- Heat oil, add ginger garlic paste, then add onion, saute for 5 mins.
- Add mince meat and rest of the spices. Cover and cook in its own water on low heat till water dries.
- Add corriander and chillies. It should be nice and dry with no water.
- Heat oil, add garlic, then add onion, mushrooms and carrot.
- Saute and then add tomatoes and remaining ingredients.
- Let it simmer on low heat till sauce reduces and thickens for about 15 minutes.
- Melt butter, add flour and whisk continuously.
- Add in one cup of milk, whisking vigorously on medium heat.
- Add in one more cup of milk and continue whisking to avoid forming any lumps.
- Lastly add in one more cup of milk, cheese and seasonings.
- The sauce should neither be too thick or thin and should cover the back of a wooden spoon.
- Adjust the consistency with more milk keeping in mind that it will reduce while baking as well.
- Boil Lasagne according to package directions, usually rapidly salted boiling water. Add the sheets, stirring frequently and cook for 10 minutes till done.
- Strain and put them back in the pot of cold water to let it stop cooking and also to prevent from sticking.
- Take a rectangular atleast 2 inches deep baking dish and lightly grease it.
- Spread a couple of tablespoons of tomato sauce in it.
- Line with three sheets folding the edges if required. Don't leave the edges hanging.
- Add around 1/3 of tomato sauce, 1/3 of mince meat and almost 3/4 cup of white sauce layering in same order.
- Repeat with two more layers.
- Lastly add the last layer of lasagne, remaining white sauce and sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top.
- Bake in a pre-heated oven at 350 F for 20 minutes until cheese has melted and grill (by opening the grill) for few more minutes to give that brown color on top.
- -Lasagne sheets should be uncooked and not ready to bake as often available these days.
- -I make large quantity of Mince meat using same recipe to use for other fillings like cutlets and samosas.
- - Use mature good quality cheddar cheese available as that will give the sauce a distinctive flavor.
- - Remember the oven has to be hot so the cheese melts instantly, a cold oven will only cause the shrinkage which can be unappealing.
- - Never leave the edges hanging on the side of the dish and always tuck them in so that they don't get baked and get crisp.
- - Always cut the squares and then take them out with a large serving spoon.
- - You can make ahead the mince meat and tomato sauce and even freeze them.
- - Lasagne can be assembled a night before , wrapped well and then bake when you want to serve.
- - For tomato sauce, I simply blend 2 large tomatoes without water.
- - You can pre-measure your baking dish and lasagna strips to determine how many layers you want and how many strips each layer will have. Usually 4 layers with 3 strips each is my go-to.
can you please remove the recipe as you have shared without my consent?