One Pot Lasagna

Instructions

1. 01

   Meat sauce - Sauté onion, garlic, celery and carrot, cook beef. Add 2/3 bottle of passata + remaining Meat Sauce ingredients, simmer 10 min. Topping Sauce - add everything into remaining passata in bottle, shake. Creamy ricotta - vigorously whisk until it's like whipped cream. Layer - Remove half meat sauce from pan. Slide lasagna sheets under Meat Sauce (break as needed), then do 2 more layers using reserved meat sauce. Dollop with ricotta, cover with cheese, bake 30 min at 180C/350F (160C). Stand 10 min before cutting.

2. 02

   Sauté - Heat olive oil in a deep skillet/pan over medium high heat. (Mine is 26cm/10.5" wide, 5cm/2" deep) (Note 5) Add garlic, onion, carrot and celery. Sauté until onion is translucent - about 3 minutes.

3. 03

   Cook beef - Turn up heat to high. Add beef and cook, breaking it up with the spatula, until you no longer see red.

4. 04

   Sauce - Add about 2/3 of the passata (keep rest for Sauce), and remaining Meat Sauce ingredients. Bring to rapid simmer, then turn down to medium/medium low. Simmer gently for 10 minutes.

5. 05

   Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F (160°C fan-forced).

6. 06

   Make sauce - Add Sauce Flavourings into the tomato passata bottle and shake to combine.

7. 07

   Creamy ricotta (optional) - Put the ingredients in a bowl. Start softening the ricotta using smearing motions with the back of a spoon, then switch to a whisk and give it a vigorous whisk for 20 - 30 seconds until it resembles whipped cream. (If using smooth ricotta, you'll barely need to do this).

8. 08

   Remove half filling - Remove the pan from the stove. Remove half the Meat Sauce into a bowl.

9. 09

   Base layer - Slide one lasagna sheet, starting from the side, under the Meat Sauce - this will be the base of the lasagna. Break up pieces of lasagne and slide them in under the Meat Sauce around the sides of the pan (to form the remainder of the bottom layer). There is no need to be accurate with coverage here, you can overlap and have gaps. We are making a rustic quick lasagna, remember! Spread the Meat Sauce to cover all the lasagna sheets.

10. 10

    Layer 2 - Top with another layer of dried lasagna sheets. Then spread over the Meat Sauce in the bowl.

11. 11

    Layer 3 - Cover with a 3rd layer of lasagna sheets.

12. 12

    Toppings - Pour over the Sauce and spread over the top. Do 12 - 15 dollops of ricotta across the surface (if using). Sprinkle with cheese.

13. 13

    Bake and rest - Bake for 30 minutes uncovered, then set aside for 10 minutes to stabilise a bit.

14. 14

    Serve - Sprinkle with parsley (if using), then cut and serve! Enjoy with a simple Balsamic Rocket Salad and Garlic Bread on the side.