Turn on oven to 180 degrees.
Finely dice the onion, garlic, celery and carrot and place into a hot, oiled large fry pan. Lower heat and add onion and garlic, mix both ingredients. Add some salt and pepper and Italian Herbs and let the vegetables sweat for a further 5 minutes.
Add your mince and using a wooden spoon mix in with vegetables. Cook until the mince has lightly browned. Once browned, crumbled over the ½ beef cube and add the tomato paste. Stir until ingredients are mixed together well.
Then add your tinned tomatoes and ½ tin of water and bring to the boil, then simmer for 10 minutes. Whilst this is simmering away, start your cheesy bechamel sauce.
Bechamel Sauce
Melt butter in saucepan.
Add flour and using a (clean) wooden spoon mix until flour and butter have combined. Mix for another 2 minutes while sprinkling in cinnamon.
As you maintain heat, slowly add approx. ¼ cup of milk, using a whisk combine until the mix is in a slurry. Then slowly add a further 1/3 cup and whisk. Continue doing this until all the milk is in saucepan. Be careful not to add the milk too quickly otherwise you won’t get the right thickness. Add your cheese and keep whisking over the heat until it’s stringy and thick and very delicious!
Layering lasagna sheets
In an overproof rectangular dish spoon approx. 2 ladles of the mince mixture and drizzle over the cheese sauce, then slowly layer your fresh lasagna sheets (note – you may need to cut them to fit your dish prior).
Repeat the above process which should yield 3 layers comfortably. On your last layer of lasagna sheets, you should empty out your saucepan of bechamel sauce, sprinkle a couple of big handfuls of mozzarella cheese on top and any parsley or oregano lying around, to finish preparation of dish before baking.
Cover your lasagna with a sheet of baking paper and a sheet of foil, make sure they are securely tightened around your dish.
Place in the oven for 20 minutes, then remove the covering and a further 10 minutes in the oven until cheesy and mince sauce is bubbling away.
Rest lasagna for as long as possible so top firms up and gives you those nice corners. Serve with a rocket, parmesan and balsamic glaze salad and some crusty bread and you have a seriously good family mid-week meal.
