Lamb & Quorn Lasagne

My family loves a good Italian night in just as much as we love Italian going to restaurants, and Lasagne is one of our fave dishes to make because it's soooo amazing how filling it and and also all the flavours that can come from it!

This homemade Lamb & Quorn Lasagne has got to be one of my finest if I do say so myself 💁‍♀️ not only did the layers sit together nicely but the mixture of lamb and quorn mince tasted great! Mixing these together lightens the dish up a little as the combination of meat and pasta can get quite heavy, however it definitely doesn't affect the taste of the lamb! I also added chunks of aubergine as it goes great with lamb and mellows the meaty taste 😋 The trick is to keep the filling as thick as possible so 1. it doesn't taste too tomatoey, and 2. the layers remain stacked up nicely when you cut into it.

The following recipe is a guideline. I haven't provided exact quantities as it will all be dependant on how much you want to make.

INGREDIENTS:

• Wholegrain lasagne sheets

• Dolmio white lasagne sauce 470g jar

• Passata

• Equal parts Quorn mince & Lamb mince (i.e. 250g quorn mince & 250g lamb mince)

• Aubergine(s) cut into small chunks

• Garlic - finely chopped or ground

• Green chillies - finely chopped or ground

• Salt

• Pepper

• Garam masala

• Mixed dried herbs

• Fresh chives - chopped

• Grated Mozzarella or Cheddar cheese

RECIPE:

• Pre-heat the oven to 200°C / fan oven 180°C / Gas 5.

To make the filling -

• Heat 1 tsp of oil in a large non stick pan then sizzle your garlic and chillies (roughly 1-2tbsps depending on how hot you want it and how much you're making). Add in the lamb mince and gently break apart. Sprinkle in your salt, pepper and mixed dried herbs, stir gently then cover and leave to cook on a low heat (stirring occasionally) until the lamb is cooked.

• Once the lamb is cooked, add in the quorn mince and augerbine, and stir in gently to mix. Cover again and leave to cook on low heat until quorn has defrosted and the aubergine begins to soften.

• Once all of the ingredients are cooked, add in the passata a little at a time, then stirring gently. Keep doing this until you achieve a thick saucy consistency (you do not want to make it runny). Add in a couple of tablespoons of water to loosen it ever so slightly - this will help dilute the tomato taste a little bit. Once everything is mixed together nicely, cover and leave to simmer on low heat for about 5 minutes.

• When it begins to bubble, taste the sauce and add in some extra salt, pepper and herbs if it needs it, and sprinkle in a pinch of garam masala if you wish you have that extra kick of spice. Stir, and leave to simmer again for a few more minutes then turn off the heat.

To build your lasagne -

• Ideally you want a large rectangle dish big enough for the filling to create 2-3 layers. Start with your meat filling as the first layer smoothing out with the back of your spoon to flatten it out, then lay out your lasagne sheets on top, trying not to overlap them too much. Top with a layer of the white sauce, smoothing out with the back of a spoon until the pasta sheets are all covered (this will help them cook nicely). However, be careful on the edges and between gaps as to not mix in some of the red sauce too much.

• Repeat this sequence again to create another 1-2 layers depending on how much filling you've made. NOTE: when adding the filling on top of the white sauce, be very gentle when spreading it as you want to avoid it mixing too much with the white sauce. Easiest way to do this is to place small spoonfuls of the filling across the dish then spread each of these slightly until they all meet to create a layer.

• Once you've finished all your layers (ending with the white sauce right at the top), place in the centre of the oven for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven after this and top with the cheese. Place back in the oven for another 10 minutes.

• Remove from the oven and sprinkle on the chopped chives then allow to stand for about 5 minutes. Slice into equal squares and enjoy! (the trick to serving the slices without them falling apart is to use 2 spatulas - one to slip under the slice and the other to support it).