Ingredients
For the meat sauce
1 tbsp vegetable oil
500g/1 lb 2oz beef mince
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 large onion, peeled, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled, crushed to a paste with the edge of a knife
75ml/2½fl oz red wine
1 tsp tomato purée
1 x 400g/14oz can chopped tomatoes
1 bay leaf
1 tbsp chopped fresh oregano (or 1 tsp dried oregano)
2 carrots, peeled, chopped
For the béchamel sauce
650ml/1 pint 2fl oz full-fat milk, plus 3 tbsp extra for the roux
1 bay leaf
1 thick slice onion
pinch freshly grated nutmeg
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2-3 tbsp butter
3 tbsp cornflour
25g/1oz parmesan cheese, grated, plus extra to garnish
250g/9oz fresh lasagne pasta
Method
1. For the meat sauce, heat the vegetable oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add the beef mince, in batches, and fry for 6-8 minutes, or until browned on both sides. Season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Remove from the pan and set aside on a warm plate. Repeat the process with the remaining batches of beef mince.
2. Add the onion and garlic and fry for a further 2-3 minutes, or until softened.
3. Add the wine, tomato purée, canned tomatoes and bay leaf and stir well. Bring the mixture to the boil, then reduce the heat until the mixture is simmering. Cover the pan with a lid and continue to simmer for 30 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened.
4. Preheat the oven to 220C/430F/Gas 7.
5. Meanwhile, for the béchamel sauce, heat the milk in a pan over a medium heat until warmed through and just simmering. Add the bay leaf, onion slice and nutmeg, then season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Set aside.
6. Heat the butter in a separate saucepan over a low to medium heat. When the butter has melted, add the remaining three tablespoons of milk, then add the cornflour and whisk thoroughly to a smooth paste (this is the roux).
7. Strain a little of the nutmeg-infused milk into the pan with the roux sauce and whisk until smooth and well combined. Bring the mixture to a simmer and continue to simmer for 1-2 minutes, or until thickened.
8. Repeat the process until all of the milk has been incorporated into the béchamel sauce and the sauce is smooth and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper, then stir in the parmesan until melted. Remove the pan from the heat, cover and set aside. Keep warm.
9. When the meat sauce has thickened, add the chopped carrots and continue to simmer for a further 6-8 minutes, or until tender. Stir in the oregano.
10. Arrange some of the sheets of lasagne in the bottom of a medium-sized ovenproof serving dish in a single layer. Spoon over a third of the meat sauce, then pour over a quarter of the béchamel.
11. Repeat this layering process twice more, until all of the meat sauce has been used up.
12. Arrange another layer of lasagne on top of the top layer of béchamel. Pour over the remaining béchamel sauce. Sprinkle over the remaining parmesan.
13. Bake the lasagne in the oven for 20-25 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbling and the top is golden-brown.
