Lasagne Pasta Bake
My son loves lasagne but I don’t make it often due to the lengthy preparation time involved. So I came up with this weeknight pasta bake inspired by the elements of a lasagne and it got the (big) thumbs up. The baking time is halved compared to a layered lasagne thanks to par-boiling the pasta. And it can be made with mince or meat-free using a selection of seasonal vegetables – see recipe for variation.
Equipment
- My son loves lasagne but I don’t make it often due to the lengthy preparation time involved. So I can up with a weeknight pasta bake inspired by the elements of a lasagne and it got the (big) thumbs up. The baking time is halved compared to a layered lasagne thanks to par-boiling the pasta. And it can be made with mince or meat-free using a selection of seasonal vegetables – see recipe for variation.
Ingredients
- 250 g spiral pasta - can use gluten-free pasta
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 400 g lamb or beef mince
- OR 2 cups of chopped vegetables – eg mushrooms, carrot, pumpkin, broccoli
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 400 g can chopped tomatoes
- Salt and pepper to season
Spinach Bechamel Sauce
- 50 g butter
- 1/3 cup (50g) flour - can use gluten-free flour
- 1 1/2 cups (375ml) milk - can use dairy-free milk such as oat milk
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 large bunch spinach or 200g frozen spinach, finely chopped
- 50 g parmesan cheese, finely grated
- Cracked pepper
- 150 g mozzarella, thinly sliced or 1 cup grated edam cheese
- Handful of pumpkin seeds
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 190C. Lightly grease a 25 × 30cm baking dish.
- In a large saucepan bring 2 litres of water to a rapid boil. Add the pasta and salt and boil for about 6 minutes until the pasta is almost cooked. Drain in a colander.
- Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large frypan, add the onions and garlic and cook for 5 minutes to soften. Add the mince and cook until the mince is browned, breaking it up with the back of a wooden spoon. If using vegetables, saute with the onions for 5 minutes.
- Add the chopped tomatoes and oregano and cook over a moderate heat for 10 minutes until the sauce thickens. Stir through the par-boiled pasta, check seasoning, and tip into the prepared baking dish.
- Using the pasta cooking pan, prepare the spinach sauce. Melt the butter and add the flour. Stir to make a roux (paste) then slowly add the milk. Whisk constantly until the sauce thickens. Add the salt, spinach, grated parmesan and cracked pepper. Stir to combine.
- Pour the spinach sauce over the pasta layer and top with slices of mozzarella or grated cheese. Scatter with pumpkin seeds and place in the oven. Cook until the cheese has melted and the sauce is bubbly about 25-30 minutes. Serve hot with parsley pesto and salad.