My own Lasagna Abomination

Any Italian would likely call this an abomination, which explains the title 😋

This lasagna is rather sweet due to the ketchup and is quite firm in consistency without being dry. The spice measurements are approximate since I never measure any more, but they should be reasonably accurate. Exact measurements are not really that important for this.

Ingredients

Meat Sauce:

  • 1 onion finely chopped
  • 3 cloves of minced garlic
  • 500g minced beef
  • 300g tomato ketchup (low-salt and low-sugar is fine)
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • 1 tsp thyme
  • 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1/2 tsp hot chili powder
  • Salt + pepper to taste

White sauce:

  • 40g butter
  • 1-2 heaped tablespoons of plain flour
  • 1 tsp ground nutmeg
  • Salt to taste
  • 2 pints (just over 1 liter) whole milk (full-fat)

Other:

  • 500g shredded mozzarella
  • Lasagna sheets

Preparation

Meat Sauce:

  1. Over medium heat in a little oil, fry the onion until transparent
  2. Add the garlic and fry for another minute
  3. Add the mince and fry until browned
  4. Add ketchup and the spices. If you want it spicier, add more chili and/or cayenne pepper. You can also use real chili. You can add a bit more ketchup or water to make the sauce thinner if that is to your liking. I like it fairly thick.
  5. Bring to a simmer then turn the heat down to low. Leave to simmer, stirring occasionally, while you make the white sauce

White Sauce:

  1.  Melt the butter gently, and stir in  flour. You want a consistency that is thick, but still runny, so use an amount of flour that accomplish that
  2. Add the milk and then the nutmeg and salt
  3. Bring to a boil stirring continuously
  4. Boil for 15 second, stirring vigorously, then turn off the heat

Assembly:

  1. Use an oven suitable flat ceramic dish. I use a 9" by 11" dish (or 22 cm by 28 cm), 2.5" deep. That will be completely full, so you can use a slightly larger one the first time.
  2. Heat up the oven to 200C non-fan
  3. Using a ladle, cover the bottom of the dish with about 2 ladles of white sauce
  4. Add a layer of lasagna sheets
  5. Add a 1/3 of the meat sauce and spread it out
  6. Add 1/4 of the cheese spread out
  7. Add another two ladles of white sauce on top and even it all out
  8. Repeat step 4-7 another two times
  9. Add a final layer of lasagna sheets
  10. Add another two ladles of white sauce on top, making sure the sheets are covered
  11. Spread the remaining 1/4 of the cheese evenly on top
  12. Bake in an oven for 40 minutes until the top is nicely browned
  13. Enjoy :-)