Easy Lasagna

(Photo courtesy of PDPhoto.org)

This recipe is requested by Nes, a good friend of my sister's of many years standing. Hey, she's mine too ;) She reads this blog often, though silently :) So yesterday, when she sent me a text message asking if I had an easy lasagna recipe to share (one of her son's favourite foods) I was only too happy to oblige. I made lasagna a couple of weeks ago because it happens to be my Iman's fav too and that's the most ordered item for her when we head to our favourite Italian restaurant, Bella Italia, which is run by a friendly Bosnian called Mesud. Yes, we truly are multi racial/multicultural here and we eat in perfect harmony!

So here's the recipe Nes, hope your Ariff enjoys this!

Easy Lasagna (adapted from a recipe in the Australian Women's Weekly)

INGREDIENTS

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium brown onion, chopped finely
2 cloves garlic, crushed
750g minced beef
750g jar pasta sauce ( I sometimes use bolognese)
425g jar carbonara sauce (when pressed for time, this is a wonderful replacement for the cheese sauce)
375g packet instant lasagna pasta sheets
2 cups shredded pizza cheese (mozzarella and parmesan) - I sometimes purchase the 3 cheese variety which includes cheddar-great too.

salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves

METHOD

1. Preheat oven to moderatley hot (200deg C/180 deg C fan forced)
2. Heat oil in a large saucepan or deep frying pan; (a wok, would work just fine)cook onion and garlic about 5 minutes or until onion softens. Add mince, cook, stirring, until mince changes colour. Stir in the pasta sauce and oregano, simmer, covered, for about 10 minutes or thickened slightly. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
3. Grease a 2.5 litre (10 cup) capacity ovenproof dish. Spread 1/3 cup carbonara sauce over base of dish. Layer two pasta sheets, 1/4 of the meant sauce and 1/4 of the cheese. Repeat layering starting with pasta sauce and ending with cheese(you will have four layers in total). Top the final layer with remaining carbonara sauce and remaining cheese.
4. Bake Lasagna, uncovered for about 40 minutes or until the top is browned and pasta is tender. Stand for 10 minutes before cutting. (Iman couldn't wait that long! that's why I don't have any of my own pics!)

Have fun cooking Nes!