My boyfriend loves lasagne! I tend to make it mostly on the weekend for us though as it does take a good hour and a half to prepare and cook. This is my own version based on a combination of my meat ragu sauce and a  Jamie Oliver recipe for the construction and topping. The crème fraiche works so well and is far less fussy than the classic béchamel sauce as well as being lower in calories. I serve mine with a fresh tomato, mozzarella and basil salad. This is a super tasty lasagne…give it a go.

The recipe serves 6

Ingredients

400g lean steak mince (I usually buy mince from the local butcher or use Waitrose Duchy Organic lean beef mince, 10 % fat)

1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 clove garlic crushed

200g Baby button mushrooms finely sliced

400g tin chopped tomatoes

1 bunch fresh basil

1 tbsp tomato ketchup

1 tsp Italian herb seasoning

1 tbsp tomato puree

75 ml red wine

1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

80-100g grated parmesan

350g fresh lasagne sheets

500 ml crème fraiche

Large ripe tomato

Serve with a fresh green salad or tomato and mozzarella salad

Method

1. Heat the oven to 190C/gas 5. Butter a large earthenware ovenproof dish.
2. Heat the oil in a large frying pan and add the steak mince. Cook for a few minutes on a medium to high heat until the meat starts to brown. Push the mince to one side of the pan and allow the juices to fill the bottom of the other half.
3. Add the chopped onion to the pan and cook for a few minutes in the meat juices and oil. Once the onions start to soften add the garlic to the onions. Cook for another minute or 2 and then stir in the Italian herb seasoning and mushrooms. Mix  everything together and cook for a couple of minutes.
4. Add the chopped tomatoes, tomato puree, tomato ketchup, red wine and Worcestershire sauce to the pan and give everything a good stir.
5. Turn down the heat to low-medium and let the sauce simmer for around 15 minutes until cooked, stirring occasionally.
6. Season the sauce with salt and pepper, tear in the fresh basil leaves and stir, saving some basil leaves for the lasagne topping.
7. Spoon a third of the sauce into the bottom of your ovenproof dish. Follow with a layer of lasagne sheets. Dollop over a third of your crème fraiche (I use a little less as like the top to be more creamy) and smooth it out to cover the pasta.
8. Sprinkle with a good pinch of salt & pepper, and a sprinkle of parmesan. Add another layer of lasagne, and repeat the layers twice more, finishing with a layer of crème fraiche and the remaining parmesan.
9. Top with some slices of tomato, scatter over some the basil leaves and drizzle with olive oil. Cover with foil, place in the preheated oven and bake for 20 minutes.
10. Remove the foil and cook for a further 35 minutes, until the lasagne is bubbling and golden.
11. Serve with a fresh green or tomato and mozzarella salad.