Meatball Lasagne

Step 1/12

Preheat the oven to 200C / 180 Fan / Gas Mark 6.

Step 2/12

• 1 red onion
• 4 cloves garlic

• knife

Finely chop the onion and crush the garlic. Grate or finely chop the mozzarella and set aside.

Step 3/12

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• frying pan

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large, deep frying pan and fry the onion with a pinch of salt on a low heat until tender (about 10 minutes), then tip into a large bowl and allow to cool slightly.

Step 4/12

• 500 g beef mince
• 2 tsp dried thyme
• 75 g Parmesan cheese
• 2 egg yolks

Add the mince, thyme, 50g of Parmesan and the egg yolks. Season with salt and a generous amount of pepper and mix together with your hands. Roll then mixture into about 30 small balls (this is easiest with damp hands).

Step 5/12

Heat the rest of the oil in the pan and brown the meatballs all over in 2 batches. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add the chopped garlic and fry, stirring for a minute or so until aromatic.

Step 6/12

• 175 ml red wine

Pour in the wine, increase the heat from medium to high and boil for a couple of minutes to reduce, scraping the sticky goodness up off the bottom of the pan.

Step 7/12

• 1 kg Passatta
• 1 tbsp caster sugar

Add the passatta and sugar. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 40 minutes until thickened; season and remove from the heat. Set aside 12 of the meatballs (for the top) and stir in the rest into the sauce.

Step 8/12

• 30 g butter
• 40 g flour

• saucepan

Whilst the meatballs are cooking, make a white sauce. Place the butter and flour in a medium saucepan and heat gently, stirring, until the butter has melted and the flour is incorporated. Continue to stir over a low heat for 2-3 minutes or until the flour is golden brown.

Step 9/12

• 500 g milk
• 2 bay leaves

Whisk in the milk a bit at a time, until you have a smooth sauce. Add the bay leaves and bring to the boil, stirring. Simmer for 2 minutes, then remove from the heat.

Step 10/12

• 1 tbsp grainy mustard

Add the mustard and remaining 25g of Parmesan, stir until melted and season to taste.

Step 11/12

• 250 g Lasagne sheets
• 250 g mozzarella cheese

To assemble the lasagne, arrange half the meatballs in sauce in a 30 x 20cm baking dish. Top with half the lasagne sheets, tearing them fit if necessary. Spoon over half the white sauce, removing the bay leaves and top with one third of the grated mozzarella. Repeat these layers once more. Arrange the reserved meatballs on the top and scatter with the remaining mozzarella.