Ingredients
Spinach ricotta filling
Method
1.To prepare the lasagne, cut each of the two pasta sheets into three equal-sized pieces. Place in a shallow pan and pour a kettle of boiling water over the top. Leave them to soak.
2.Preheat oven to 180°C. Brown mince in a large frying pan, remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
3.In the same pan, add the wine; bring to a simmer for 2 minutes then add the stock. When simmering, mix in tomato paste, oregano, balsamic vinegar and sugar. Add fresh basil, if using. Whisk to combine, then add the passata. Return the mince to the pan, season with salt and pepper and simmer for 15 minutes.
4.Meanwhile, make the Spinach ricotta filling (see below).
5.Pour the meat mixture into a shallow baking pan or lasagne dish, approx 20cm x 27cm.
6.Drain lasagne sheets. Place a strip of pasta on a board, spread with approximately ⅓ cup Spinach ricotta filling along the long side, leaving a 2cm strip uncovered on one side. Roll up from the filled end, slice the roll into four and place, end on, into the meat sauce. Repeat with remaining ricotta mixture and lasagne sheets until all the mixture is used.
7.Top the dish with mozzarella and bake for 25 minutes or until bubbling and the cheese has melted. Scatter with basil leaves, if using.
Spinach ricotta filling
8.Place spinach in a bowl with ricotta, garlic, nutmeg, egg and parmesan cheese. Mix until well combined.
• If you don’t have red wine use an additional ¾ cup beef stock. • You could add other cooked and puréed vegetables to the ricotta mixture if desired – mashed kumara works well. • This meat sauce recipe is a great one to have in your repertoire for spaghetti bolognese or other pasta dishes.
Note
