Three Cheese Meatball Lasagne
20m
prep time
115m
total time
Medium
level
21
ingredients
Take lasagne to the next level by swapping the meat sauce for sausage meatballs. The fennel seeds and chilli add another layer of flavour and a little spice. A great dish to cook ahead of time and pull from the freezer, or simply reheat when time is not on your side.
Method
Based on 6 servings, adjust as needed.
Step 1
Squeeze the meat from the sausages and roll into meatballs – you’ll get about four balls from each sausage. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a wide, deep frying pan or casserole dish. Cook the meatballs in batches, making sure you don’t overcrowd the pan, until they’re all golden brown. Put them aside on a plate when they’re ready.
Step 2
Heat the rest of the oil in the pan and add the onion. Cook for 8-10 mins until soft, then stir in the garlic, fennel, oregano and chilli, if using. Stir around for a min or 2, then add the sugar, passata and tomatoes. Swish a little water around the containers to wash out all the tomatoes and add to the pan. Season well and simmer, uncovered, for 30-40 mins over a gentle heat until the sauce thickens and the chopped tomatoes break down.
Step 3
Heat the butter in a saucepan, add the bay leaves and let them sizzle in the butter for 1 min, then add the flour. Whisk to make a smooth paste, then add the milk, a little at a time, stirring continuously until it’s all incorporated and you have a thick white sauce. Add the nutmeg and some seasoning. Leave over a low heat for 5 mins to allow the bay to infuse, whisking every now and then.
Step 4
Keep about 10 meatballs aside and add the rest to the tomato sauce. Spoon half the tomato sauce and meatballs into a baking dish (ours was 25cm x 35cm). Top with half the spinach, the basil and a little parmesan. Pour over about a third of the white sauce, and top with a layer of lasagne sheets, breaking them up to fit the dish if you need to.
Step 5
Repeat the layers once more; meatballs and sauce, spinach, basil, parmesan, white sauce, pasta. Pour the remaining white sauce over the lasagne, spreading it to the corners to cover the pasta. Dot with the meatballs you set aside earlier and the mozzarella, then scatter over a generous helping of parmesan and cheddar. Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Or if not eating straight away, chill for up to 24 hrs or freeze for two months (defrost in the fridge overnight before cooking).
Step 6
Bake the lasagne for 40-50 mins until bubbling and golden with lots of crusty cheesy bits around the edges. Leave to sit for 5-10 mins before serving.
- Ingredients
- Based on 6 servings
-
2 Onions, chopped 2 x Sainsbury's Onions Loose -
2 tsp Fennel Seeds 1 x Sainsbury's Fennel Seed 34g -
0.5 tsp Chilli Flakes 1 x Sainsbury's Crushed Chillies 32g -
1 tbsp Sugar 1 x Sainsbury's White Granulated Sugar 1kg -
400g Chopped Tomatoes, can 1 x Sainsbury's Chopped Tomatoes Can 400g -
100 g Butter 1 x Sainsbury's British Butter, Salted 250g -
2 Bay Leaves, dried or fresh 1 x Sainsbury's Bay Leaves 3g -
1000 ml Milk 1 x Sainsbury's British Semi Skimmed Milk 1.13L (2 pint) -
0.25 Fresh Nutmeg, finely grated 1 x Sainsbury's Whole Nutmeg 36g -
50 g Parmesan, grated 1 x Sainsbury's Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese 200g -
50 g Cheddar, grated 1 x Sainsbury's British Mature Grated Cheddar Cheese 250g -
2 tbsp Olive Oil 1 x Sainsbury's Olive Oil 500ml -
4 Garlic Cloves, crushed 1 x Sainsbury's Garlic -
500 ml Passata 1 x Sainsbury's Passata 500g -
100 g Plain Flour 1 x Sainsbury's Plain Flour 500g -
12 Sausages, or use ready rolled meatballs for ease 2 x Sainsbury's British Pork Sausages, Taste the Difference x6 400g -
100 g Baby Spinach 1 x Sainsbury's Baby Leaf Spinach 120g -
250 g Dried Lasagne Sheets, (about 12 sheets) 1 x Sainsbury's Lasagne Sheets Pasta 500g -
150 g Mozzarella, torn into small pieces 1 x Sainsbury's Mozzarella Cheese 150g -
10g Basil Leaves, torn 1 x Sainsbury's Fresh Packed Basil 30g -
2 tsp Dried Oregano, or a small handful of fresh oregano leaves, chopped 1 x Sainsbury's Oregano 12g
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