Lasange

Lasagne is something I love to eat, but never make because it seems too fussy.

Well, tonight I gave it a go.

I combined three recipes from online searches and came up with this...

I reckon it's pretty good!

Serves 4

Get This -

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 brown onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 500g lean beef mince
• 400g can crushed tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 2 teaspoons dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 250g packet dried lasagne pasta sheets
• small carton of cream
• 1 cup grated cheddar cheese
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Do This -

1. Preheat oven to 180°C/160°C fan-forced.
2. Heat oil in a heavy-based saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic. Cook, stirring, for 3 minutes or until onion is tender. Add mince. Cook, stirring with a wooden spoon to break up mince, until browned. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, dried herbs and cinnamon.  Season with salt and pepper. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low. Simmer, uncovered, for 40 minutes or until sauce has thickened. Remove from heat.
3. Soak the lasagne sheets in a single layer in boiling water for 5 mins. (Although the packet says no pre-cook, soaking improves the texture.) Drain well. 
4. Drizzle a little olive oil over base of a 7cm-deep, 25cm (base) square baking dish. Arrange pieces of lasagne over base of dish. Pour enough cream to just cover lasagne sheets. Spoon one-third of the mince mixture over pasta. Spread with one-quarter of the cheeses. Repeat layers twice. Top with lasagne sheets, cream and cheeses. Cover loosely with foil.
5. Bake for 45 minutes. Remove foil. Bake for 15 minutes or until pasta is tender and cheese golden. Stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Option 1 - Replace cream with cream cheese.
Option 2 - Replace cream with ricotta cheese. 
Option 3 - Use a mix of all three

Leftover Sausage Chilli

I had some leftover sausages from dinner last night and I was going to make my Sausage Pasta Bake for dinner tonight. But I just didn't feel like pasta. I'm trying to cut down on carbs. And I know rice is carbs too, but I always feel better after eating rice than I do after eating pasta...don't know why...

So I made this instead.


Serves 4

Get This -

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium brown onion, chopped
• 1 medium red capsicum, chopped
• 1 medium zucchini, quartered lengthways, chopped
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin seeds
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander seeds
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
• 1 beef stock cube
• 1/2 cup frozen corn kernels
• small jar of hot salsa (or mild if you prefer)
• can diced tomatoes
• can four bean mix, drained, rinsed
• 4 cooked thick beef sausages, thinly sliced
• Fresh coriander leaves, sour cream, avocado and steamed rice, to serve

Do This -

1. Heat oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Add onion, capsicum and zucchini. Cook, stirring, for 3 to 5 minutes or until vegetables are just tender. Add ground cumin, ground coriander and oregano. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute or until fragrant.
2. Stir in tomatoes, salsa and stock cube. Bring to a simmer. Add corn, beans and sausages. Simmer for 7 to 10 minutes or until sausages are heated through. Top with coriander, sour cream and avocado. Serve with rice.

Curly Fettuccini & Meatballs

Serves 4

Get This -

500g mince

1 onion, diced

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

1 egg

1 cup of breadcrumbs

3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

5-6 basil leaves, roughly chopped

1/2 bunch Italian parsley, chopped
2 bay leaves

2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 tins diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon brown sugar

olive oil, for cooking

curly fettuccini (or regular fettuccini or spaghetti)

grated parmesan to sprinkle

Do This -

1. In a large bowl add 1/2 of the chopped parsley, 1 garlic clove, mince, breadcrumbs, egg, parmesan cheese and a generous pinch of black pepper & salt. Mix with hands until well combined.
2. Heat some olive oil in a large pot to a medium heat and add onion & and remaining garlic clove. Fry till translucent and fragrant.
3. Roll the meatballs then brown them in the pot with the onions & garlic.
4. Add the tomato paste, canned tomatoes, the remaining chopped parsley, basil & bay leaves, sugar, salt & pepper.
5. Turn to low and simmer for 20 minutes. Or longer for more flavour. If the sauce seems a little dry add 1/2 cup of water.
6. Serve with curly fettucinni and sprinkle with parmesan and basil.

Fi's Minestrone

I found this recipe on Fi's blog Mummy Daze and thought it looked so good and so easy that I'd give it a go! It's absolutely delicious!!

Not my image, as per usual!

Serves 4 - with enough for seconds and leftovers

Get This -

2 tablespoons oil
ham/bacon/salami
onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, crushed

3 tablespoons tomato paste

800g tinned tomatoes

2 teaspoons stock powder

4.5 cups cold water

2 medium potatoes, cubed

1 large carrot, diced

zucchini, sliced

1/2 broccoli, chopped finely

1/2 cup frozen peas

750g tin cannellini beans, rinsed and strained

1/2 cup macaroni/broken spaghetti pieces

1 tablespoon sugar

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

2 cups fresh baby spinach (if you have some)
salt & pepper

fresh basil

serve with a dollop of pesto

Do This -

1. Add diced bacon, onion, crushed garlic and oil to large pot. Cook over medium heat for 3 minutes or until onion is softened.
2. Add tomato paste, tinned tomato, stock and water. Cover, and bring to the boil. Add potato and carrots. Cook, uncovered for 15 minutes, or until cooked through.
3. When you are nearly ready to serve, add the beans, zucchini, broccoli, peas and pasta. Cook for 10-15 minutes or until pasta is just tender. Add sugar and vinegar and season with salt and pepper to taste. Mix in baby spinach leaves just before serving.
4. Ladle into bowls and dollop with pesto and basil. Serve with toasted bread or oven-baked rolls - whatever you have handy.

I served it with parmesan instead of pesto, and fresh basil.

Crispy-topped Cottage Pie

from Taste.com.au

Serves 4

Get This -

• olive oil
• 1 brown onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 750g beef mince
• 1 cup beef stock
• 400g can diced tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons plain flour 
• 2 carrots, peeled, diced
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 500g Desiree potatoes, thinly sliced
• 100g tasty cheese, finely grated

Do This -

1. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook onion and garlic, stirring, for 8 minutes or until soft. Add tomato paste. Cook for 3 minutes.
2. Increase heat to high. Add mince. Cook, stirring, for 8 minutes or until browned. Add stock, water and tomatoes. Bring to the boil. Stir in flour and carrots. Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer, partially covered, for 10 minutes. Add peas.
3. Preheat oven to 200°C. Grease a 10-cup capacity ovenproof dish. Spoon in mince.
4. Combine potatoes, 1 1/2 tablespoons oil, and salt and pepper. Arrange one-third potatoes over mince. Sprinkle with half the cheese. Repeat layers, finishing with potatoes. Drizzle with a little oil. Season with salt and pepper. Cover with foil. Bake for 30 minutes. Increase heat to 230°C. Remove foil. Bake for a further 20 minutes or until golden. Serve.

Note - to hide the vegetables from Miss 4, I grated the carrot and swapped frozen peas for grated zucchini.

This recipe is from Taste.com.au

Beef Stroganoff

I am a big fan of stroganoff.  I've posted a chicken one, now here's a beef one.  Too delicious!

Serves 4

Get This - 

• 1/2 cup plain flour
• 500g beef fillet steaks, cut into 2cm-thick strips
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 large brown onions, halved, sliced
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• 3 cups beef stock
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 200g button mushrooms, halved
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• chopped spring onions to garnish

Do This -

1. Place flour in a snap-lock bag. Season with salt and pepper. Add beef strips. Seal bag and shake to coat. Remove beef. Place in a bowl.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large, deep frying pan over medium-high heat. Cook mushrooms, onion and garlic for 4 to 5 minutes or until soft. Transfer to a plate.
3. Add remaining oil and beef to pan. Cook for 5 minutes or until browned. Return mushrooms, onion and garlic to pan. Add stock. Bring to the boil. Add tomato paste, paprika and mustard. Reduce heat to medium. Simmer, uncovered, stirring, for 10 minutes. Stir in sour cream. Cook for 1 minute or until heated through.
4. Serve with mashed potato, rice, pasta or (my favourite) rice noodles. And top with spring onions.