Below you will find 3 of the simplest and best baked pasta dishes around, Enjoy!

Meat sauce Lasagna

Serves up to 5 people.

Ingredients

• 250g Instant Lasagna sheets
• Meat Sauce (see how to prepare below)
• 2 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 60g ham, finely chopped
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 carrot, finely chopped
• 1 stick celery, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 500g beef mince
• 5 tablespoons tomato paste
• 125ml dry white wine
• 375ml water
• 1 chicken or beef stock cube
• salt, pepper and pinch of nutmeg (optional)
• Cheese Sauce (see how to prepare below)
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons plain flour
• 500ml milk
• salt, pepper to taste
• 125g grated mozzarella cheese

Meat Sauce

Heat oil in a medium saucepan, add ham and cook gently for 3 minutes. Add onion, carrot, celery and garlic. Cook, stirring until the onion is soft. Add the mince and cook stirring, until nicely brown.

Stir in tomato paste, wine and water into which stock cube has been dissolved. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Cover and simmer gently for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Cheese Sauce

Melt butter in medium saucepan, stir in flour and cook for 2 minutes over gentle heat. Remove from heat and gradually stir in milk. Return to heat and stir until thick and smooth.

Season with salt and pepper, add mozzarella and stir over low heat until cheese melts.

Lasagna

Preheat oven to 180ºC.

Pour 125ml meat sauce into base of lightly greased baking dish. Alternate layers of instant lasagne sheets, meat and cheese sauces, ending with cheese sauce layer on top. Sprinkle top with grated parmesan cheese if desired.

Bake in oven for 35 - 40 minutes. (Test by pricking with fork). Let stand 5 - 10 minutes before serving.

Baked Caneloni

Serves up to 6 people.

Ingredients

• 2 packets (120g) Instant Cannelloni

Filling

• 750g (1½lb) minced steak
• 2 onions, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 cup bread crumbs
• 1 egg
• 1½ teaspoons salt
• Pepper

Sauce

• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 2 x 410g (14oz) cans peeled tomatoes, crushed
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tablespoon oil

Sauce
Heat the oil in a saucepan, add onion and garlic and fry until brown, add all the remaining ingredients and simmer until sauce has thickened.

Filling
Combine all the filling ingredients into a soft pliable blend (don’t be scared to use your hands for this). Using a teaspoon, stuff the cannelloni with the filling and place in a deep (5cm or 2”) baking tray or lasagna dish with a coating of sauce on the bottom.

When tray is full, spoon sauce over top, sprinkle with cheese and bake in moderate heat (200ºC / 400ºF) oven for 1 hour. Let stand 5 - 10 minutes before serving.

 

Chicken Lasagna

Serves 4 – 6 people

Ingredients

• 1 packet 250g Instant Lasagna sheets
• grated parmesan cheese (to sprinkle on top)

Chicken Sauce

• 2 tablespoons butter or margarine
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 cups cooked diced chicken
• 150g mushrooms, sliced
• ½ teaspoon basil
• ½ teaspoon oregano
• 400g can peeled tomatoes, undrained
• salt and pepper

Cheese Sauce

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons plain flour
• 375ml chicken broth
• pinch salt, pepper & nutmeg (optional)
• 125g grated cheddar/mozzarella cheese

Chicken Sauce: Melt butter in medium saucepan and gently fry onion 5 minutes. Add mushrooms, basil, oregano, salt & pepper. Fry on medium heat, stirring regularly, until mushrooms are browned.

Mix in chopped blended tomatoes with juice and stir in the chicken. Mix well, cover and cook slowly for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Cream Sauce: Melt butter in medium saucepan and stir in flour. On medium heat, gradually stir in chicken broth. Mix in salt, pepper, nutmeg and cheeses. Stir constantly until the mixture thickens and starts to bubble.

Lasagna Assembly: Preheat oven to 180ºC. Pour ½ cup of the hot meat sauce in the base of a lightly greased baking dish. Cover with a layer of instant lasagna sheets.

Pour 1/3 of remaining meat sauce over the lasagna sheets, followed by 1/3 of the cheese sauce. Repeat with lasagna, meat and cheese sauce until lasagna is used up ( 9 - 10 sheets), finishing with the cheese sauce. Top with grated parmesan cheese.

Cover with aluminium foil and bake in oven for 30 - 35 minutes. (Test by pricking with fork),

Let stand 5 - 10 minutes before serving.