(Serves four portions)
-1 brown onion, finely chopped
-1/2 red capsicum, finely chopped
-1/2 teaspoon minced fresh garlic
-6 rashers of shortcut bacon, chopped
-Fresh basil 5 leaves chopped & fried with onion
& Another 5 leaves chopped & stirred in when sauce finished
-Massels chicken stock powder x 2 teaspoons
-Pinch salt
-Caster sugar x 1 tablespoon
-White wine x 3/4 cup
-1 tin Italian chopped tomatoes
-1/3 cup grated tasty cheese for sprinkling on top
-1 packet of fresh (egg) lasagna sheets from fridge section at supermarket (I used Select brand from Woolworths)
-Oil for frying
-1 quantity (about 700-800mls) of homemade bechamel sauce (using tasty and parmesan cheeses but not nutmeg, this was what I used in my recipe).
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– Heat a frying pan with a little oil and fry onion, capsicum and bacon until there’s a little colour.
-Finely chop garlic, add to pan with half of basil, stir and cook a minute. Turn up heat, add wine keep stirring, add chicken stock and salt.
-When sauce has been reduced a little add tinned tomatoes and caster sugar, stir.
-Lasagna sauce can’t be too thick as your pasta sheets need to cook in the liquid. Add the remaining chopped basil leaves and stir simmer for 5 minutes. Taste for sweetness/savouriness. There should be a nice balance. Add either extra stock powder or sugar as needed. Turn off heat.
-Choose a small baking tray or lasagna tray that will fit four portions of lasagna. Spoon some tomato and bacon sauce into the dish first, about a cup or so.
-Lay side by side a couple of fresh lasagna sheets, then spoon-over more red sauce. Put on top a couple more lasagna sheets and more red sauce and some bechamel sauce. Then two more pasta sheets. Depending on how deep your lasagna dish is. The final layer will be finished with a thick layer of bechamel sauce and grated cheese. You want three layers of pasta as a guideline (minimum).
-Place lasagne dish on a tray and bake in a 180 degree oven for 45 minutes or until pasta is cooked through.
-Allow lasagna to “rest” 15 minutes out of oven before serving. Serve with a green salad and wholegrain mustard vinaigrette.
