300 g fresh or 250 g frozen spinach
2 Tbsp (30 ml) butter
500 g mince
2 onions, peeled and chopped
400 g can whole, peeled tomatoes, drained and chopped
1 tsp (5 ml)
sugar
1 tsp (5 ml) mustard powder
2 tsp (10 ml) chopped fresh thyme or ½ tsp (3 ml) dried
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
250 g lasagne sheets
Cheese sauce
60 g butter
¼ cup (60 ml) cake
flour
2 ½ cups (625 ml) milk
2 cups (500 ml) grated Cheddar cheese
- Wash the spinach, shake off excess water, and blanch it in a microwave oven or heavy-based saucepan until soft (the water on the leaves should be sufficient). Drain and chop into small pieces. Set aside.
- Heat the butter in a heavy-based saucepan and fry the mince until it changes colour. Add the onions and sauté until soft. Stir in the tomatoes, sugar, mustard, thyme and seasoning, then simmer for about 10 minutes.
- For the sauce, melt the butter in a heavy-based saucepan, add the flour and whisk over a medium heat for a minute. Add the milk, bring to the boil and allow to boil for 5 minutes, whisking constantly. Remove from heat and stir half the cheese into the sauce.
- Spoon a little mince mixture into a large, ovenproof dish, then layer half the lasagne, mince, spinach and cheese sauce. Repeat the layers and top with the remaining grated cheese. Bake in a preheated oven at 180 °C for about 45 minutes. Leave to stand for a few minutes before serving with a crisp salad.
Serves 4-6
Variation
Substitute spinach with blanched asparagus, broccoli or pumpkin.
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