This hearty soup is a proper hug in a mug. The ricotta and Parmesan topping really fulfills the 'lasagne' promise, but if you don’t want to bother you can just top it with grated cheese and it’ll still be a winner. The super-cheesy garlicky toasties are a good addition to any tomatoey soup — or just eat them on their own!
READY IN: 45 MINUTES SERVES: 6
Ingredients:
2 tsp olive oil
350-500g beef mince
1 onion, chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, crushed (around 1 tbsp)
1 courgette, chopped (or use another green vegetable)
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
500ml passata
400g can chopped tomato
2 cups beef stock
1 tsp extra beef stock powder
1/4 cup tomato paste (around 4 tbsp)
2 tbsp chopped parsley
2 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
2 cups broken-up lasagne sheets, the crinkly kind, or another pasta such as macaroni
Cheesy garlic melts:
2 tbsp butter
1/2 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tbsp finely chopped parsley
8 slices white bread
4 slices of cheese – cheddar, Edam (whatever you have)
1/4 cup grated mozzarella (optional)
Topping:
1/2 cup ricotta
1-2 tbsp grated parmesean
1 tbsp chopped parsley, plus extra
2 tbsp chopped basil (optional)
Method:
1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the mince and cook, stirring and pressing with a fork or masher to break up any lumps. When crumbly and browned, add the onion, garlic, courgette and carrot to the pan and cook gently, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft.
2. Add all the remaining soup ingredients except for the lasagne. Bring just to the boil and simmer the soup for 30 minutes.
3. Add the uncooked lasagne directly to the soup, simmer for 10 minutes until cooked, then add some extra water to thin.
4. Make the cheesy garlic melts. Combine the butter, oil and garlic in a small microwave-safe bowl and melt in the microwave (or melt in a small saucepan.) Add the chopped parsley, then brush over one side of each piece of bread. Place the cheese on the uncoated sides of the 4 slices, then top with the remaining bread, with the buttery sides on the outsides. Heat the remaining butter mixture in a frying pan and gently cook the sandwiches on both sides till golden and the cheese has melted. Slice into quarters to serve.
Tips: Mix and match the vegetables according to what you have: capsicum, finely shredded spinach, broccoli. . . If your jar of passata is a bit larger, just use it all – a little more won't hurt.
This recipe has been a fan favourite for over a decade. Cut it into slices for the kids or into tiny squares as a treat with your cuppa. It also freezes well, so you can stash a few squares away for when no one is looking.
Georgia's rich culinary tradition is often overlooked, This small country on the eastern coast of the Black Sea was an important node on the Silk Road, which explains the similarities it shares with Persian cuisine.
I’ve converted countless olive haters to olive lovers with the introduction of my fave Castelvetrano, the meaty, mild Queen of Olives.
Nadiya Hussain's stunning khoshari, a dish layered with different flavours and textures including rice, lentils, chickpeas and served with a side of marinated steak, has a real special occasion feel, perfect for Eid celebrations, dinner parties or whenever you want to impress.
To a giant plastic pitcher, its rim etched and toughened by years of use, I watched my two older brothers, Tyler and Jason, add an obscene amount of grape Kool-Aid, deepening the liquid within to a dark purple.
Here in Texas, the land of cattle and roughly 130 million acres of ranchland, buttermilk flows thick and heavy-not from their livestock (Texans are in the beef business), but rather into their mixing bowls.
It's hard to fathom it, but the loud and proud thrumming of the Louisiana we walk today is but a fraction of what came before.
Nadiya Hussain's hearty tagine recipe is layered with warming spices and fragrant preserved lemon, and packed with tender chicken, potato and olives.
The beauty of the Reverse Creaming Method is the fine and velvety texture it helps create. The way that it is able to accomplish this plush interior is by minimizing gluten formation.
This sandwich is my childhood all wrapped up in a beefjus-soaked Italian sub roll.
