GoodFoodWeek

A collection of recipes, an assortment of motherhood tales and a mixture of memories.

Recipe: padding out your lasagne

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As the Canberra winter closes in, the need for emergency food relief for vulnerable families is increasingly critical. At the YWCA Food Hub, they provide a pantry-like system where young people and their families can access free, healthy nutritious food in times of need. And who doesn’t a) want to support their local community and b) support women in general (RANT ALERT – I feel like women just don’t support each other enough these days…end rant).

But what the YWCA are trying to achieve is about more than just emergency relief. The Food Hub is a safe space for people to connect with their team, who help people access the services and programs they need.

Last year YWCA told their members and friends about how the demand on their Food Hub had doubled, which saw them struggling to provide for up to 100 people every week. Thanks to Canberrans’ generous donations during their Christmas appeal they were able to keep the Food Hub alive. This year, they are doubling their target with a goal of raising $10,000 in food and financial donations.

YWCA don’t want people to have to choose between food and school supplies, clothing, or excursions for their children.

Getting involved is easy, and fun!

1. Make a secure online financial donation – 100% of all funds will go towards supplying fresh, healthy food for our families in need.

2. Download your digital event kit and host a #Fiver4Food pot luck event!

3. Make a non-perishable food donation to one of our drop off points.

Read more about the Food Hub, and how to make a food donation.

Now when I think about creating a meal for $5, I must admit my mind is stumped. I am guessing it would have to be something meatless as meat is just so expensive these days. I did think about going a big dish of something and padding it out with extra veggies so it would reach a little further (and also be a little healthier for you family).

One of my favourite meals to pad out is lasagne! It is super easy and both hubby and bubby love the extras that I add to my lasagne. I add lots of mushrooms into the meat mixture which means that you can often lessen the amount of meat you need in the lasagne (and the mushrooms punch up all the flavours). And I use a layer of spinach and ricotta into the mix – which also cuts down on how much meat you require, but also just tastes really good!

LASAGNE
4 rashers pancetta or bacon, finely sliced
1 onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped

400 g mushrooms, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
2 handfuls fresh herbs (sage, oregano, rosemary, thyme)
olive oil

400 g shin of beef or stewing beef, minced coarsely
200 g pork belly, skin removed, minced
2 x 400 g tinned tomatoes
2 glasses red wine or water
2 bay leaves
1 dried red chilli, bashed
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 bag of baby spinach
1 tub of ricotta

400 g fresh lasagne sheets
400 g mozzarella, torn up

For the white sauce
500 ml crème fraîche
3 anchovies, finely chopped
2 handfuls Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
a little milk, optional

Preheat the oven to 180ºC. In a large casserole-type pan slowly fry the pancetta until golden, then add the onion, carrot, mushrooms, garlic and herbs and about 4 tablespoons of olive oil. Mix together, then add the beef and pork. Cook for about 5 minutes, then add the tinned tomatoes and the wine or water. 
Add the bay leaves and bring to the boil. Then get some greaseproof paper, wet it and place it on top of the pan with a lid placed on top as well. Then place in the preheated oven for 2 hours or simmer over a gentle heat for around an hour and a half. 
When the sauce is done, season to taste and put to one side. Mix together your crème fraîche, anchovies, and a handful of Parmesan, and season with salt and pepper. You may need to loosen the mixture with a little milk.

Turn the oven to 200ºC. To assemble the lasagne, rub a lasagne dish with olive oil, lay some sheets of lasagne over the bottom and drape them over the sides. Add a layer of meat, a little white sauce and a sprinkling of Parmesan. Sprinkle with baby spinach and dollops of ricotta and use this as one layer, then repeat the layers, finishing with a layer of pasta covered in white sauce. 

Tear over the mozzarella and sprinkle with some extra Parmesan. Cook in the preheated oven for 30–35 minutes until golden.

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