Beef lasagne

A lighter beef lasagne with a rich tomato beef filling and a creamy blended squash-and-potato sauce. Layer with lasagne sheets and bake until bubbling and cooked through.

Great

% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Step 1

Spray a large non-stick frying pan with a little cooking spray and put it over a medium heat. Fry the beef for 8–10 minutes or until browned, then transfer to a plate. Keep warm.

Step 2

Add the onion, carrot, celery and 1 tbsp water to the pan and cook for 10 minutes, adding a little more water if anything starts to stick.

Step 3

Return the beef to the pan and add the garlic, chopped tomatoes, passata, tomato purée, beef stock cube, Worcestershire sauce, oregano, half the basil and 300ml boiling water. Bring to a gentle boil and simmer for 10 minutes or until thickened. Season to taste.

Step 4

Meanwhile, make the sauce. Put the squash, potatoes, vegetable stock cube and 450ml boiling water in a medium saucepan over a high heat. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until tender.

Step 5

Remove from the heat and, without draining, add the remaining sauce ingredients (quark, egg yolk and mustard powder). Whizz until smooth with a stick blender (or use a food processor and return to the pan). Add the remaining basil and season to taste.

Step 6

Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/gas 6 and spray a 30cm x 20cm ovenproof dish with a little cooking spray.

Step 7

Spoon one-third of the beef mixture into the bottom of the dish and cover with lasagne sheets, snapping them to fill any gaps. Repeat these layers twice more, finishing with a layer of lasagne sheets that covers the beef completely.

Step 8

Pour over the sauce, pushing the sheets into the sauce a little, and bake for 35–40 minutes or until the lasagne is cooked through. (Delicious served with salad.)