Tuna Lasagne

I love a good Lasagne, the meat sauce and the cheesy bechamel, yummmm. But getting good quality ground meat is not an easy thing here in the Maldives. The ones we get is buffalo meat and I am not a big fan of buffalo meat.
Anyway, a friend of my once mentioned having a tuna Lasagne at one of the local Cafe's so I decided to give that a try.

For the ragu sauce I made using 2 cans of tuna, spiced up with some scotch bonnet peppers and added some dried oregano and fresh basil. Basil is now grown on most islands, a variety similar to Thai basil (Gandhakoalhi) usually for medicinal purposes.

Bechamel sauce is quite simple add some cheddar to make it extra cheesy.

To assemble, first, add a thin layer of tuna sauce,

 then the lasagne pasta sheets,

some then tuna sauce again and some bechamel.

 and again pasta sheets, repeat until your tuna sauce is over and you have the final pasta sheet layered. The last layer is the bechamel sauce, make sure it covers the top pasta layer. Sprinkle more cheese either cheddar or parmesan. I like to sprinkle some extra oregano, pepper and chilli flakes on top.

Cover loosely with foil and pop in a preheated oven at 180 Degrees C first for 30 minutes, then remove the foil and bake another 15 minutes till the sauce is bubbling and the pasta is cooked through.

Remove and let it settle down for 15  minutes before serving with a big green salad!

Enjoy!


Ps, This freezes well, so make a big batch, make two lasagne in those small disposable foil containers, cover the uncooked lasagne and pop into the freezer.  Just thaw in the fridge a few hours before cooking and pop in the oven to cook. 

Yield: 4-6Author: Nammi 

Tuna Lasagne

prep time: 1 hour  cook time: 45 mins  total time: 1 hour 46 mins

ingredients:

Tuna Ragu Sauce

• 2 cans tuna  (188g), oil or brine drained and flaked
• 1 can peeled tomatoes
• 1 tsp tomato paste
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1/4 to 1/2 scotch bonnet pepper finely sliced
• water ( use the empty can of tomato,  1/2 the can of water)
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp  chilli flakes
• handful of fresh basil
• Olive oil ( 3 tbsp)
• salt to taste
• 1 tsp sugar

Bechamel Sauce

• 2 1/2 tbsp flour
• 30g butter ( thats about 3 tbsp)
• 600 ml milk ( roughly 2 1/2 cups)
• a handful of grated cheddar cheese 
• salt and pepper

Others

• 8 dried Lasagne pasta sheets
• a handful of grated cheddar cheese
• pinch ground black pepper
• pinch chilli flakes
• pinch of dried oregano

instructions:

Tuna Ragu

1. Heat olive oil in a large deep frying pan or saucepan, add the onions and garlic and cook until the onions soften and start to go pale and translucent.
2. Add the canned tomatoes ( crush the tomatoes using your fingers), stir and water using the empty tomato can to measure out half can. 
3. Stir in scotch bonnet peppers,  pinch of salt, sugar, pepper, chilli flakes and oregano. Give a stir and let the mixture come to a bubble, then reduce heat, cover and let it simmer for about 10 minutes. 
4. Check the sauce every now and then so it doesn't reduce to a paste. you want a nice sauce not paste.  Taste adjust salt and then stir in the basil.  Cook for another 2 minutes and switch off . 

Bechamel Sauce

1. While the ragu cooks prepare the bechamel sauce.
2. Heat butter till melted. Add the flour and quickly mix it in. Remove from heat, and slowly add about 1/2 cup of milk,  using a whisk mix the flour-butter paste into the milk so it is a nice   Return to the stove, over a medium heat, and add the remaining milk and keep stirring till the sauce thickens. When u dip a spoon in it should coat the back of the spoon. Remove and add a pinch of salt and pepper along with the cheese and mix it in.

Assembling and cooking the Lasagne

1. Preheat the oven at 180 degrees C. 
2. Take a  square or rectangular oven dish or use a baking tray or even those tin foil disposable containers. 
3. Spoon a ladle or 2 of the tomato sauce, and layer it at the bottom. Then add 2 sheets of lasagne.
4. Then another layer of tomato sauce, and a ladle of bechamel sauce on top of the tomato sauce. Top with pasta sheet, and repeat the process till you get to the last sheet of pasta. 
5. This time add just a final layer of bechamel sauce. Making sure it spreads out evenly covering the pasta sheet. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese or some parmesan cheese if you have any.  Sprinkle with chilli flakes, pepper, and oregano on top. 
6. Cover with foil and pop in the oven ( middle shelf)
7. Cook 30 minutes then remove the foil and cook for another 15 minutes till the sauce is bubbling and pasta is cooked.
8. Remove from oven and let it settle for a few minutes. like 10-15 minutes. 
9. Serve with a nice big green salad.

Created using The Recipes Generator