Mac and Cheese Lasagna Recipe

Servings: 6
Total Time: 90 minutes
Calories: 574 kcal

Why pick one comfort food when your heart wants both? This recipe is what happens when you combine macaroni cheese with beef lasagne, and you’re going to be so glad you tried it! It may not sound all that slimming friendly, but with a few clever swaps, you can dig into the ultimate comfort food dish for just 438 calories. Just wait until you try the rich, creamy, cheesy sauce . . . it’s such a crowd-pleaser!

Ingredients

• 500g dried macaroni pasta
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 600g beef mince
• 1 small brown onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 350ml passata (tomato pasta sauce)
• 60ml (1/4 cup) water
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 dried bay leaf
• 2 tsp fresh oregano, chopped
• 55g (1/2 cup) II Migliore 5 Cheese Italian Style Cooking Blend
• 40g (1/4 cup) II Migliore Shredded Italian Grana Padano cheese

Bechamel sauce

• 40g butter
• 2 tbsp plain flour
• 1L (4 cups) milk
• 175g (1 1/3 cups) II Migliore Shredded Italian Grana Padano cheese
• 55g (1/2 cup) II Migliore 5 Cheese Italian Style Cooking Blend
• 1 egg, lightly whisked

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan forced. Cook the pasta in a large saucepan of salted boiling water following packet directions or until al dente. Drain and return pasta to the pan.

2. Meanwhile, heat half the oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add half the beef mince and cook, stirring, for 3-4 minutes or until the mince changes colour. Transfer to a heatproof bowl. Repeat with the remaining mince.

3. Heat the remaining oil in the pan. Add the onion and garlic. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until the onion is soft. Add the mince, passata, water, Worcestershire sauce and bay leaf. Cook, stirring, for 10-15 minutes or until the sauce thickens. Stir in the oregano.

4. For the bechamel sauce, heat the butter in a saucepan over medium heat until foaming. Add the flour and cook, stirring, for 1 minute or until the mixture bubbles. Remove the pan from the heat. Gradually add the milk, stirring constantly until smooth. Return the pan to medium heat and cook, stirring constantly, until the sauce boils. Stir in the cheeses until melted and smooth. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside for 2 minutes to cool slightly. Whisk in the egg, then season.

5. Add the bechamel sauce to the pasta. Stir until well combined. Spoon half of the pasta mixture in a 8cm-deep, 24cm straight-sided ovenproof frying pan or ovenproof dish. Spoon over the mince mixture. Top with the remaining pasta mixture. Combine the cheeses. Sprinkle over the top. Bake for 40-50 minutes or until golden. Set aside for 20 minutes to stand before serving.