Slow cooked red wine ragu Lasagnooey (lasagne)

By Chef Nooey

Healthy High Protein Vegetarian Lasagne Recipe

Every time we cook this, we never have leftovers because it's so moreish and satisfying! This ragu recipe was passed down to me by a dear chef friend of mine 25 years ago. I've since improvised, perfected it and now understand how to get the best flavour out of these simple ingredients. If you follow this recipe no sugar needs to be added and what you'll end up with is a low-carb lasagne that's keto friendly and tastes amazing!

Feeds 10-12 hungry bellies
Prep 20 min
Cook 4 hrs

INGREDIENTS

  • 12 sheets / 1 Pack of 200g Lasagnooey low-carb lasagne sheets
  • 125g grass-fed, unsalted butter
  • 110ml extra virgin olive oil
  • 4 tbs of Worcestershire sauce
  • 400g diced carrots
  • 400g diced celery
  • 300g diced onion
  • 3 sprigs of Thyme
  • 2 sprigs of Oregano or Rosemary
  • 2 Bay leaves
  • 600g pork (the more fat content the better), veal and beef mince mix
  • 140g tomato paste - we use Mutti tomato paste
  • 3 large fresh ripe tomato - cut into wedges  
  • 1 can of finely chopped tomatoes - we use Polpa by Mutti
  • Himalayan pink salt and pepper (to taste)
  • 300g mushroom
  • 250ml red wine
  • 3 large chopped birds eye chilli (optional)
  • Shredded mozzarella Cheese
  • Grated Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese

FOR THE BÉCHAMEL SAUCE

  • 1 tablespoon unsalted grass-fed butter
  • ½ cup cream cheese or 120g
  • ½ cup heavy cream
  • ¼ cup chicken stock
  • 1 egg yolk
  • A pinch of flaked sea salt
  • A pinch of nutmeg

 

HOW TO COOK THE RAGU

STEP 1
To a large casserole dish, add the oil, butter, onion, thyme, oregano on high heat. Once the onions have wilted and you can smell the aroma add 2 generous pinches of salt. Then add the carrot and celery, stirring occasionally. Cook the ingredients until the bottom of your pan starts to brown, usually after about 20 minutes. Add an additional 2 pinches of salt.

STEP 2
Still on high heat, add the mince. Brown, breaking up the meat while cooking. When the meat is browned, add 4 tbs of Worcestershire sauce. Cook the meat for a further 10-15 minutes, until it’s fragrant. Stir occasionally.

STEP 3
Add 140g of tomato paste and reduce the heat to medium. Stir occasionally. Add the fresh tomato wedges in to the pan. Then add 1 can of Mutti Polpa (finely chopped tomatoes). Stir in. Reduce the heat to low and add the bay leaves and chilli. Simmer until the fresh tomatoes break down.

STEP 4
Add the sliced portobello mushroom and the red wine for additional depth of flavour. Gently simmer for 1 hour and add salt and pepper to taste.

 

HOW TO COOK THE BÉCHAMEL SAUCE

STEP 1
Add the butter, cream cheese, cream and chicken stock to a saucepan. Cook over a low heat until the butter melts - about 2 minutes. Do not let the mixture boil or it may split.

STEP 2
Put the egg yolk in a separate bowl. Add a little of the warmed sauce to it, mixing well with a fork (this step is essential to stop the sauce from splitting). Add the yolk mix into the saucepan. Stir constantly over a low heat using a hand balloon whisk for about 4 minutes or until the sauce has thickened. Do not overheat the sauce or the egg yolk will curdle.

STEP 3
Season with salt and nutmeg to taste. Put aside for assembling your lasagna.

Tip - if the sauce does split or become lumpy: Take it off the heat immediately and pulse with a stick blender.

 

ASSEMBLING AND BAKING

STEP 1
Spoon a layer of the ragu onto the base of your 30cm (12in) rectangular baking dish. Add Lasagnooey sheets to cover and avoid overlap. 4 sheets per layer should be fine. Spoon on a layer of the low carb béchamel sauce onto the sheets and then sprinkle shredded mozzarella and grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese on top.

STEP 2
Repeat until you have three layers of Lasagnooey and add extra cheese on the top of your lasagne!

STEP 3 
Cover your dish with aluminium foil and pop into the oven at 180°C (360°F). Bake for 20-30 minutes.

STEP 4
Finally, remove the aluminium foil and bake for a further 5 min or until the cheese browns. Remove from the oven, let it rest for 10 minutes. Then pat yourself on the back and get ready to feast! 

 

 

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Do I need to use cream for the bechamel?

No it is not necessary, you can make a basic béchamel sauce with just butter, flour, milk, salt and some nutmeg for flavour.

Do I have to use Lasagnooey lasagne sheets?

The recipe will work just fine using regular lasagne sheets from your supermarket however, you won't get the added benefits that you would with the Lasagnooey sheets, these have lower carbohydrates, higher protein, omega-3 fatty acids, and much more health benefits over regular store bought lasagne sheets.