Skillet Lasagna
WITH PULLED BEEF RAGU
I’m no culinary purist. I’ve committed a slew of cooking crimes in the selfish pursuit of extraordinary flavors that make me do my tiny dance. So, naturally, I refuse to spend an hour constructing a twelve-storey lasagna as if I’ve finally secured a mortgage big enough to build my own house. No. I’m cooking the sauce, snapping the lasagna sheets straight into the same pan, dolloping homemade vegan cheese on top (sue me, Laughing Cow) and chucking it in the oven. The result is a gooey, spoonable concoction of colossal comfort. It makes me feel wealthy, while I airplane spoonfuls directly into my mouth and binge-watch Grand Designs. Home ownership may remain elusive, but lasagna ownership is immediate.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil (for cooking filet)
- 2 x Thick-Cut Filet
- ½ tsp sea salt
- ⅛ cracked black pepper
- 2 tbsp olive oil (for making sauce)
- 2 shallots (finely diced)
- 3 garlic cloves (finely minced or crushed)
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 carrot (finely diced)
- ½ large celery stick (finely diced)
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
- 2 cups / 500 ml tomato passata
- ½ cup / 120 ml red wine
- ½ cup / 120 ml water (use it to rinse the tomato passata container)
- 1 rosemary sprig
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
- ⅛ tsp cracked black pepper
- 200 g lasagna noodles
- 2 cups / 120 ml water
- Plant-based cheese
- A drizzle of olive oil (to finish)
- Cracked black pepper (to finish)
SERVES 4 / TAKES 60-70 MINUTES
preparation
- Heat olive oil in a non-stick pan over medium heat. Add the Thick-Cut Filets and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 3–4 minutes on each side, until nicely browned and cooked through.
- Remove the Filets from the pan and allow to cool slightly. Finely shred using two forks or your hands, then set aside.
- Heat olive oil in an oven-safe skillet over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook for 1–2 minutes, then add the crushed garlic.
- Cook the garlic for 30 seconds, then add the tomato paste and cook for 1–2 minutes, until caramelised.
- Add the carrots and celery, season with salt, and cook for 1–2 minutes.
- Deglaze the pan with red wine, then add the tomato passata along with a little water used to rinse out the container.
- Season with salt and pepper and add the rosemary sprig.
- Simmer over low heat for 10 minutes. Remove the rosemary sprig, then add the shredded Filets.
- Add the broken lasagna noodles and more water as needed. Mix well to combine.
- Remove from the heat and top with plant-based cheese, a drizzle of olive oil, and freshly cracked black pepper.
- Bake in a preheated oven at 185°C/365°F for 40–45 minutes, until the cheese is golden brown and the pasta is cooked through.