Lasagne is such a delicious comfort food isn't it?  When we have ditched the grains and dairy we didn't have Lasagne for years!  Then my clever friend Jo Whitton from Quirky Cooking came up with a version using Grain-Free Pastry instead of pasta sheets - how clever! This is my fave version of Jo's the main difference is the bolognaise as I like to add in different meats like kangaroo but you could use beef or lamb or a combination of both. I like to make the bolognaise on the stove top as it gets a richer flavour and you can really boil off the wine.  I used the Thermomix to chop and make the white sauce though cos why wouldn't you? Primal Alternative produces Quirky Cooking Pastry as well as a nightshade free Sweet Potato Pastry you can order here.  

Ingredients

Bolognaise

• 2 tablespoons ghee, coconut oil or other good quality animal fat
• 1 onion diced
• 1 carrot diced
• 1 celery stick diced
• 4 garlic cloves 
• 1 kilo kangaroo mince (or beef, venison, lamb even emu mince)
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon chopped oregano leaves, or 1 teaspoon dried
• 200ml preservative free red wine
• 400g tin tomatoes
• 300ml chicken stock
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• Ground black pepper to season to taste

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F).

2. In a large saucepan, heat the ghee, coconut oil, or animal fat over medium heat. Add the diced onion, carrot, celery, and garlic cloves. Sauté until the vegetables soften and become translucent.

3. Add the kangaroo mince (or your choice of minced meat) to the saucepan. Cook until the meat is browned and cooked through, breaking it up with a spoon as it cooks.

4. Stir in the tomato paste and chopped oregano leaves (or dried oregano). Cook for a minute to release the flavours.

5. Pour in the red wine and let it simmer for a couple of minutes to allow the alcohol to evaporate.

6. Add the tin of tomatoes and chicken stock to the saucepan. Season with sea salt and ground black pepper. Stir well to combine all the ingredients. Bring the mixture to a simmer, then reduce the heat and let it simmer gently for about 30-40 minutes, allowing the flavours to meld together. Stir occasionally.

7. While the bolognese simmers, prepare the white sauce.  Add the almond milk (or milk of choice), eggs, ghee or coconut oil, dried onion flakes, garlic powder, honey, and herb salt to Thermomix bowl and and cook 7 min/90C/speed 4. Or make the white sauce on the stove top: place all the ingredients into a saucepan and cook over medium-high heat. When the sauce begins to simmer, reduce to medium-low, and whisk while cooking until thickened and smooth.

8. Remove one sheet of the Pastry from the package and give it a bit of a knead on your bench top to bring it back to life.  If it's a bit dry, you can add a sprinkle of water then knead through.  Seperate the pastry into two balls.  Roll out one pastry ball in between two sheets of baking paper (to stop it sticking to the rolling pin) to fit the baking dish.

9. Spoon a layer of the bolognaise sauce on the bottom of your baking dish then cover with the layer of rolled out pastry.  Pour half of the white sauce over the top of the pastry.  Repeat again: bolognaise, pastry, white sauce.

10. Optional but good: Sprinkle the grated cheddar and parmesan cheese over the top layer of bolognaise sauce.

11. Bake the lasagne in the preheated oven for about 40-45 minutes or until the top is golden and bubbly.

12. Once baked, remove the lasagne from the oven and let it cool for ten minutes before serving.

13. Slice and serve the delicious grain-free lasagne with a green salad.

Store in the fridge for 3 days or in the freezer for 6 months, I like to freeze into individual serves for easy lunches.

I hope you enjoy your homemade grain-free lasagne, a comforting dish that's been made possible with the clever substitution of grain-free pastry and a rich and nourishing bolognaise sauce.  Shh don't tell anyone it's grain-free and see if they notice!

Enjoy!  Love, H xx