Lasagne without the pasta ?
- When you feel like a lasagne but don't have any sheets of pasta and you have run out of flour to make pasta.
- When you don't want any gluten in your meal because you have already had bread today.
or when you have heaps of marrows / courgettes in your garden and tired of eating Ratatouille.
Well, this is the meal for you.
I have made two Mince and Vegetable Stack for tonight, I have put it all together and is now covered in the fridge ready to bake closer to dinner time.
This recipe can be easily changed with just mushrooms instead of the butternut or any other vegetable you would prefer. Use what is in season.
I will be blogging a vegetarian one soon. I have an idea in my head.
Mince and Vegetable stack Recipe
Serves 6
Oven 200 c
Oven dish 37 long by 33 wide - That is the size of my dish but something close to this size.
1 kg beef mince
Coconut oil for frying
3 tbsp rice flour or plain flour
1 onion - chopped finely
4 cloves garlic - when buying garlic buy the bulbs with the roots showing. Then you know it is from NZ.
Bunch of fresh thyme (with their stalks, I just pull out the stalks later) or 2 tsp dried thyme
200 gr tomatoes puree
400 gr tomatoes
2 tbsp brown rice malt syrup, 2 grated apple or 2 grated carrots. Just for sweetening up the tomatoes.
Mushrooms - any type and as many as you like. Sliced
1 small butternut or pumpkin - sliced, see photo below - I left the skin on and remove it once cooked.
Bunch of sliver beet/ chard or spinach
Himalayan salt / Pepper
4 - 5 Large courgettes or something similar. (to be used instead of pasta ) Sliced thinly in length, see photo below.
Parmesan cheese to place on the top, just before baking.
Method
1- lay your sliced butternut on an oven tray, brush with oil and sea salt, bake until soft. Once cooked you can remove the skin.
2 - In a large pot melt oil and add your onion. Cook on low to soften with a lid on.
3 - Add your garlic. Cook for 30 seconds.
4 - Add your mince and turn up the heat. Stir with a wooden spoon to brown. Scoop out any fat.
5 - Add flour and mix in and cook for 1 minute.
6 - Add your mushrooms, tomatoes and tomato puree. Stir and cook with the lid off for 20 minutes, stirring every now and then. Make sure it does not stick to the bottom of the pot, add a little water if it does, although we don't want it wet.
7 - Place all your prepared ingredients on the bench ready to assembly.
Lay in order -
8 - Mince mixture first.
9 - Next lay some courgette slices, a few layers thick.
10 - Next some more mince mixture
11 - Silver beet or spinach
12 - Pumpkin slices
13 - Mince
14 - Courgette slices
15 - Parmesan cheese.
Well I am happy to say I grew this one. Not sure of its name but it is either a butternut or pumpkin.
Sliced and the skin left on. Brush oil and sea salt over them. Bake in the oven until cooked.
Using a small knife peel off the skin.
Cook onions until soft then add the garlic.
Turn up the heat and brown the mince.
Add fresh thyme and flour, stir and cook for a minute.
Add tomatoes and tomato puree.
Add mushrooms.
Stir and cook for 20 minutes with the lid off, checking every now that it does not stick to the base.
I used silver beet.
I also grew this and I don't know what it is called, but it does belong to the marrow family. Similar to courgettes but huge.
Slice with my slicer.
Have everything lined up.
1 - lay down thin layer of mince.
2 - next slices, double in thickness, the courgette.
3 - mince again.
4 - silver beet or spinach
5 - pumkin slices
6 - mince again
7 - leftover slices of courgette and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.
Bake for about 20 minutes or until brown on top.
Loved by guests and family ( I made two of these ) xx