Lasagna has always had a very special place in my heart. I still remember the very first time I tasted lasagna. It was at a school friend’s birthday party. Her mother had prepared lasagna and quite frankly, it was the most delicious thing I had ever tasted in my 10 year old life.
As I grew up, I continued indulging in Lasagna whenever possible. I was also lucky enough that my best friend trained to become a chef and in her quest of perfecting her cooking skills, I was treated to many lasagna dinners. Birthdays, get togethers with friends, farewells etc were always graced with the presence of perfectly baked lasagna.
Then we graduated and got jobs and could finally afford to eat out. One of our favorite hangouts was a local restaurant whose signature dish also happened to be none other than a warm plate of cheesy lasagna. I had no trouble selecting my meal whenever we ate there.
Throughout the years and through all these circumstances, the one thing that remained the same was that every single lasagna I ever enjoyed was made with none other than San Remo Lasagna Sheets.
San Remo’s premium grade durum wheat lasagna sheets, are a no fuss, base ingredient that is easily utilized by households and restaurants alike. This high quality pasta was trusted by all chefs and could turn any pasta dish to something exquisite and extraordinary.
It was always easy to satisfy my lasagna cravings because the San Remo instant lasagna sheets are oven ready which means no pre-cooking is required. My best friend however, insists that the secret to her perfect recipe was dipping the sheets in hot water before arranging them in the tray, to produce a lasagna that is moist and has that melt-in-your mouth goodness.
Although lasagna is a dish that can test your patience with its 2 different sauces and the layering required, the San Remo instant sheets turn the process conveniently easy.
Additionally, these golden pasta sheets go well with a wide variety of meat, vegetable and cheese fillings.
We have experimented with several fillings and our time tested recipe calls for a spicy tuna sauce that compliments the pasta and cheese sauce well.
SPICY TUNA LASAGNA
- San Remo Instant Lasagna 250g
- 1 clove of garlic, crushed
- 2 cans of tuna in oil
- 5 tbsp tomato paste
- 800g canned tomatoes
- 2 cups chicken stock
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Pinch of nutmeg
- Chilli powder
- 4 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp plain flour
- 2 cups milk
- 125g mozzarella or cheddar cheese
- 1 carrot, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp oil
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- Chopped chillies
Directions
Heat oil in a saucepan. Add onion, chopped chillies, carrot and garlic, cook until soft.
Add tuna to the mixture and cook for 2-3 minutes
Stir in tomato paste, canned tomatoes and chicken stock.
Season with salt, pepper, chilli powder (to your liking) and nutmeg. Cover and cook gently for 20 mins.
Melt butter in a separate saucepan, stir in flour and cook for 2 minutes over gentle heat.
Remove from heat, stir in milk. Return to heat, stir until thick and smooth.
Season with salt, pepper and add mozzarella or cheddar cheese, stirring over low heat until cheese melts
Preheat oven to 180°C. Pour ½ cup of the tuna sauce into a lightly greased baking dish.
Alternate layers of lasagna, tuna and cheese sauces, ending with cheese sauce layer (allow for 4 layers).
Sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese, bake in oven for 35-40 minutes or until cooked through (test if cooked by pricking with a fork).
Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
