Nothing says comfort food like a lasagna. This is a great dish to make a lot of, so you can freeze smaller portions for a quick reheated meal during the week. You can make lasagna anytime of the year, but I find winter is best to warm up your kitchen and fill your house with an incredible aroma that makes your stomach growl.

Try to get your ground beef and sausage at a butcher. We buy several 500g packages of ground beef from ours to make sure there’s always some in the freezer.

We made this lasagna in our Le Creuset, as you can fry up the meat and onions in it, then use it again to bake the lasagna. It is such a great piece of cookware to invest in and worth every penny. 

Ingredients:

• 300g ground beef
• 300g pork sausage (Italian or smoked) – casing removed and crumbled
• 1000g (4 cups) crushed tomatoes
• 400g cottage cheese
• 250g shredded Gouda cheese (or pizza mozzarella)
• Lasagna noodles
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 tsp oregano
• ½ tsp thyme
• 1 tsp paprika
• Salt & pepper QB
• Grated parmesan cheese QB

Instructions:

1. In a Dutch oven or pot, fry chopped onion, ground beef, and sausage until cooked. Strain fat (leaving a little).
2. Add spices, salt, and pepper (can also add chili powder or red pepper flakes for heat).
3. Layer crushed tomatoes on bottom of Dutch oven or lasagna dish.
4. Put a layer of lasagna noodles on top, more tomatoes, layer of meat mixture, cottage cheese, and Gouda cheese. Repeat starting with crushed tomatoes.
5. Finish with grated parmesan cheese.
6. Make ahead and refrigerate or bake at 350°F (180° C) for 1 hour and 30 minutes.