Pork & Pheasant Lasagne

The family favourite with a twist! Substituting beef mince for pheasant mince gives a tasty alternative. Pheasant meat is also naturally lower in fat so is an easy swap to instantly reduce your saturated fats intake.

Ingredients – serves 4 people

• 60g cheese (grated)
• Fresh lasagne sheets

For the meat sauce

• Olive oil
• 350g pheasant mince
• 200g pork mince
• 1 onion
• 2 sticks of celery
• 1 carrot
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 2 bay leaves
• 400g can of chopped tomatoes
• 150ml of vegetable/game stock
• 2tbsp of tomato puree
• Salt and pepper to season

For the white sauce

• 30g butter
• 23g of plain flour
• Pinch of grated nutmeg
• Salt and pepper to season

Method

1. To make the meat sauce, heat the oil in a saucepan and add both minces, cook and stir until lightly browned. Add the celery, onion and garlic and fry for a few more minutes.
2. Add the stock, chopped tomatoes, tomato puree, bay leaves and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to the boil, then cover and simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
3. Meanwhile, prepare the white sauce. Melt the butter in a saucepan on a low heat and sprinkle in the flour and cook whilst stirring. Remove from the heat and gradually blend in the milk. Simmer for 2-3 minutes then add the nutmeg, salt and pepper.
4. Spoon a thin layer of meat sauce (make sure you remove the bay leaves first!) over the base of a large ovenproof dish. Cover with a layer of white sauce and a sprinkling of cheese. Arrange the lasagne on top and repeat until all the sauce has been used, making sure you reserve enough white sauce to cover the top layer of lasagne sheets.
5. Sprinkle with the last of the cheese and bake in a pre-heated oven (190°C/Gas 5) for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the pasta is tender and the topping golden brown.