Cinnamon, basil and pumpkin 'lasagne'
Main Meals (Dinners)
Serves
4
4
| Prep | 20 min | |
| Cook | 60 min |
Healthy and hearty, this dish is far easier to make than traditional lasagne. Add 100 g parmesan from your dairy allowance if you like: grate it, then scatter some over each layer of meat.
- Olive oil spray, 1 spray(s)
- Onion, any type, 1 medium, finely chopped
- Celery, 2 stalk(s), finely chopped
- Beef mince, low fat, raw, 800 g, or pork or veal
- Ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon(s)
- Tomato paste, no added salt, 2 tablespoon(s)
- Tomatoes, diced, canned, any type, 1 400g can(s)
- Basil, 1 handful(s), torn (optional)
- Pumpkin, any type, 800 g, peeled, seeded and thinly sliced
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180°C.
- Heat a large heavy-based non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Once hot, spray with olive oil, then add the onion and celery and cook, stirring often, for 3–4 minutes or until the vegetables are just starting to soften. Add the mince and cinnamon and cook, stirring, for 4–5 minutes or until the mince is browned. Stir in the tomato paste and chopped tomato, bring to simmering point and cook for 10 minutes or until the mixture thickens slightly. Remove from the heat, stir through the basil (if using) and season with salt and pepper.
- Transfer half the mince mixture to a 2 litre capacity roasting tin or baking dish, spreading it evenly over the base. Add half the pumpkin slices, overlapping them to cover the mince. Repeat with the remaining mince and pumpkin, then cover the dish tightly with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 20 minutes or until the pumpkin is very tender.
- Leave to stand for 5–10 minutes to cool slightly, then serve scattered with basil leaves (if using).
Nutrition facts per serve
Makes 4 serves
Note: If food units vary from the book, be guided by the following food units.
| Meat & Protein | 2 |
| Bread & Cereals | 0 |
| Vegetables | 1.5 |
| Fruit | 0 |
| Dairy | 0 |
| Healthy Fats & Oils | 1 |
| Indulgences | 0 |
| Calories | 428 |
| Protein | 47 g |
| Total fat | 15.4 g |
| - Saturated fat | 6 g |
| Total carbohydrates | 20.7 g |
| - Total sugars | 18.3 g |
| Fibre | 8.9 g |
| Sodium | 298 mg |