Sloppy Joes Lasagna

This recipe melds 2 of my all-time comfort foods - lasagna and sloppy joes. It's meaty, hearty, and totally satisfying. The nature of a lasagne requires a "sloppier" joe, so I increased the tomato puree by half a cup.



Ingredients (makes a 5-layered lasagna tray 12" x 8" and feeds approx 6):
250gm lasagna noodles (I used the instant variety, 20 sheets of 7" x 3.5")
1/2 cup marinara sauce
1.5 cup grated cheddar
3/4 cup grated mozzarella for topping

Sloppy Joe's:
350 gm minced beef
150 gm minced pork belly
1 medium yellow onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 green pepper, diced to 1cm cubes
1.5 cup tomato puree
1 tsp cumin
2 tsp brown sugar
1 tbsp cider vinegar
1 tsp dried thyme
Dash cayenne
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp bacon fat-infused oil


Directions:
1) Fry onions in oil, about 1 minute on medium-high heat.

2) Add garlic, and fry till soft and caramelised, about 4 minutes.

3) Add peppers, and fry till softened, about 3 minutes.

4) Add beef, frying till the pink is almost cooked through, about 4 minutes.

5) Add pork, frying for about 4 minutes and making sure to break up the chunks.

6) Add tomato puree, cumin, brown sugar, cider vinegar, thyme, cayenne and worcestershire.

7) Start to assemble the lasagna. First slather about 4 tbsp marinara sauce all over the base of the casserole.

8) Layer with a row of lasagna noodles above it. It's okay to overlap the noodles a little. Layer with marinara sauce, and the sloppy joes.

9) Layer with 1/2 cup grated cheddar.

10) Repeat twice with lasagna noodles, marinara sauce, sloppy joes, cheddar, so you end up with 3 layers of fillings. Top with lasagna noodles, marinara sauce.

11) And finish off with a generous sprinkle of grated mozzarella. Cover the casserole with a loosely fitted aluminium foil and bake for 20 minutes at 200 Celsius, before taking off the foil and baking for a further 15 mins at 190 Celsius or until the cheese is browned.

12) Rest about 5 minutes before serving.

13) If not eating right away, don't take off the foil, but take the tray out from the oven and store in freezer for use up to a week. To eat, defrost it in the morning before you go to work by transferring it to the fridge, and when you get home, heat it up for about 10 minutes at 190 Celsius covered with foil, and 15 minutes uncovered.



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