While thinking about family one-pot dishes, few come into my mind. Well, on the first place is always rich, creamy and flavorsome LASAGNA. You can make the filling in advance and assemble the lasagna on the day.

Originally it comes from the city of Naples, layered with local sausage, small fried meatballs, hard-boiled eggs, ricotta and mozzarella cheeses, and sauced with a Neapolitan ragù (similar to ragù Bolognese).

Lasagna with beef meat pearls

Ingredients:

• 6 no-precook lasagna sheets
• 1/4 cup Emmental cheese, grated

Béchamel sauce:

• 100 g butter
• 1 tbsp flour
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg

Tomato sauce:

• 250 ml Tomato passata
• 1/3 tsp garlic flakes
• 1/3 tsp oregano
• 1/3 tsp freeze-dry thyme
• 1/8 tsp salt

Beef meat pearls:

• 500 g minced beef
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1 medium shallot
• 1 big clove of garlic
• Bunch of parsley

Cooking method:

1. First prepare tomato sauce as it needs some time to rest for more intense taste. For this sauce mix tomato passata with spices and salt and leave covered in a room temperature while preparing other ingredients for lasagna.

2. For beef meat pearls mix well minced beef with hands adding finely chopped shallot, squeezed garlic clove, salt, grated Parmesan and chopped parsley.

3. Preheat the oven to 200C. Form small meatballs of a size of big pearls and transfer them on a baking tray layered with baking paper. Use water or oil to reduce stickeness of meat while forming the pearls. Bake for about 10-15 minutes.

Another option: you can deep fry the meatballs to keep their juiciness.

4. For Bechamel sauce put butter in a saucepan and melt it on medium heat. Them add flour stirring all time. Pour cold milk and stirring constantly, bring it to boil untill sauce thickens. Then add nutmeg, salt and remove from the heat.

5. To built lasagna grease an oven proof dish and spread a ladleful of béchamel, cover with 2 lasagna sheets, 4 tbsp tomato sauce, sprinkle with grated Emmental cheese, add half of meat pearls and cover with 2 lasagna sheets.

6. Repeat the previous step one more time making sure to cover the corners of each sheet with plenty of tomato sauce.

7. Cover with 2 sheets, spread with Bechamel and sprinkle Emmental cheese on the top.

8. Bake in a preheated oven at 200C for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and leave to rest for 10 minutes.