Lasagne Cups

Recipe & image taken from http://www.slimmingeats.com

Makes 12

Based on 3 per person -  1 HEa and 1 syn per serving

400g of extra lean beef mince

1 onion, finely chopped

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

1 carrot, finely chopped

200g of diced butternut squash

4 mushrooms, finely chopped

fresh herbs (I used a mixture of rosemary, oregano and thyme)

2 cups (480ml) of passata

1 cup (240ml) of beef stock

splash of balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon of chilli powder

1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon

Frylight/Pam Spray

42g of mozzarella cheese (1 HEa)

28g of parmesan cheese  (1 HEa)

12 flat lasagne sheets (I used whole wheat) *see note

salt and black pepper

for the cheese sauce:

1 tablespoon of cornstarch (3.5 syns)

250 ml of semi skimmed milk (1 HEa)

28g of parmesan cheese (1 HEa)

salt and black pepper for seasoning

Spray a frying pan with some Frylight or Pam spray and add the onions, garlic and carrot and fry for about 5 mins

Add the beef mince and cook till browned.

Add the mushrooms, butternut squash, passata, stock, chilli powder, cinnamon, balsamic vinegar and then your fresh herbs. Cover with some greaseproof paper and cook for approx 1 hour over a gentle heat on the hob.

When the meat mixture has almost finished it’s cooking time you can make  the cheese sauce, Mix the cornstarch with a little of the milk and add to the rest of the milk in a small saucepan over a low heat, constantly stirring until it comes to a boil and thickens. Remove from heat and stir in the 28g of parmesan cheese.

Preheat oven to 180c or 350f (gas mark 4)

In the meantime bring a large saucepan water to a boil and add the lasagne sheets and  cooked until softened. Now comes the tricky part.

Mix your mozzarella and remaining parmesan together in a bowl.

Using a muffin tray, spray with a little frylight or Pam spray. Cut you lasagne sheets in half, so you have 24 squares. Place one half of top of another half so that you have a kind of star shape. Place this carefully in one muffin space and spoon in some of your meat mixture. Top with a little of the cheese sauce and your grated cheese. Repeat for the other 11 spaces. Your mini lasagna’s will look like this.