Tex-Mex Beef Enchilada Inspired Lasagne

Heat a drizzle of oil in a large frying pan on high heat.

Once hot, add the beef mince and sliced pepper. Fry until the mince has browned, 5-6 mins. Use a spoon to break it up as it cooks. IMPORTANT: Wash your hands and equipment after handling raw mince.

When the mince has browned, drain and discard any excess fat. Season with salt and pepper. IMPORTANT: The mince is cooked when no longer pink in the middle.

Reduce the heat to medium, then stir in the garlic and the Mexican style spice mix. Fry for 1 min. 

Add the passata, chicken stock paste, sugar and water for the ragu (see pantry for both amounts) to the beef. Stir well to combine. 

Bring to the boil, then simmer until the ragu has thickened, 4-5 mins.

While the ragu is simmering, melt the butter (see pantry for amount) in another saucepan on medium-high heat.

Once the butter has melted, stir in the flour (see pantry for amount). Cook, stirring, until it forms a paste, 1-2 mins - you've made a roux!

Gradually stir in the water for the sauce (see pantry for amount). Bring to the boil, stir and simmer until thickened, 1-2 mins.

Stir in the creme fraiche and hard Italian style cheese until the cheese has melted, 1-2 mins. Season with salt and pepper, then remove from the heat.

When your two sauces are ready, add a splash of water to the ragu if it's a little too thick.

In an appropriately sized ovenproof dish, spread a third of the ragu sauce over the bottom in a thin layer. Cover with a layer of lasagne sheets, then a layer of the cheese sauce. Repeat until you have three layers of ragu, lasagne sheets and cheese sauce.

Bake on the middle shelf of your oven until golden and bubbling, 30-35 mins.