Veal and Eggplant Lasagne

1. Heat a large deep frying pan over medium to high heat, add oil and swirl to coat. Brown veal mince and then add onion, carrot, celery and garlic and cook for 5 minutes until starting to soften.

2. Add passata and oregano, add 1 cup of water to the passata jar, shake and add to the pan. Simmer partially covered with a lid for 30 minutes or until sauce has reduced and meat and vegetables are tender. Season with salt and pepper.

3. Preheat a chargrill pan to very hot and cook the thinly sliced eggplant without any oil until grill marks appear, turn over and repeat.

4. To assemble the lasagne, spread ¼ of the sauce in the base of a 2L oven-proof dish. Cover with 1/3 of the eggplant. Top with ¼ sauce, then 1/3 eggplant. Repeat until sauce and eggplant is used up, finishing with a sauce layer. Top sauce with sliced bocconcini and sprinkle with a little oregano, salt and pepper. Bake at 180C for 40 minutes or until cheese is melted and golden.

5. Toss kale with oil in a large bowl until coated. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Spread out on 2 baking trays and roast for 15-20 minutes until starting to crisp. Serve with lemon juice and zest, or lemon wedges to the side.

• Use a mandolin or sharp knife to slice the eggplant to 3-4mm thick.
• Cooking on a chargrill pan without oil reduces smoke in the kitchen and still gives a lovely bbq flavour.
• Add layers of instant lasagne sheets for variety.
• Use diced tomatoes instead of passata.

• Switch to make:

Eggplant canneloni- Spread base of dish with a little sauce. Spread each piece of eggplant with a little sauce, roll up tightly into a log and lay next to each other in baking dish, cover eggplant rolls with remaining sauce and top with bocconcini, bake 40 minutes or until bubbling and tender.

 Or

 Top lasagne with a mixture of ricotta and parmesan for a quick moussaka.