Afrika Lasagne
Afrika Lasagne always arrived at the table with the same feeling — a big, generous dish that fed everyone without fuss. When the first slice was lifted out, slightly messy and steaming, nobody cared about perfect layers. They cared that it tasted like home. This was the South African version — hearty, generous, and shaped by whatever was in the pantry.
Ingredients
- For the Meat:
- 2 kg minced meat
- 4 onions, finely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, crushed
- 3 large cans tomato purée
- 3 tsp mixed herbs
- Salt and pepper to taste
- For the Cheese sauce (béchamel):
- 250 g flour
- 50 g butter
- 5 cups milk
- Salt and pepper
- 2 cups grated mature cheese
- For the Yogurt topping:
- 4 eggs
- 0.5 cup plain flour
- 8 handfuls grated mature cheese
- 500 ml plain yogurt
Method
- For the Meat:
- Brown the beef mince.
- Fry the onions and garlic until soft.
- Add the tomato purée and cook until the sauce is cooked through and smooth.
- Season with mixed herbs, salt and pepper.
- For the Cheese sauce:
- Make a white sauce by melting the butter, stirring in the flour to form a roux, then gradually whisking in the milk until smooth and thick.
- Season with salt and pepper and stir in 2 cups grated cheese.
- For the Yogurt topping:
- Beat the eggs and mix with the flour, grated cheese and yogurt until well combined.
- Reserve some grated cheese to sprinkle on top later.
- Assembly:
- Preheat the oven to 180°C.
- Layer in an oven dish: meat sauce, then lasagne sheets, then cheese sauce.
- Repeat layers, finishing with a layer of lasagne.
- Spread the yogurt topping over the final pasta layer, then sprinkle the reserved grated cheese evenly on top.
- Bake covered in foil for 30–40 minutes. Then remove foil and bake a further 8–12 minutes until golden brown on top.