With a nation-wide cancellation of sports in Australia following the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Australia's leading sporting stars are sharing their favourite beef dishes that they've been cooking at home during isolation.
Emilee Cherry, a star of the Australian Sevens Rugby team who won gold at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio, is a proud beef ambassador who said that staying at home during the current COVID-19 climate has led her to spend much more time in the kitchen.
"Staying at home has been great for family time and staying healthy," Ms Cherry said.
"I'm getting more creative in the kitchen and cooking a variety of favourite healthy meals with beef."
Not long to go until World Cup 🏈🏃🏻♀️ 📷 @kazwatson
Posted by Emilee Cherry on Monday, July 2, 2018
One of her favourite meals growing up was the lasagne that her mum would cook before big tournaments which Emilee now cooks for her own family.
The lasagne, apart from being a winter warmer, is also jam packed with taste and nutrition.
Check out the recipe for Popeye Lasagne below:
Ingredients
- 600g lean beef mince
- Olive oil spray
- 1 large brown onion, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 575g jar tomato-based pasta sauce
- 400g can crushed tomatoes
- ¼ cup chopped herbs of your choice (basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary)
- 250g frozen chopped spinach, thawed
- 375g low-fat ricotta cheese
- 375g fresh lasagne sheets
- ½ cup grated reduced-fat cheddar cheese
- Basil leaves, mixed garden salad, to serve
Method
Preheat oven to 180°C (160°fan-forced).
Lightly spray a large non-stick frying pan with olive oil. Cook onion and garlic over medium heat for 2-3 minutes, or until softened. Add mince, increase heat to high and cook for 5 minutes or until browned, breaking up any lumps with a wooden spoon. Add pasta sauce, tomatoes and herbs, stir to combine and remove from heat. Set aside to cool slightly.
Drain thawed spinach and squeeze out excess liquid. Place spinach in a medium bowl, add ricotta, season and stir well to combine.
Trim pasta sheets to fit a large (approximately 10-cup/2½ L) capacity baking dish. Lightly spray dish with olive oil and arrange a layer of pasta sheets on the base. Spread a layer of meat sauce over pasta, top with another layer of pasta, followed by a layer of ricotta spinach mixture. Continue layering process, finishing with ricotta spinach mixture. Sprinkle top with cheese and cook for 25-30 minutes or until heated through and cheese is golden brown.
Serve lasagne with basil leaves and salad.
Tips
This beef lasagne is delicious the next day for lunch - stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the fridge - reheat individual portions as needed.
Add extra chopped vegetables, such as zucchini or sweet potato to the meat sauce, if desired.
For other great beef recipes from your favourite Aussie sports stars, click here.
