Mini sweet lasagnes
- Published: 14 Jun 19
- Updated: 18 Mar 24
Eleonora Galasso has put a sweet spin on this classic Italian dish. Her mini lasagnes see sweet tomato jam, béchamel sauce, pasta sheets and a white chocolate topping baked until golden and sticky.
Find out how to layer a lasagne too with this simple video.
- Serves 6
- Hands-on time 1 hour, oven time 20 min
Ingredients
- 125g dried lasagne pasta sheets made with egg
For the tomato jam
- 500g ripe vine tomatoes, bottoms scored with a cross (see tip)
- 150g brown sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tbsp lemon juice (use the zest in the sweet béchamel sauce, below)
For the sweet béchamel sauce
- 600ml whole milk, plus extra for topping up
- 1 vanilla pod, split
- Finely grated zest 1 lemon
- 50g unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing
- 50g plain flour
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
For the topping
- 50g white chocolate, shaved into small curls using a vegetable peeler
- Small bunch fresh mint leaves
You’ll also need…
- Iced water
- 6 x 200ml ramekins
Method
- To make the tomato jam, bring a medium pan of water to the boil, add the tomatoes and cook for 2 minutes. Drain, then briefly plunge into a bowl of iced water until cool enough to handle. Peel off the skin, then roughly chop.
- Put the chopped tomatoes, sugar, cinnamon and lemon juice in a medium saucepan and mix well. Bring the tomato mixture to the boil, then cook over a gentle heat for 20 minutes until thick. Set aside.
- Heat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas 6. Lightly butter a baking sheet. To start the béchamel off and cook the pasta sheets, bring the 600ml milk to a simmer in a medium pan along with the vanilla pod and the lemon zest. Add the lasagne sheets gently to the pan, one by one, without cracking them and cook for 5 minutes. Remove the lasagne sheets with a slotted spoon, then lay each sheet flat on the buttered baking sheet. Pour the milk into a measuring jug, top back up to 600ml, pour back into the pan and keep to hand.
- Heat the butter over a low-medium heat in a saucepan until melted. Add the flour and stir with a whisk to give a smooth paste. Cook until the mixture turns a light sandy colour – this will take 5-6 minutes.
- Meanwhile, reheat the reserved milk in its pan until steaming. Gradually add the hot milk to the butter mixture, whisking all the time, until smooth, then bring to a simmer. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring all the time, then remove from the heat. Stir in the brown sugar and nutmeg, then set aside. Cover the surface of the béchamel with cling film to stop a skin forming and set aside.
- Start by spreading a layer of the tomato jam on the bottom of each ramekin. Next, add a single layer of pasta sheets, cutting them so they fit. Spoon on a layer of sweet béchamel sauce, followed by another lasagne sheet. Carry on alternating the tomato jam, lasagne sheets (use the offcuts too) and sweet béchamel until you reach the top of the dish. Finish with a layer of pasta, a layer of béchamel, then a layer of tomato jam. Repeat with the other 5 dishes.
- Bake in the oven for 20 minutes until golden and bubbling. Scatter with a few white chocolate curls and garnish with a couple of mint leaves before serving.
- Recipe from July 2017 Issue
Nutrition
- Calories
- 736kcals
- Fat
- 16.1g (9.4g saturated)
- Protein
- 17.2g
- Carbohydrates
- 127.4g (39.1g sugars)
- Fibre
- 6.1g
- Salt
- 0.2g
delicious. tips
The jam is ideal for using up ripe tomatoes that are past their best. It’s good with strong, sharp, salty cheeses too.
Layer up the lasagnes up to 24 hours in advance. Keep in the fridge, covered, then bake when needed.
Italy’s nutty, golden dessert wine vin santo makes a serious treat with these unusual lasagnes.
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