Lovely Lasagne Recipe

A fantastic lasagne recipe!

INGREDIENTS
450g/1lb lean minced beef
1 onion, finely chopped
3 tsp tomato purée
1 red pepper, deseeded and finely chopped
oil
1 green pepper, deseeded and finely chopped
150g/5oz button mushrooms, sliced
2 bay leaves
2 x 400g/14oz cans chopped tomatoes
1 tsp dried thyme
300g/10½oz 'no pre-cook' lasagne sheets
1 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp dried oregano
butter, for greasing
300g/10½oz cottage cheese
150g/5oz mature cheddar, grated
salt and freshly ground black pepper
To serve
green salad
garlic bread

DIRECTIONS
* Preheat the oven to 180C.
* Heat the oil in a frying pan. Add mince and cook until brown all over. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside.
* Add the onions, peppers and mushrooms. Fry over a medium heat until softened.
* Return mince to pan. Add the tomato purée and bay leaves and cook for five minutes.
* Add tomatoes and dried herbs. Heat to bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to simmer for at least 30 minutes. Season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
* Grease a 25 x 20cm/10 x 8in baking dish and line the bottom with pasta.
* Remove the bay leaves from the mince mixture and spoon about one third of the mixture onto the pasta.
* Place blobs of cottage cheese (again totalling one-third of the cottage cheese) on top of the mince.
* Repeat this layering process of lasagne sheets, mince and cottage cheese for more layers, finishing with a good sprinkling of cheddar all over the top.
* Transfer to oven and bake for about 45 mins to 1 hour, until the top is golden-brown and bubbling and the pasta cooked through.
* To serve, cut out squares of the lasagne and place onto plates. Serve with a green salad and garlic bread.