Crusty Lasagna Buns

Generally speaking, I like to cook simple and easy things for dinners here in our house.  I had more than my fill of fancy cooking when I cooked at the Manor, enough to last me a lifetime.  Todd and I are simple folk with simple tastes.  Ordinary food suits us just fine!

That doesn’t mean that I don’t  cook delicious food of course.  I think all of my meals are delicious . . .  but then again I am a tad bit biased.  Delicious needn’t be complicated or expensive.  Delicious food comes in many forms.

Todd thinks so too.  He was just saying to me yesterday about how lucky he was that he has a wife who loves to cook and who is good at cooking.  (Mind you if you asked him on a pasta night, his opinion might be a tad bit different!)

These Lasagna Buns are fun, fun, fun!!! Easy and quick to make, and oh so very delicious!!    You could eat them with your hands, if you really wanted to get down to earth . . . but I recommend being a bit more civilized  and eating them on a plate,  with a fork and a knife!!

Crisp bread shells holding all the elements of a delicious meaty lasagna, minus the pasta. Ohhh soooo cheesy and rich and scrumdiddlyummy!!!

Your family is sure to love these hearty fun buns.   I guarantee they will become a real favourite and much requested entree!  Simple enough for every day, but something you also might want to feed friends when they come for dinner.

*Crusty Lasagna Buns*
Makes 8
Printable Recipe

Crisp hollowed out crusty rolls filled with a mixture of a delicious meat sauce and a variety of cheeses, and then baked until the cheese is ooey gooey and scrumdiddlyumptious!!

8 round crusty rolls
350g of extra lean ground beef
1 small jar of pasta sauce
(your favourite kind. I like one with a gutsy flavour such as an
arrabatia or a puttanesca)
garlic powder to taste
2 tsp of dried oregano
2 tsp of dried basil
1 tsp onion powder
pinch of cloves
salt and black pepper to taste
250g packet of ricotta cheese
8 ounces strong cheddar cheese grated
8 ounces grated mozzarella cheese
2 ounces grated Parmesan cheese

Cut a thin slice off of the top of each bun. Hollow out the centres, leaving a 1/4 inch thick shell. (Discard the centres and tops, or feed to birds, or make breadcrumbs with them and put them in the freezer.)

Brown the ground beef in a hot skillet, cooking and mashing with a fork until it is nicely browned. Stir in the garlic powder, oregano, basil, onion powder, cloves, salt, pepper and pasta sauce. Allow to simmer for 5 to 10 minutes over low heat until flavours meld.

Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark4.

Mix together the ricotta cheese with half of the cheddar cheese and half of the Mozzarella cheese, and all of the Parmesan.. Stir together well.

Place the hollowed out buns on a shallow baking tray. Divide the meat sauce between them. Top with equal amounts of the cheese mixture. Cover loosely with foil and then pop into the heated oven. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Remove the foil and top with the remaining cheese and then bake for another 5 minutes or so, or pop under a hot grill for 3 to 4 minutes.

Allow to sit for at least 10 minutes before serving. Delicious!

All you need on the side is a bit of salad!  Quite simply delicious. Bon  Appetit!

Debunking the myths of English Cookery, one recipe at a time.
The English Kitchen
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