Mark Moriarty’s recipe for ‘Louis’s lasagne’ with sobrasada

Sat Nov 07 2026 - 04:56

Serves: 6

Course: Dinner

Cooking Time: 3 hrs

Prep Time: 20 mins

Ingredients

• 3 beef cheeks
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 4 carrots, diced
• 2 onions, diced
• 4 garlic cloves, sliced
• 1 sprig rosemary
• 1 Parmesan cheese rind
• 2 tbs tomato paste
• 50g sobrasada sausage
• 200ml red wine
• 1 rich beef stockpot
• 2 tins chopped tomatoes
• 50g capers
• 1 large handful flat parsley, chopped
• 1 pack dried lasagne sheets
• For the cheese sauce:
• 50g butter
• 50g plain flour
• 1 tbs Dijon mustard
• 50g white cheddar, grated
• 50g Parmesan, grated
• Sea salt and black pepper
• Zest and juice of 1 lemon

1. Preheat the oven to 150 degrees.
2. Cut the beef cheeks into golf-ball-sized chunks. Place a large, heavy-based, flameproof casserole dish on a high heat and add the oil.
3. Add the beef cheek to the pan, season with salt and pepper, then brown the chunks, getting as much colour as possible on all sides. Once browned, remove the beef and place on a plate.
4. Reduce the heat to medium and add the carrots and onions to the same pan. Fry for two-three minutes, being careful not to burn anything. Next, add the garlic, rosemary, Parmesan rind, tomato paste and sobrasada sausage. Cook for another two minutes, allowing the sobrasada to melt down, then add the browned beef back in along with the resting juices from the plate.
5. Add the wine and increase the heat. Simmer until the wine has reduced by half.
6. Add the beef stockpot and tomatoes. Bring the liquid to the boil, then cover and place in the oven to cook at 150 degrees for three hours.
7. After three hours, remove the pot from the oven; the beef will be soft. Break up the meat using a potato masher so it will absorb more of the sauce. Don’t forget to remove the Parmesan rind and discard. Season with black pepper, capers and chopped parsley, then reset the oven to 200 degrees.
8. To make the cheese sauce, melt the butter in a large saucepan then stir in the flour and cook out in the butter for two minutes. Whisk in the milk and allow it to boil and thicken while whisking regularly. Remove from the heat and finish with the grated Parmesan and cheddar, mustard, lemon juice and zest.
9. To assemble, fill the bottom of an ovenproof dish with lasagne sheets, then a layer of the beef cheek and sobrasada ragu, then the cheese sauce. Continue this until the dish is full before finishing with a final layer of lasagne sheets, cheese sauce and some extra grated cheese.
10. Cook in the preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes until golden brown on top.
11. Allow to rest for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Mark Moriarty is an award winning chef, TV host, author and Irish Times columnist.

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