6 ripe yellow plantain

Oil for frying

600g cooked mince and sauce (meat or plant based)

1 ½ cups grated cheese (or vegan alternative)

3 beefy tomatoes, thinly sliced

250g fresh baby spinach

500g cottage cheese

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 tbsp mixed herbs

¼ cup panko crumbs

Let’s Cook

1. Take your plantain, peel and slice lengthways – about ½ cm thick.  Drizzle oil in a non-stick pan, big enough to fry your sliced plantain without breaking.

2. When the oil is nice and hot add slices to the pan, and cook, both sides for 2 – 3 minutes or until golden.  Gently remove from the pan onto kitchen paper to soak up any excess oil.  Repeat until you have a pile of fragrant crispy plantain.

3. Pre heat oven to 180 degrees. Mix the garlic and cottage cheese together with a pinch of salt and pepper.

Jax Hamiltons Tip : Grab your lasagne dish – I like to spray or lightly grease mine before building my lasagne – which I find helps to create a really nice crust.

4. Spoon and spread a generous amount of mince, sprinkle with cheese, slices of tomato, handful of spinach, layer of plantain slices, then spread a couple of spoons of the cottage cheese and garlic mixture over the plantain.

5. Repeat until you’re happy with your gorgeous stack.  Top with a layer of plantain, cottage cheese and grated cheese.  Sprinkle with dried mixed herbs and panko crumbs.

6. In case of bubbling up, over spill, I like to put my dish on a baking tray. Bake for 30 – 40 minutes.  Once cooked allow to rest for 5 – 10mins so the layers can relax.

SERVE : Garlic bread and a tossed green salad.