Lasagna 4 Sehat 5 Sempurna

In Indonesia there is a principle called “4 sehat 5 sempurna” which dictates the ideal and nutritional staple diet. Literally translated, “4 sehat 5 sempurna” means 4 healthy (food), 5 perfect (diet). The first four meaning carbs (usually rice), meat, veggies and fruits and the fifth being milk. This means, if you eat the four staple food on a daily basis, you’re already pretty healthy but with milk you have all the nutrition you need.

As children, we are encouraged in school to eat this staple food. But as we grow older, we tend to forget that our body still need these nutritions. Personally, since leaving home almost three years ago, I’d forgotten how to eat healthily. So I decided to come up with a recipe to put together these staple food into one tasty dish. No fuss, just yum! 

Ingredients (4 portions)

  • 400 gr minced meat (remember to defrost!)
  • 4 tbsp. oil
  • 1 1/2 cups tomato sauce
  • 200 gr creamed spinach
  • 200 gr sour cream
  • 6 lasagna sheets
  • grated cheese (optional)
  • salt (to taste)
  • grated parmesan cheese (optional)
  1. Preheat the oven (200ºC)
  2. Heat the oil on a frying pan on the stove, spread it out
  3. Put the meat on the pan and let it fry a bit
  4. Pour the tomato sauce into the pan
  5. Defrost the creamed spinach (if it’s frozen) and add it into the pan
  6. Mix everything well and let it cook for ca. 1 minute
  7. Add the grated cheese and salt
  8. Put the sauce and lasagna sheets on a baking dish in turn, starting and ending with the sauce
  9. Add the sour cream on the very top and sprinkle parmesan cheese to your liking
  10. Let it bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes
  11. Serve it while it’s warm!

Tips: Though, traditionally, people use minced beef for lasagna, I used turkey and they taste not too different plus there’s less oil. You may make the tomato sauce yourself by using fresh tomatoes and juice them nicely instead of store-bought tomato sauce. Instead of creamed spinach, I recommend fresh spinach (I used creamed one because it is cheaper out here). Remember to boil your lasagna sheets before cooking if it needs to be boiled first. Otherwise, DO NOT BOIL THEM! I made this mistake before and it ruined the sheets. Obviously, you can use any other cheese instead of the parmesan on top. I added oregano in the end but I don’t think it makes much of a difference.

Lasagna is one of my favourite dishes. I always thought it was so hard to make but I was wrong. If you aren’t much of a cook, please don’t be discouraged. Neither am I! But this is seriously easy to make. And, if you live alone, this could be your meal for two days straight. I’m on a cooking roll these days so I’m excited to try out new recipes and making my own. Well, lass euch schmecken!

In Indonesia there is a principle called “4 sehat 5 sempurna” which dictates the ideal and nutritional staple diet. Literally translated, “4 sehat 5 sempurna” means 4 healthy (food), 5 perfect (diet). The first four meaning carbs (usually rice), meat, veggies and fruits and the fifth being milk. This means, if you eat the four staple food on a daily basis, you’re already pretty healthy but with milk you have all the nutrition you need.

As children, we are encouraged in school to eat this staple food. But as we grow older, we tend to forget that our body still need these nutritions. Personally, since leaving home almost three years ago, I’d forgotten how to eat healthily. So I decided to come up with a recipe to put together these staple food into one tasty dish. No fuss, just yum! 

Ingredients (4 portions)

  • 400 gr minced meat (remember to defrost!)
  • 4 tbsp. oil
  • 1 1/2 cups tomato sauce
  • 200 gr creamed spinach
  • 200 gr sour cream
  • 6 lasagna sheets
  • grated cheese (optional)
  • salt (to taste)
  • grated parmesan cheese (optional)
  1. Preheat the oven (200ºC)
  2. Heat the oil on a frying pan on the stove, spread it out
  3. Put the meat on the pan and let it fry a bit
  4. Pour the tomato sauce into the pan
  5. Defrost the creamed spinach (if it’s frozen) and add it into the pan
  6. Mix everything well and let it cook for ca. 1 minute
  7. Add the grated cheese and salt
  8. Put the sauce and lasagna sheets on a baking dish in turn, starting and ending with the sauce
  9. Add the sour cream on the very top and sprinkle parmesan cheese to your liking
  10. Let it bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes
  11. Serve it while it’s warm!

Tips: Though, traditionally, people use minced beef for lasagna, I used turkey and they taste not too different plus there’s less oil. You may make the tomato sauce yourself by using fresh tomatoes and juice them nicely instead of store-bought tomato sauce. Instead of creamed spinach, I recommend fresh spinach (I used creamed one because it is cheaper out here). Remember to boil your lasagna sheets before cooking if it needs to be boiled first. Otherwise, DO NOT BOIL THEM! I made this mistake before and it ruined the sheets. Obviously, you can use any other cheese instead of the parmesan on top. I added oregano in the end but I don’t think it makes much of a difference.

Lasagna is one of my favourite dishes. I always thought it was so hard to make but I was wrong. If you aren’t much of a cook, please don’t be discouraged. Neither am I! But this is seriously easy to make. And, if you live alone, this could be your meal for two days straight. I’m on a cooking roll these days so I’m excited to try out new recipes and making my own. Well, lass euch schmecken!