Veggie Lasagne

Lasagne is a dish served in many pubs, cafes and restaurants all over the UK. You usually have two options when ordering lasagne – a meaty one which doesn’t usually include any veg other than onion and tomato, but has beef mince in the red sauce, or veggie lasagne which has no protein in it, but lovely Mediterranean veg instead of the mince. My version is a cross between the two. It’s packed full of gorgeous roasted Mediterranean veggies, but also includes Quorn mince to give it more of an authentic meaty feel, making it a perfect family meal to suit meat eaters and veggies alike.

I have included my white sauce recipe below, the ingredients are similar to my Bechamel Sauce recipe, and the technique is exactly the same. But feel free to use a jar of shop bought white lasagne sauce if this is a step too far. It’ll still taste delicious as you’ll have the homemade red sauce, packed with all the protein, veg and rich yummy flavours. If you have any of this left over, it’s great heated through and served with pasta for a quick lunch.

The lasagne itself can be portioned up and frozen in air-tight containers, then you can just take a portion out and microwave it until it’s piping hot all the way through. Et viola, a homemade, yummy ready meal.

Ready in 1 hr 30 mins (10 mins prep, 40 mins roasting, 10 mins on the hob, 30 mins bake) – Serves 4

If you like this recipe, you may also like:

• Aubergine (Egg Plant) And Courgette Bake
• Spinach And Ricotta Pancakes
• Meat Free Chilli Con Carne

Red Sauce Ingredients:

• 200g of aubergine, diced
• 200g of courgette, diced
• 200g of red pepper, diced (See my tips on Bell Pepper Prep here)
• 3 large garlic cloves (unpeeled)
• 6 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 large white onion, diced
• 150g of Quorn mince
• 50mls of red wine
• 2 tins of Chopped Tomatoes (See my tips on Tin Safety here)
• 1 tablespoon of tomato puree
• A good pinch of nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon of oregano
• 1 teaspoon of basil
• 5 or 6 dry lasagne sheets
• 100g of strong cheddar cheese, grated

White Sauce Ingredients:

• 500mls of milk
• Half a white onion, peeled
• Half a celery stick
• Half a carrot
• 2 teaspoons of mustard powder
• 1 teaspoon of black pepper
• 2 whole cloves
• 25g of butter
• 25g of cornflour
• 1 free range egg yolk
• 4 tablespoons of double cream
• 50g of mature cheddar cheese, finely grated

Red Sauce Method:

• Preheat oven to 200c / 180c fan / gas mark 6.
• Put the aubergine, courgette, pepper, garlic and 4 tablespoons of the oil into a large oven proof dish and mix well.
• Roast for 40 mins, mixing and turning half way through. – Pic 1
• Meanwhile, make your white sauce – method below Pic 13.

• Put the rest of the oil and the onion in a pan on a medium heat on the hob, cook for a few mins until softened. – Pic 2
• Add the mince and mix well, cook for a few mins until the mince is defrosted. – Pic 3
• Add the roasted veg.
• Peel and crush the roasted garlic and add that, along with the wine and cook for a few mins.
• Add the chopped tomatoes, puree, nutmeg, oregano and basil. Turn the heat down and simmer for 10 mins. – Pic 4

• In an oven proof dish, layer up your lasagne – some of the red sauce mix, 2 or 3 lasagne sheets, some of the white sauce, then continue – red sauce, lasagne, white sauce, until you have filled your dish. The final layer should be white sauce. – Pics 5 – 12
• Sprinkle the 100g of grated cheese on top and bake for 25 – 30 mins, or until golden brown and bubbling. – Pic 13

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White Sauce Method:

• Put the milk, onion, celery, carrot, mustard powder, black pepper and cloves into a pan and bring to the boil slowly, stirring every so often. – Pic 14
• When it’s just starting to bubble, take off the heat and cover. Leave to stand for 30 mins if possible, then strain. Keep the infused milk and discard the used onion, celery, carrot and cloves.
• Put the milk in a jug within reach and put the pan back on a medium heat and add the butter.
• Once the butter has melted, add the cornflour and whisk it in. – Pic 15
• The flour will absorb all the butter and turn into a paste (this is a roux). Keep whisking for a minute to cook out the flour, then start adding the milk, a couple of tablespoons at a time. – Pic 16
• Make sure the milk is well combined before adding the next drop (see clip below)

Roux Clip

• Eventually the roux with soften and start looking like a really thick sauce. Keep adding the milk in stages until you have used it all and it’s well combined. – Pic 17
• Combine the egg yolk and cream together, and whisk it into the mix.
• Once combined, add the cheese and mix well. – Pic 18