Vegetable lasagne

A rich veggie ragu and a top of bubbling cheese make veggie lasagne one of the ultimate comfort foods. Always perfect with a green salad and some crusty bread.

Vegetable lasagne Credit: The Great Australian Cookbook

• serves

  4

• prep

  1 hour

• cook

  40 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

Vegetable ragù

• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1 large onion
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• ½ bunch parsley, finely chopped
• 3 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp salt
• ¼ tsp pepper
• ½ cup lentils, rinsed and drained
• 3 cups (250 g) button mushrooms, quartered 
• 1 red capsicum, deseeded, diced
• 3½ cups (3 cans) peeled tomatoes, chopped
• ½ cup water
• pinch sugar

Béchamel sauce

• 1 medium onion, finely diced
• 4 tbsp butter
• 3 tbsp plain flour
• 2 cups vegetable stock, warm
• 2 egg yolks, slightly beaten
• pinch of salt and pepper 

To assemble

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 8-10 sheets lasagne
• 1 generous cup Parmesan cheese, grated
• finely chopped parsley to serve, optional 

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC. Grease a 30cm x 23cm x 6cm baking dish.

2. For vegetable ragù, place a large saucepan over medium heat, add the olive oil, onion and garlic, sauté until soft. Add the parsley, tomato paste and bay leaves, season with salt and pepper and continue to cook for a minute. Add the lentils, mushrooms and red capsicum and sauté for a few minutes more.  

3. Add tomatoes, water and a pinch of sugar, and simmer for 10–15 minutes, until slightly reduced. Remove from heat. Season to taste. 

4. For béchamel sauce, melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat, add the onion and sauté until soft. Add the flour, stirring continuously for a few minutes. Slowly add the warm stock, stirring until smooth after each addition. Add beaten egg yolks (reserve the egg whites for use in an omelette or meringue) and cook gently for 10 minutes, stirring continuously. Season. Remove from heat.

5. To assemble, place a layer of lasagne sheets (using about a third of it) on the base and cover with half of the ragù. Cover this with one-third of the Béchamel sauce. Repeat these layers.

6. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden on top. Remove from oven, sprinkle with parmesan and return to oven for another few minutes to melt and brown the cheese. Serve hot with a fresh green salad.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.