Gluten free lentil lasagne
Now, if you are after a super lush veggie lasagne recipe this gluten free lentil lasagne might just be what you have been waiting for! There’s a knack of squashing down the lentils a little to break some up, leave some whole. I also use brown lentils and red split lentils for texture and flavour and oh oh oh this whole gluten free lentil lasagne tastes divine!
Now, I’m a bit funny about using lots of milk in recipes so I make a vegan white sauce. But you can totally use dairy and butter instead of oat or almond milk and a vegan butter spread. But I do use grated organic cheddar cheese and we’ve even layered mozzarella slices in between the layers. You can though, make this fully vegan which would be super easy to do!
For my vegan veggie lasagne recipe click here. It uses a veggie ratatouille without the lentils. //www.healthywholeme.com/veggie-spelt-lasagne-with-vegan-bechamel-sauce/
But now onto what I’ve come to do: Just make sure to make double portions as it keeps so nicely for an entire second meal!
Here is the gluten free lentil lasagne recipe:
Recipe serves 6 + plenty of leftover lunch
Ingredients:
For the lentil ratatouille
1 tbsp rapeseed oil
1 onion, finely chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced
4 stems of celery, cut into ca 1cm chunks
200g brown lentils, washed
150g red split lentils, washed
1 tin chopped tomatoes
500ml organic vegetable stock
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tbsp mixed herbs
2 tsp paprika
Salt and pepper
250g mozarella, cut into thin slices (use vegan option if you want to make the whole recipe vegan)
For the white sauce, to make approx ½ liter
5 tbsp of dairy free olive spread (use butter instead if you’re not bothered about making this vegan)
4 tbsp flour (I use spelt flour or a gluten free flour mix)
About 500ml of dairy free milk, I use almond milk
2 tbsp of tomato puree (a squeeze of ketchup works well too)
Salt and pepper
You also need:
1 packet of spelt lasagne sheets. I love these brown rice ones as they just taste lovely.
150g cheddar cheese, grated (Use vegan option, I personally love Violife)
Instructions:
Heat the oven to 180°C.
To make the lentil ratatouille:
Start by making the lentil ratatouille by heating the spread or butter in a large pan and suatee the onion for about 5 minutes. Then add the garlic, celery and cook for another good 5 minutes. Add the spices, stir and enjoy the aroma.
Add your brown lentils, red split lentils, stir and then add your chopped tomatoes and stock. There should be plenty of stock to cover all the lentils and have a couple of inches of water above. You can always add a bit more water to loosen the mixture as you go along. Cook for about 30 minutes until the lentils are cooked.
Once cooked, season with salt and pepper, maybe some chilli flakes and then use a potato masher to squash down the lentils. This will break some of the bigger lentils down and create a really lovely texture. There’s no need to do this but if you feel that your kids might not like the ‘look of lentils’ them it’s a good little thing to do.
To make the white/ béchamel sauce:
Whilst your lentil ratatouille is cooking make your béchamel, or white sauce sauce.
Used 5 tbsp of olive spread, heat in a pan over medium heat. Once runny add 4 tbsp of spelt flour and stir until it forms a thick paste. Cook and stir for a couple of minutes as this will make the floury taste disappear. Then add some of the milk, stir and add more milk. You’re looking to creating a thick pancake- like mixture. Add your tomato paste to add more flavour and season well. Mix in your grated cheddar cheese.
To assemble lasagne, lightly oil an ovenproof serving dish and spoon over a third of the ragu sauce, then cover with lasagne sheets. Cover with a layer of the white sauce. Repeat until you have 3 layers of pasta or until you have no more ingredients. Add your mozarella slices in a layer somewhere in the middle. The top layer should be your white sauce.
Pop into the oven and cook for 45 minutes or check your lasagne sheets instructions and cook as per guidance.
This is a lovely dish for a family lunch for a weekend and even better heated the next day. You couldn’t get more lentils on your kids plates in a more satisfying way!
Tags: family favourite, gluten free, lasagne, lentil lasagne, vegetable lasagne
