Veggie lasagne

This veggie lasagne is an absolute winner of a recipe! Using spelt lasagne sheets and a vegan bechamel sauce this is not only super healthy but also a great recipe for when you have friends over for lunch or make up more and keep as it’s even better the next day. This vegetarian veggie lasagne is a main dish packed with vitamins and iron and a simple way to get your 5-a-day. It’s packed with so many veggies and you can really use up anything that you have in the fridge. This is by no means a follow the recipe exactly dish, as you can make it taste perfectly for you and your family! Serve with a side salad and enjoy this super comforting, nutrient packed family dish!

OPTIONS:

• If you are not bothered about making a vegan bechamel sauce, then have a look online for a traditional bechamel sauce recipe using butter, flour and milk. Weirdly enough, I make the vegan version but I still sprinkle some cheddar cheese in between my layers. Why? By cutting out the butter and milk for the sauce I significantly reduce our saturated fat intake – and also the total consumption of dairy, so animal products is much much lower. And as you might know this is what I am aiming for. I do not want to cut animal products out of our diets completely, but I do want to reduce the amount we have as a diet high in animal products is linked to all sorts of cronic health issues, from diabetes to high cholesterol and perhaps cancers too.
• If you think this looks yummy but you don’t have the time to make it all, then you could leave out the bechamel sauce and try layering with cheese, the ratatoille and the lasagne sheets only!

 

Veggie spelt lasagne with vegan bechamel sauce

Recipe serves 6 + leftover lunch

Ingredients:

For the ratatouille

1 tbsp coconut oil or rapeseed oil

1 onion, finely chopped

4 cloves of garlic, minced

5 stems of celery, cut into ca 1cm chunks

5 carrots, cut into 1cm chunks

1 pepper, cut into 1cm chunks

2 courgettes, cut into 1cm chunks

1 tin of lentils, drained and washed

1 tsp oregano

2 tsp organic vegetable stock

Salt and pepper

 

For the white sauce, to make approx ½ liter

5 tbsp of olive spread (or olive oil)

4 tbsp flour (I use spelt or a gluten free flour mix)

About 500ml of dairy free milk, I use almond milk

1 tsp of organic vegetable stock

Salt and pepper

You also need:

1 packet of spelt lasagne sheets (ready cooked)

Optional: grated cheddar or mozarella or vegan cheese

Instructions:

Heat the oven to 180°C.

Start by making the vegetable ratatoille by heating the oil in a large pan and suatee the onion for about 5 minutes. Then add the garlic, celery and cook for another few minutes before adding all the other ingredients apart from the lentils. Cook for about 25 minutes until all the vegetables are cooked but ‚al dente‘. Stir in the drined and washed lentils and take from the heat.

Whilst your vegetable ratatoille is cooking make your bechamel sauce. This is your white sauce used for many kinds of dishes, from lasagne to pasta bakes. There are lots of recipes online but the main ingredients are always the same: butter, oil or a vegan spread with a kind of flour and a kind of milk.

I used 5 tbsp of olive spread which I heated up in a pan. Once runny add 4 tbsp of spelt flour and stir until it forms a thick paste. Cook and stir for a few 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 vegetble stock to add more flavour and season well.

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. The top layer should be your white sauce.

If you choose to use cheese of any kind, then you can sprinkle thin layers over the bechamel sauce when layering everything into your dish!

Pop into the oven and cook for 40 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 veggies on your kids plates in a more satisfying way.

 

January 17, 2017Tags: healthyfamilyrecipe, lasagne, vegan, vegan bechamel sauce, veganuary