Classic Vegetable-Packed Lasagne
When I hear comfort food, I think lasagne. Not that I spend much time hearing voices in my head talking about food… ok, maybe all the time a little…
There is something soothing, pleasantly unsurprising and effortlessly nostalgic about a classic beef lasagne. It’s easy to feed to children and adults alike, and although it takes a fair bit of prep time, it is easily cooked in bulk ahead of time and frozen or keep covered in the fridge overnight (because, let’s face it, it’s actually better the next day, isn’t it?).
But we all know it is far from being declared a health food.
I cannot pretend that my version is, either, but I’ve certainly taken some steps to make it healthier! Packed full of vegetables, this dish is an easy way to turn a family favourite into an extra few servings of vegetables for the family. It may not be a salad (which, by the way, is yummy served alongside this), but it is far easier to get children to eat this!
And with less meat and red lentils thrown in but not noticed, this lasagne packs a tasty punch but actually works out cheaper than your average lasagne recipe, making it a really great budget meal for the family.
Although we have come to appreciate a lot of delicious vegetarian meals, we are not a vegetarian family. Still, for many years now my husband and I have committed to eating less, but better quality, meat. About half the meals in our week are entirely veggie. And a few of the meat ones are sometimes lighter on the meat.
But little tricks like the ones in this recipe mean that we still get the benefits and taste of really great quality free-range or organic meat, without going over budget.
So if you are trying to cut down on your meat consumption, give this recipe a go – you may be surprised to find that no one really notices you using less than usual!
A vegetable-packed twist on a classic lasagne, this dinner is a cheaper, healthier version while retaining all of the comfort and flavour of the family favourite.
- 3 heaped tbsp each flour and butter (use gluten free plain flour for gluten free)
- 1 heaped tsp Dijon mustard
- 800 ml milk (or, for a lighter version, use half chicken or vegetable stock and half milk)
- tiny grating of fresh nutmeg (or 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg)
- 50 g Cheddar or other hard white cheese, grated
- 300-400 g beef mince
- 1 onion, finely diced
- 2 sticks celery, finely diced
- 2 carrots (or 1 large one), finely diced
- 1 courgette or 1 small sweet potato, finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 100-150 g red lentils (add more if you use less mince)
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1 tbsp tomato puree
- 500 g passata (or 400g chopped tomatoes)
- 500ml water or stock
- 200 g frozen peas
- large handful frozen spinach
- 9-12 wholewheat lasagne sheets (use buckwheat or quinoa ones for gluten free)
- grated Parmesan
-
To make the meat sauce: Fry the mince in a large hot frying pan over medium heat until browning slightly, then add the onion, celery, carrot, and courgette and cook for another 5-8 mins, until everything is soft and browed. Add the garlic and lentils and cook for another minute, then stir in the herbs, tomato puree, passata or chopped tomatoes and water or stock. Bring to the boil and simmer for 20-30 mins without a lid, or until thickened and everything is cooked through (add more water if it starts to catch). If you like lots of texture and don't mind tasting the lentils, you can leave the sauce as is, but I quite like to blitz the sauce with a hand blender for a minute until smoothed out a little, which makes a uniform delicious meat sauce. Add the peas and spinach and cook for a further 5 mins, then take off the heat.
-
To make the white sauce: Heat the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat until it starts to bubble. Whisk in the flour and cooking for a minute, whisking continuously. Add the mustard and mix well, then add the milk, just a little at a time, whisking until completely smooth and combined between each additions, until all of the milk has been absorbed and the sauce is smooth. Add the grated nutmeg, season and bring to the boil. Simmer for about 5 mins, whisking constantly, until the sauce has thickened.* Take off the heat and stir in the cheese until melted and smooth.
-
Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/gas 6. Add a third of the meat sauce to a large casserole dish, spreading it thinly across the base. Add a layer of lasagne sheets, then top with a third of the white sauce. Repeat this layer two more times, then sprinkle the top of the lasagne with a layer of grated Parmesan. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 mins, or until lasagne sheets are soft, cheese is golden and the filling is bubbling.
* if your sauce is struggling to thicken, put another tbsp flour into a small bowl and pour in a couple of tbsp of the sauce. Mix well until smooth, then add another few tbsp of the sauce, whisk until smooth again and pour it all back into the pan, stirring to combine. Simmer for another few mins until thickened.
Keeps for 2-3 days in the fridge (covered) or up to 1 month in the freezer. Easily doubled for bulk freezer cooking.
3 Comments