We’ve tried to make a recipe that replicates your traditional meat lasagne and sneaked in a bunch of fresh veggies to make it healthier – the kiddies won’t know trust us!
This lasagne is made from veggie mince and a dairy free béchamel sauce. Top with vegan cheese (or regular if you prefer) and enjoy!
Veggie Packed Vegan Lasagne
Equipment
- Saucepan: 1 large, 1 small
- Measuring Utensils:
- Chopping Board
- Chopping Knife
- Stirring utensil
- Grater
- Whisk
- Casserole Dish
- Baking Tray
Ingredients
Bolognese Sauce
- 1 tbsp Olive Oil
- 500 grams veggie mince
- 1 onion (diced)
- 4 garlic cloves (crushed)
- 1 large carrot (shredded)
- 1 large zucchini (shredded)
- 2 celery stalks (shredded)
- 1/2 cup red wine
- 2 400 gram tins of tomatoes
- 3 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 plant based beef stock cube
- 1 cup water
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- 1 sprig fresh thyme and oregano
- 1 large pinch of salt and pepper (adjust to taste)
Bechamel sauce
- 60 grams vegan butter
- 5 tbsp cornflour (or gluten free plain flour)
- 1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg (or ground)
- 700 ml soy milk (or rice for a soy free alternative)
Other ingredients
- 1 large eggplant
- 1 packet gluten free dry lasagne sheets
- 1 handful vegan shredded cheese
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180°C.
- Cut the eggplant into thin slices and place on a baking tray, drizzle with olive oil and place in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until the eggplant is soft. Set aside.
- Over medium heat, add a tbsp of olive oil to a large saucepan. Add in your sliced onions and saute until translucent. Add in the garlic and veggie mince. Break veggie mince apart with a spoon and saute for about 2 minutes, then add in the shredded veggies. Cook the veggies until they turn soft (about 3 minutes).
- Pour in the red wine and deglaze the pan by scraping the browned bits off the bottom. Then add the canned tomatoes, water, stock cube, tomato paste, herbs, bay leaves and salt and pepper. Let the sauce simmer down for 15-20 minutes or until it thickens slightly.
- While your bolognese sauce is simmering it's time to make the bechamel sauce. In a medium sized saucepan, melt 60 grams of vegan butter over low-medium heat. Then add in the flour and whisk until no lumps remain. Grate in the nutmeg and turn the heat to medium-high. Slowly add in the soy milk, pouring in a 1/4 cup at a time and whisking the lumps out completely before adding in another 1/4 cup. Your sauce should be thick and creamy. If it's not thick enough, mix together another tbsp of flour and 2 tbsp's of water together in a separate bowl (making sure there are no lumps) and transfer to your bechamel sauce. Keep stirring until your sauce thickens.
Layer your lasagne
- Preheat your oven to 180°C.
- Using a large casserole dish, lightly cover the bottom with bolognese sauce. Then make a layer with the dry gf lasagne sheets. Next, spread an even layer of bechamel sauce and a layer of eggplant slices. Repeat these steps twice more. Cover the very top layer of lasagne sheets with a decent amount of leftover sauce and cover with vegan cheese. Cover the dish with aluminium foil and place into the oven for 40 minutes. Uncover and place back into the oven for a further 15-20 minutes so the top layer goes all golden and crunchy.
- Serve hot with fresh salad.