Now here’s a vegan lasagne recipe worth a brag or two!
I know I shouldn’t have favourites… these recipes are all my babies and I’m very proud of them. However, if I had to send one of them out to bat for me, it would be this one. I’ve cemented many a friendship with this home-made dish. And if I ever wanted to seduce a man with food, this is the one I would use (provided he doesn’t have his heart set on minced beef!).
Ahem… needless to say, I think it’s pretty darn good.
The layer of spinach leaves provides an extra dose of nutrients, as well as colour, between the layers of filling and lasagne sheets. I think it’s the mushroom sauce though which really does it for me. It’s that creamy, smooth contrast to the little bit of spice in the lentil filling. And really, I just love mushrooms…
Try it for yourself, and let me know what you think!
Lentil & Spinach Lasagne
A vegan lasagne that will knock your proverbial socks off! Full of texture and flavour, and incredibly healthy to boot. Try it for yourself and let me know what you think!
Servings: 4 people
Ingredients
- 2-3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large onion
- 1 tsp crushed garlic
- 1 carrot diced
- 1/2 cup chopped green beans chopped
- 1 cup mushrooms chopped
- 1 zucchini diced
- 1 can chopped tomatoes
- 1/2 cup red lentils
- 3/4 cup vegetable stock
- Sprig fresh thyme
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1/4 tsp ground chilli
- 2 tsp paprika
- salt & pepper to taste
- Gluten-free pasta sheets
- Baby spinach
Mushroom Sauce:
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp crushed garlic
- 1 cup finely chopped mushrooms
- 1 sml tsp ground coriander
- 1 sml tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp salt
- pinch black pepper
- 2 cups soy* milk (*or other plant-based milk)
- 2 tsp potato starch
- sunflower seeds (optional)
Instructions
Filling:
- Put some boiling water into the lasagne dish (or another dish will be fine) with a touch of salt, and pre-soak the lasagne sheets. Vegan lasagne’s don’t require much cooking in the oven, so it’s helpful to prep the lasagne sheets in hot water to ensure they’ll end up fully cooked through.
- Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan up to a medium heat. Add the chopped onions and crushed garlic, along with a dash of salt, and sauté for about 5-10 mins.
- Add the chopped vegetables (except the spinach) and continue sautéing for a further 10 mins.
- Add the lentils, vegetable stock, canned tomatoes, thyme and chopped basil to the pot and mix together thoroughly. Dial down to a low heat and let simmer for about 10-15 mins until the lentils are fully cooked.
- [TIP: Stir occasionally to prevent any lentils getting stuck to the bottom, and add a little bit more hot water if they require it – but not too much.]
- Take out the thyme stalks, and then add the tomato paste, ground chilli and paprika, and salt and pepper to the mixture. Stir well, and allow to simmer for another 5-10 mins to allow the sauce and flavours to come together.
- Take off the heat and let the lentil mixture sit while preparing the mushroom sauce.
Mushroom Sauce:
- In a smaller saucepan, heat the olive oil on a medium heat. Add the crushed garlic and stir for a couple of minutes, then add the chopped mushrooms. Sauté on a medium heat for a further 3-5 mins until mushrooms are cooked through.
- Add in the cumin, coriander and salt and pepper, and sauté together with the mushrooms for a further few minutes until the flavours all come together – stirring constantly.
- Slowly pour in the milk and stir well. Dial up the heat to a medium-high temperature. In a separate dish, add a dash of water to the starch, then add this to the milk.
- Stir the sauce constantly as the milk heats – it should take about 5 mins for the sauce to completely thicken. Ideally it should have a consistency thicker than single cream.
- Take off the heat, and taste test. I usually add another ½ tsp of salt here to round out the flavour, but however much you add is up to you.
Now to put it all together!
- In your lasagne dish layer the lentil mixture, baby spinach leaves, pasta sheets, and then mushroom sauce – creating two layers each. I always use up the rest of the mushroom sauce on the top layer so that it’s nice and thick. Sprinkle some sunflower seeds on top.
- Place in the oven for about 15-20 mins until the top looks golden.
- Once out of the oven allow to cool for about 5-10 mins for serving. Goes well with a side salad, bread, or a plate of veges.