Veggie lasagne liked you’ve never had before…
This vegetarian lasagne is a firm family favourite.
It’s the perfect comfort food and is also a great dish to serve if you’ve got hungry friends coming over for dinner.
This is why we know you’re going to love this vegetable lasagne…
This vegetable lasagne oozes cheesy goodness and we’ve used veggie mince, which, once we’ve worked our magic with it, is a real alternative to a meat lasagne.
So many families are cutting down on meat, many having a regular meat-free meal night once or twice a week and this is perfect for those nights.
A mouth-watering cheese sauce that you’ll want to make again
We take your traditional white sauce and transform it into a delicious cheese sauce.
Adding nutmeg into the sauce also gives a lovely nutty, earthy flavour to it – try it, we think you’ll love it.
You can make this cheesy white sauce in a saucepan, there’s no need for a food processor in this recipe.
Fresh or dried lasagne pasta?
There’s nothing quite like fresh lasagne sheets or noodles, nobody can really argue with that.
But reality bites and most people haven’t the time in their busy lives to be making fresh lasagne sheets, even we have to schedule it in if we want fresh pasta!
So usually most people opt for dried lasagne sheets or noodles and they work incredibly well.
Not all lasagne sheets are made equal though, they vary in quality, so buy the best you can afford, it is worth spending that little bit more.
If you do opt for dried lasagne sheets, then don’t worry about pre-cooking them as there will be enough sauce to make sure they cook perfectly.
Most lasagne sheets don’t need pre-cooking but check the packet instructions before using to see what they say.
The secret of transforming a bag of veggie mince into a delicious meal
One of the criticisms that veggie mince can have is that it doesn’t have much flavour and that’s probably true, but it’s what you do with it that transforms it into a delicious meal.
We use olive oil, heat it and soften our onions, add in crushed garlic cloves, then it’s time for the veggie mince.
We mix the ingredients up then add red wine, a bay leaf, fresh oregano and thyme and give it a good stir.
Next, the rest of the vegetables go into cook, courgette (zucchini), peppers, carrots and mushrooms.
Then we use a good passata sauce, canned tomatoes along with tomato puree and our secret ingredient – tomato sauce!
This creates the most wonderful vegetable pasta sauce and will be one of those recipes that you’ll want to keep.
When all of this is combined, you have a very delicious meat-free lasagne sauce – it’s so tasty!
Scroll down for all of the quantities and a step by step recipe guide.
What is vegetable lasagne made of?
Our vegetable lasagna recipe is full of flavour.
With a helping of vegetables, carrot, celery, onions, tomatoes, mushrooms, courgette (zucchini) and peppers – red and yellow peppers add colour to the dish.
Veggie mince replaces your meat in this hearty recipe and we use a generous helping of divine cheesy béchamel sauce.
This really is a vegetarian lasagne that will become a regular feature on your weekly menu plan.
What cheese do you use for vegetable lasagna?
In this lasagne recipe, we’ve used cheddar cheese, but you can use parmesan cheese or mozzarella cheese.
We have a fantastic four-cheese lasagne, if you are a big fan of cheese then you’ll love it!
Not sure what to put your lasagne in? Here are some ideas…
Of course, you can put your vegetable lasagna in an ovenproof, aluminium, glass, ceramic, porcelain, cast iron or stainless steel baking dish, they are all great and perfect for the lasagne. If you have one with handles then that’s even better.
Now, this may seem a little bit of a swerve ball, but it works a treat… You could put your lasagne in a bread tin or loaf pan…
What? I hear you say! Yes, its something that works, it really does.
Placing the lasagne in a bread tin instead of a baking dish means that you can have a smaller and taller lasagne with more layers.
It also means that you can freeze the lasagne easily and even give them to family or friends.
Give it a try next time you’re cooking this recipe, we think you’ll love this idea!
How many layers should a vegetarian lasagne have?
As many layers as a traditional meat lasagna, which is three or four layers, you can add more if you like, but the average is three and it’s very filling too!
The trick is to have a layer of veggie mince and veg filling on the bottom, then a layer of lasagne pasta sheets or pasta noodles and then a layer of the cheesy white sauce.
Once you have this, then you simply repeat until you have three layers!
Our secrets for vegetarian lasagna success
- While quality counts with ingredients, don’t break the bank making this recipe, just buy the best you can afford.
- Prep all of your veg ingredients before you start cooking, this always helps.
- Mix up the veggies in this recipe, add in aubergine (eggplant), spinach or tomatoes.
- Make the cheesy béchamel sauce ahead, it stores well when it’s cooled and put in an airtight container in the fridge and will last a couple of days.
- Make sure that you season the veggie mince and vegetable sauce well, keep tasting adding salt and pepper to taste.
- It freezes well too, so why not make a batch, then freeze a portion.
- Build but don’t cook the lasagne the day before and pop it in the fridge and cook it the next day.
How long does veggie lasagne keep for?
Veggie lasagne is great to make ahead, you can assemble your lasagne and store it in the fridge overnight, just bring it to room temperature before you cook it in the oven.
Vegetarian lasagna is also a great family meal to freeze too.
We find it’s best to cook it, let it cool down, place it in an airtight container and then put it in the freezer, where it will keep for approximately three months.
Just make sure that you write on a label that it’s a vegetable lasagna and the date that you cooked it because trust me, you will forget!
What should I serve with vegetarian lasagne?
The obvious choice would be an Italian salad with green lettuce, cherry tomatoes, maybe some croutons, a sprinkling of parmesan cheese and an Italian vinaigrette.
If you’d like something a little more substantial, then why not treat yourself to a nice thick slice of ciabatta bread or even better – garlic bread!
Of course, if you have a hungry family with a big appetite, then chunky chips (thick-cut French fries) always hit the spot.
How do I make vegetable lasagne from scratch?
We’re glad you asked! Below is a step by step guide to cooking this wonderful veggie lasagna recipe.
More pasta recipes for you to try
- Quick mushroom pasta – creamy, nutty with mushroom umami, this delicious pasta dinner can be made in 25 minutes!
- Pasta alla Sorrentina – we love this easy meal, sweet and juicy tomatoes, garlic and cheese all go to make this simple dish so delicious!
- Vegan spaghetti bolognese – this lentil bolognese is SO good, a hearty, satisfying family dinner that you have got to try!
- Easy tahini pasta – creamy and nutty, we add vegan bacon bits to make this into a delicious hearty dinner that you’ll love
Follow us on Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram, for more tasty inspiration!
Please do leave a comment and let us know how you enjoyed your vegetable lasagne – we hope it becomes a new family favourite for you!
VEGETARIAN LASAGNE
Utensils
- Large saucepan or wok
- Non stick saucepan
- Oven proof lasagne dish
- Sharp knife
- Chopping board
- Garlic crusher
- Hand whisk
Ingredients
For the cheese sauce
- 1 ltr Milk
- 8 tbsp Plain flour
- 100 g Butter
- 200 g Cheddar cheese
- 1 tsp Ground nutmeg
- Salt and pepper to season
Lasagne vegetable sauce
- 1 tsp Fresh thyme
- 1 tsp Fresh oregano
- 2 Bay leaves
- Salt and pepper to season
- 2 tbsp Olive oil
- 2 Cloves of garlic
- 1 Large carrot
- 1 Stick of celery
- 1 Large onion
- 2 tbsp Tomato puree
- 2 tbsp Tomato ketchup
- ½ Glass of red wine
- 400 g Vegetarian mince
- 250 g Mushrooms
- 1 Red pepper
- 1 Yellow pepper
- ½ Courgette (zucchini)
- 400 g Passata sauce
- 400 g Canned tomatoes
- 75 g Grated cheese
- 15 Pasta sheets
Instructions
- Pre heat your oven to 180°C
For the vegetable sauce
- First prepare your vegetables
- Remove the leaves from your thyme and oregano and finely chop them
- Peel and dice your carrot
- Wash and chop your celery into chunks
- Peel and dice your onion
- Wash and slice your mushrooms
- Wash and dice your peppers
- Wash and dice your courgette (zucchini)
- Peel your garlic cloves
- Grate your cheddar cheese
- Now it's time to cook!
- Heat the olive oil in a large pan or wok
- Add your onions and cook for 3-4 minutes until they have softened
- Crush your garlic and stir in for 30 seconds
- Now add your vegetarian mince and mix it in with the onions and garlic and cook for 1 minute
- Add your red wine, bay leaf, chopped oregano and thyme and cook for 2 minutes
- Now add your carrots and celery and cook for 1 minute
- Next you need to add your courgette (zucchini), peppers and cook for a further 2 minutes stirring occasionally as they cook
- Add your mushrooms in, stir and cook for 2 minutes
- Now you need to add your passata sauce and canned tomatoes, give it a good stir to mix everything in. You should see a beautiful rich red sauce which is a sea of colour with the peppers, courgettes and mushrooms shining through
- Add in your tomato puree and ketchup and give it a good stir, cook it for a further 10 minutes on a low heat, stirring occasionally
- Season with salt and pepper to suit your taste
For the cheese sauce
- First grate your cheese and set aside
- Pour your milk into a large non stick saucepan, with the heat off at the moment
- Cube your butter and add it in along with your plain flour
- Now turn the heat on to medium and begin whisking, a gentle consistent speed
- Keep on whisking as your butter melts into your milk and it begins to boil
- The flour will then disappear and the sauce will thicken – keep whisking
- Now add in your nutmeg and salt and pepper to season
- Now whisk for approximately 2 more minutes, the sauce will begin to bubble
- Then it's time to add your grated cheese and stir this in until it has all melted, then set aside
Build your lasagne
- Get your oven proof dish
- Put a layer of vegetable sauce on the bottom, making sure you cover the bottom fully
- Then place a layer of pasta sheets (noodles) over your sauce, making sure you cover it fully
- Now it's time for your cheese sauce, place a layer of sauce over your pasta sheets, again making sure you cover the pasta sheets fully
- Now you repeat this process, ideally you'd have three layers or more if you have a deep enough dish
- On the top layer, sprinkle your grated cheese evenly
- It's time to put it in the oven to bake now, so cook it for 30 minutes, but turn it around half way through to ensure an even bake
- Serve on plates or in bowls
- Bellissimo – enjoy!
Nutrition
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