Vegetable Lasagna

Vegetable Lasagna- Lip-smackingly delicious layers of vegetables, tangy and creamy sauces and cheese between lasagna sheets.

"Lasagne" or the singular "lasagna" commonly refers to a dish made with layers upon layers of lasagna sheets (Lasagna is wide and flat pasta) alternated with different sauces,vegetables and cheese.

This lip-smackingly delicious Vegetarian Lasagne was another successful experiment in my kitchen. I made it totally from scratch apart from lasagna sheets. Vegetable Lasagne is a brilliant option for vegetarians. It’s a classic comfort food at its best. My Lasagne has total 11 layers in which there are 3 layers of vegetables and tomato & basil sauce and 4 layers of creamy white sauce and 3 layers of lasagna sheets and only 1 layer of cheesy goodness on to the top.

This creamy, tangy, cheesy and herby Vegetable Lasagne taste incredibly delicious and looks so fancy. To make it little healthy I used whole wheat lasagna sheets and did not use a lot of cheese. I put cheese only on to the top layer of lasagna instead of adding it in each layer. The facade of melted burnt cheese on the top is too much to resist.

When I tried it for the first time it was not perfect. My red sauce was little runny and because of that when I sliced it for serving, it was not able to hold the layers but taste was ultimate so I decided to try it again and of course, this time it was perfect. Beautifully stuffed with vegetables, creamy and herby sauces and topped with delicious garlic cheese. Ripe tomatoes, fragrant basil, white sauce and garlic cheese worked together for a wonderful flavour. The key to perfect Lasagna is gathering appropriate amounts of ingredients and balancing the flavors and so was mine. It was the perfect lasagna! I must say, I’m quite proud of this. This dish has become another firm favourite of mine.

With vegetables like zucchini, red green & yellow peppers, carrots, broccoli, spinach and aubergine, the dish came out a bit crunchy and flavorful and most important it was not at all heavy. Red peppers added so much flavor into this. You can add your favorite vegetables to this, like mushrooms, butternut squash, peas, beans, asparagus, potatoes would be great. When you cook the zucchini, spinach and aubergine, try not to overcook them, they would be great when tender, not mushy.

Most of my recipes are easy and quick to make and some are basically effortless like Chia Pudding and Smoothie. But the list of ingredients and the process for this dish is little bit lengthy and take some effort than most recipes on this blog. But it will not be a problem at all, if you’re organized and have enough time. The result will not only satisfy your soul and your taste buds but will also make you proud of yourself. So go ahead and treat yourself, your friends and family with not just a small slice, but a hefty one.

If you’re looking for a meal prep recipe for a small get together or pot luck which are a week ahead then this lasagne would fit perfectly. People will love you and appreciate you if you bring this. It’s a great family size meal which both adults and children will enjoy and will definitely ask for second round.

Try and enjoy this classic, fancy and incredibly delicious recipe. I hope you will love this Lasagna.

Serve: 4

Cuisine: Italian

Course: Main Course

Time: 1 hour 40 minutes

Ingrediants:

2 Carrots cut into small pieces

1 Courgette or zucchini cut into small pieces

100g baby spinach

½ small broccoli cut into florets (18-20 florets)

1 red pepper, deseeded and cut into small pieces

1 green pepper, deseeded and cut into small pieces

1 yellow pepper, deseeded and cut into small pieces

½ cup frozen peas

½ (100g) aubergine (brinjal) cut into small pieces - optional

60g Garlic Cheddar Cheese or as per choice

6 Whole wheat lasagna sheets

3 ripe cherry tomatoes for dressing

For Tomato and Basil Sauce-

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 Onions, cut into wedges

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 green chilli, finely chopped

4 big size red tomatoes, pureed

1 big bunch of fresh basil leaves, finely chopped (15-20 leaves)

½ teaspoon black papper powder

Dried mixed herbs

Dried chilli flakes, (optional)

Salt to taste

For White Sauce

½ tablespoon butter

½ tablespoon olive oil

2 cloves of garlic

1 tablespoon plain flour

250 ml milk

½ teaspoon black papper powder

Salt to taste

Pre-layering Preparations:

Start with the chopping. Rinse and chop all the vegetables and keep a side.

Cook the lasagna sheets in a large pot of salted boiling water for 5 minutes, or until almost cooked. Immediately transfer them into cold water and keep them aside. (Do not overcook the sheets as after all they have to go into the oven).

Now preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF.

White Sauce-

Melt ½ tablespoon butter and ½ tablespoon olive oil in a saucepan over low-medium heat.

Add minced garlic and sauté till raw smell goes away.

Stir in the flour. Stir continuously with a spatula until you have a smooth, slightly golden brown paste. This is called a roux. It will take 1-2 minutes.

Remove pan from the heat and gradually stir in the milk.

Return to the heat and bring to the boil while stirring all the time.

Reduce heat to low and continue cooking the sauce for 5-8 minutes, until thickened, stirring continuously.

Season with salt and pepper and make sure there is no lump of flour. White sauce is now ready, keep it aside.

Vegetable mix in Tomato and Basil Sauce:

Put the tomatoes in a blender and make puree.

In a big saucepan heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over high flame.

Add all the chopped vegetables except spinach. Toss the vegetables on high flame for about 5 minutes. Remove the vegetables from saucepan and keep them aside. Do not overcook the vegetables.

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in the same saucepan over medium-high heat.

Add onion, garlic and green chilli and saute until they are soft and light golden brown in colour.

Add the tomato puree, salt, chilli flakes and pepper as per taste and mix very well.

Simmer the sauce on medium heat for about 20 minutes while stirring occasionally.

Reduce heat to low and add chopped basil leaves and mixed herbs. Mix well and cook for 5 more minutes. The sauce will thicken a bit as it simmers. Tomato and basil sauce is now ready.

Now add the sautéed vegetables into tomato and basil sauce and mix everything very well.

Now add spinach leaves and cook for 5 more minutes and adjust the salt. Vegetable mix is now ready.

Assemble the Lasagna:

Both the sauces are now ready it's time to assemble the Lasagna. Grease the bottom of baking dish with 1 teaspoon of olive oil. This helps to keep your lasagna moist and soft.

Layer 1: Spread a layer of vegetable mix into the bottom of the baking dish to lightly cover the bottom. 

Layer 2: Then spread a thick layer of white sauce over it. 

Layer 3: Top it with a layer of 2 lasagna sheets lengthwise.

Now repeat the layering process. 

Layer 4: Spread another layer of vegetable mix. 

Layer 5: Then add the next layer of white sauce on to it. 

Layer 6: Top with the another layer of 2 lasagna sheets lengthwise.

Layer 7: Top with the last layer of vegetable mix. 

Layer 8:Then spread a layer of white sauce. 

Layer 9: And then top it with the last layer of lasagna sheets. 

Layer 10: Then spread over the last layer of remaining white sauce, making sure the whole surface is covered.  You can see all the layers in picture below.

Layer 11: At last spread over a thick layer of grated garlic cheese and finish it with garnishing with cherry tomatoes’ halves.

Post Layering Process:

Place the dish on the middle rack in the preheated oven and bake for 40 minutes, until bubbling and golden brown in colour. Check half way through the cooking time and if the cheese is becoming too brown then cover it with foil paper.

Once cooked, remove the lasagne from the oven and let stand for 15 minutes before slicing.

This will become an irresistible feast when served alongside a fresh mixed salad and garlic bread.