Vegetarian lasagne with lentil bolognese

Vegetarian lasagne with lentil bolognese: hearty and balanced, with red lentils, tomatoes, veg, béchamel and Emmental from the oven.

At a glance

• Serves 4
• Prep time: 20 min
• Cooking time: 40 min
• Total time: 60 min
• Calories: 520 kcal per serving
• Protein: 22 g
• Fat: 18 g
• Carbs: 65 g

Ingredients

• 12 lasagne sheets
• 150 g lentils
• 400 g chopped tomatoes
• 400 g passata
• 2 carrots
• 1 celery stalk
• 1 onion
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 300 ml milk
• 2 tbsp butter
• 150 g Emmental
• 1 tbsp Italian herbs
• 1 pinch of nutmeg

Method

You’ll need: oven · baking dish · chopping board · knife · whisk

1. Finely dice the onion, garlic, carrots and celery and soften gently in olive oil until the veg is tender and fragrant.
2. Add the lentils, toast briefly and pour in the chopped tomatoes and passata. Stir in the Italian herbs and simmer gently until the lentils are soft. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
3. For the béchamel, melt the butter, stir in the flour and cook briefly. Gradually whisk in the milk until the sauce is smooth and creamy, then season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.
4. Spread a little lentil bolognese over the base of a baking dish, then layer lasagne sheets, lentil bolognese and béchamel alternately. Finish with sauce on top so the sheets stay moist.
5. Scatter over the Emmental and bake the lasagne at 180 °C (160 °C fan) for 30–40 min until the top is golden brown and the edges are bubbling slightly.
6. Leave to rest briefly before cutting, then serve hot. A green salad with olive oil goes very well with it.

Good to know

This lasagne is down-to-earth and really comforting. It's full of flavour, juicy and refreshingly uncomplicated. Just the thing when you want the oven to smell like home.

Swaps

Emmental → Alpine cheese (stronger flavour, also provides protein); milk → unsweetened soya milk (provides plant protein; contains soya); butter → ghee (contains milk); lasagne sheets → wholewheat lasagne sheets (also provide fibre)

Allergens

Contains gluten, milk and celery. Usually fine for children if seasoned moderately; in pregnancy, fine as long as you use pasteurised dairy products.