Vegetable lasagne

Flat lasagne sheets baked with a layer of vegetables in red Italian sauce topped with cheese

Serves 5-6 people

Ingredients:

10-12 lasagne sheets (for the dish size 10 ½” x 8 ½”)

Red sauce-

3 tbsp olive oil

250ml tomato puree

240g chopped tomatoes

1 cup diced onions

8 cloves garlic

2 tsp dried parsley

2 tsp dried oregano

2 tsp dried oregano

2 tsp dried crushed red chilli flakes

1 tsp black pepper powder

Salt to taste

Vegetables –

2 tbsp olive oil

1 cup broccoli (take the florets out)

1 cup courgettes (1/2” thick)

1 cup mushrooms (1/2” thick)

½ cup baby corns (round slices)

1/2 cup red pepper ( cubed)

¼ cup baby spinach (optional)

Salt and crushed black pepper for seasoning

White sauce –

1 tsp butter

4 tbsp plain flour

3 cups milk (at room temperature)

½ tsp salt

½ tsp black pepper powder

Garnishing -

1 cup cheddar cheese (approximately)

¼ cup mozzarella (Approximately)

Parmesan (optional)

Method

Red sauce –

Heat oil in a pot. Saute onions and garlic until transparent.

Sprinkle all the herbs and seasonings for the red sauce. Add chopped tomatoes and tomato puree. Let it simmer cook on medium heat with the lid on for about 20 minutes or until the tomatoes soften and the sauce thickens a little bit.

Vegetables –

In a pan dash some oil, add all the vegetables. Season with salt and crushed black pepper. Remember we have added some seasoning in the red sauce already.

Saute vegetables on high flame to avoid them getting soggy and get cooked with a crispy brown layer. Should be done in about 8-10 minutes. Once the vegetables are done mix with the red sauce and keep aside.

White sauce –

In a sauce pan warm up butter and saute plain flour for about 2-3 minutes. Lower the flame to minimum and add milk constantly stirring to avoid any lumps.

Switch off the flame as it thickens up to a creamy consistency. The sauce will become thicker when it cools down.

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees

Layering the lasagne –

Start with the red sauce mixed with vegetables. Spread a layer of white sauce and then place the lasagne sheets. Continue with the layers until you finish. Finish off with the white sauce over the lasagne sheets and then garnish with mozzarella and cheddar cheese. Sprinkle parmesan if using. Make sure its properly covered with cheese. Cover with the foil and place it in the preheated oven. Let it cook in the oven for approximately 30 minutes or until the sheets are softened. Use a knife, if it pierces smoothly through the sheets, remove the foil and let it stay in the oven until the cheese gets a golden colour.

Serve hot!