This vegetarian lasagna is easy to make and is popular with vegetarians and meat eaters alike. Lentil Lasagna has a rich flavor thanks to the herbs and spices, and the texture of the green lentils adds interest to the sauce.
Lentil lasagna is just one example of a simple way to save money on food while eating well.
Lentil Lasagna Recipe
Ingredients
(for four servings)
- Dried no cook lasagne or fresh home made pasta, preferably wholewheat.
Cheese sauce
- Tasty cheese, such as cheddar, grated – 7 oz (200g)
- White flour - 3 oz (80g)
- Milk - 1 ½ pints (850 ml)
- Butter - 1 oz (25g)
- Small pinch of ground nutmeg
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Bay leaf
Lentil sauce
- Dried green lentils –7oz (200g) or 14oz (400g) of cooked green lentils. Delicious Puy Lentils are excellent in this recipe.
- Four good sized tomatoes
- Three medium sized onions
- Vegetable cooking oil
- Vegetable stock cube
- Bay leaf
- One large green pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried basil, thyme or oregano
- Black pepper
If using dried lentils, cook according to the supplied instructions.
Preheat your oven to 180°C/350°F.
Cheese Sauce
To make the cheese sauce: beat the flour in a small amount of the milk to a smooth, runny, paste in a small bowl or mug. Warm the rest of the milk a little in a saucepan with a bay leaf. Pour some of this warm, but not boiling, milk into the cold milk/flour mix, beating vigorously all the time with a fork.
Pour the well beaten flour/milk mix back into the saucepan containing the remaining warm milk, again beating the mix together with a fork. Add the butter to the saucepan, and bring slowly to the boil, stirring all the time. Stir the simmering mix for a few minutes, and take off the heat.
Add salt and pepper to taste, the pinch of nutmeg, and the grated cheese, and stir well until the cheese melts. Do not reheat the sauce once the cheese has been added as this will impair the flavour.
Lentil Sauce
To make the lentil sauce: finely chop the onions and soften on a gentle heat in the vegetable oil, with the bay leaf, for ten minutes. Add the chopped pepper, cook for a further five minutes. Add the chopped tomatoes, the cooked lentils, herbs, black pepper and crumbled stock cube. If using no cook lasagna add three tablespoons of water to the sauce. Mix well and simmer gently for a further three minutes, stirring regularly.
Layer the lasagne
Butter a deep, oven proof dish.
- Spoon in a shallow layer of lentil sauce
- Add a single layer of lasagne, breaking or tearing the sheets to fit if necessary
- Pour on layer of cheese sauce to cover the lasagne
- Add another layer of lasagne
- Repeat from step 1, finishing with a final layer of cheese sauce.
Bake in the pre-heated oven for 45 minutes.
Serving ideas
Serve hot, or allow to cool and then keep, covered, in the refrigerator for up to two days. To reheat, place in a preheated oven at 190°C (400°F) for twenty minutes.
Lentil lasagne is delicious served with a crisp green salad and a robust red wine.
