Vegetable Lasagne
Vegetable lasagne here swaps béchamel for a layer of ricotta beaten with egg, which sets into a creamy, sliceable filling between sheets of pasta. The sauce is built from aubergine, courgettes, red peppers and tinned tomatoes, simmered until thick, and the whole dish is topped with mozzarella. It serves six and takes about 1 hour 55 minutes, including a 10-minute rest before cutting.
- Total
- 1 h 53 min
- Prep
- 30 min
- Cook
- 1 h 13 min
- Serves
- 6
- Per serving
- 505kcal
Common mistakes with vegetable lasagne
Too much liquid is the usual problem, and it comes from the vegetables rather than the tomatoes. Cooking the aubergine, courgettes and peppers before the tomatoes go in, then simmering the sauce until it is properly thick, keeps the layers neat. Sheets that are not fully covered with sauce stay hard, so finish with a generous top layer. Check the labels on the mozzarella and ricotta if you are cooking for vegetarians, as some cheeses are made with animal rennet.
The method for vegetable lasagne
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- Soften the onions Heat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan), gas 6. Heat the oil in a large deep pan over a medium heat, add the onions and cook for until soft. Stir in the garlic and cook for .
- Cook the vegetables Add the aubergine and cook for , stirring often, then add the courgettes and peppers and cook for another .
- Simmer the sauce Pour in the tomatoes, add the oregano, salt and pepper and simmer uncovered for , until the sauce is thick and a spoon dragged across the pan leaves a clear trail.
- Make the ricotta layer Beat the ricotta with the egg and a good grind of pepper in a bowl until smooth.
- Assemble Spread a quarter of the sauce over the base of the dish. Cover with 4 lasagne sheets, breaking them to fit without overlapping, and spread over half the ricotta. Add another quarter of the sauce, 4 more sheets and the rest of the ricotta. Finish with a quarter of the sauce, the last 4 sheets and the remaining sauce, making sure the sheets are completely covered. Scatter the mozzarella over the top.
- Bake Cover the dish with foil and bake for . Remove the foil and bake for another , until the top is golden and bubbling and a knife slides easily through the pasta.
- Rest Leave the lasagne to stand for , so the layers set and cut cleanly.
Serving, swaps and storing
A crisp green salad and a slice of garlic bread are all this needs. The tinned tomatoes can be replaced with homemade tomato sauce if you have a batch ready. For extra protein, lasagne with lentils is a good alternative to the ricotta filling.
Common problems and fixes for Vegetable Lasagne
- The lasagne is watery.
- Courgettes and aubergine release a lot of liquid. Simmer the sauce until it is properly thick before assembling, and leave it uncovered so the steam can escape.
- The pasta sheets are hard or crunchy at the edges.
- Dried sheets need moisture to soften. Cover every sheet with sauce, keep the foil on for the first 20 minutes, and make sure the dish is no larger than 30 x 20cm.
- The portions collapse when you cut them.
- Leave the dish to stand for the full 10 minutes after baking, so the ricotta and egg layer firms up.
- The filling tastes bland.
- Season the sauce before it goes in the dish and taste it. Tinned tomatoes can be sharp, so add a pinch of sugar if needed.
Frequently asked questions about Vegetable Lasagne
Can you freeze vegetable lasagne?
Yes, for up to 3 months. Cool it completely, wrap it well and defrost it in the fridge overnight. Reheat covered with foil at 180°C (160°C fan), gas 4, for about 30 minutes, until steaming hot all the way through.
Which vegetables can I use?
Mushrooms, spinach, carrots, leeks or butternut squash all work. Soften harder vegetables in the pan first, and squeeze spinach dry before it goes in the sauce.
Do you need to pre-cook the lasagne sheets?
No. Dried sheets soften in the oven as long as the sauce is wet and the dish is covered with foil for the first 20 minutes.
Can I use cottage cheese instead of ricotta?
Yes. Drain full-fat cottage cheese well in a sieve and beat it with the egg, but expect a slightly less creamy layer.
How did you like the recipe?
4.8 / 5 · 45 ratings
