Veggie lasagne

               Preparation time                                         Cooking time                                          Serves
               less than 30 mins                                      1 to 2 hours                                            Serves 6

Roast sweet potato, peppers, courgette and spinach combine to make this easy veggie lasagne. We really do think this is the best vegetable lasagne recipe we've ever tried.


Each serving provides 602 kcal, 21g protein, 60g carbohydrate (of which 19g sugars), 29g fat (of which 15g saturates), 7g fibre and 1.3g salt.

Ingredients

2 yellow or red peppers, seeds removed, cut into roughly 2cm/¾in chunks
1 courgette, about 300g/10½oz, quartered lengthways and cut into roughly 2cm/¾in chunks
1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into roughly 2cm/¾in chunks
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
½ tsp dried chilli flakes
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes
2 tsp Italian seasoning or dried oregano
1 vegetable stock cube
200ml/7fl oz cold water
100g/3½oz young spinach leaves (optional)
9 –10 dried lasagne sheets
salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the cheese sauce
75g/2½oz plain flour
75g/2½oz butter, cubed
750ml/1¼ pint milk, semi-skimmed or full-fat
125g/4½oz mature cheddar cheese, coarsely grated
75g/2½oz ready-grated mozzarella cheese, or extra cheddar

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6. Put the peppers, courgette and sweet potato into a large baking tray. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of the oil, season with salt and pepper and toss together.
2. Roast for 30 minutes, or until softened and lightly browned.
3. While the vegetables are roasting, heat the remaining oil in a large saucepan and gently fry the onion for 5 minutes, stirring regularly.
4. Add the chilli and garlic and cook for a few seconds more. Stir in the tomatoes, Italian seasoning (or dried oregano) and crumbled stock cube. Pour over the water and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring regularly. Set aside.
5. For the cheese sauce, put the flour, butter and milk in a large saucepan and place over a medium heat. Whisk constantly with a large metal whisk until the sauce is thickened and smooth. (Use a silicone covered whisk if cooking in a non-stick pan.) Stir in roughly two-thirds of the cheeses and season to taste.
6. Take the vegetables out of the oven and add to the pan with the tomato sauce. Stir in the spinach and cook together for 3 minutes. Season with salt and lots of ground black pepper.
7. Spoon a third of the vegetable mixture over the base of a 2½ –3 litre/4½–5¼ pint ovenproof lasagne dish and cover with a single layer of lasagne. Top with another third of the vegetable mixture (don’t worry if it doesn’t cover evenly) and a second layer of lasagne.
8. Pour over just under half of the cheese sauce and very gently top with the remaining vegetable mixture. Finish with a final layer of lasagne and the rest of the cheese sauce. Sprinkle the reserved cheese over the top.
9. Bake for 35–40 minutes, or until the pasta has softened and the topping is golden brown and bubbling. Stand for 5 minutes before cutting to allow the filling to settle.