A good lasagne is a labour of love and one of those dishes that is greater than the sum of it’s parts. Everything needed is basics I tend to always have in the house. It’s not difficult and all it needs is plenty of time to turn into a rich, filling, tasty, comforting dish that will feed a crowd with ease. This recipe features a rich lentil bolognese and creamy bechamal – you won’t miss the meat here!
I always make a huge batch in a large roasting tin so we can freeze the leftovers as it freezes so well. What’s more, even though it can take a while a good proportion of that time is cooking where you leave it to it’s own devices so it’s the perfect meal for working from home. Take a few minutes to do the prep work and leave the bolognese simmering for a few hours. When you’ve got another few minutes make the white sauce, throw everything together and bake.
Normally I’ve give you a few cooking options with something like this but because this is such a big batch cook, the bolognese won’t fit in my instant pot. So … no slow cooker or pressure cooker options here I’m afraid but if you decide you don’t need as much as I’ve give here I bet you could halve this recipe and easily fit it into your slow cooker or instant pot.
Don’t feel like lasagne tonight? Then the lentil bolognse will work great as a standard spaghetti bolognese. Feel like you need a few extra veg with this? A quick side salad pairs really well. Want to push the boat out? Garlic bread is the ideal pair to this dish.
Enjoy and let me know if you enjoyed this feast!
- Makes: Serves 6-8
Ingredients
For the Lentil Bolognese:
- 1 cup Red Lentils
- 1 cup Brown lentils
- 2 Sticks of Celery, fine diced
- 3 Carrots, finely diced
- 2 Large Onions, finely diced
- 1 Red Pepper, finely diced
- 6 Garlic Cloves, minced
- 250g Walnuts
- 300g Mushrooms
- 3 tins Chopped Tomatoes, 400g each
- 2 Tbsp Tomato Puree
- 1 Ltr Vegetable Stock
- 2 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
- 2 Tbsp Vegan Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 Tbsp dried Thyme
- 1 Tbsp Dried Oregano
- 2 tsp Rosemary
- 1 tsp Basil
- 3 Bay Leaves
- 1 tsp Chilli Flakes
- 1 tsp Yeast Extract*
- 1/2 tsp Ground Nutmeg
For the Bechamel (White sauce):
- 140g Vegan Butter
- 40g White Rice Flour (sweet rice flour works best here if you have it)**
- 30g Tapioca Flour**
- 1.25 Ltr Plantbased Milk, oatmilk is my favourite here
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp White Pepper
- 1/2 Tbsp Nutritional Yeast
- 1 Tbsp Vegan Green Pesto (optional)***
For the Lasagne:
- 18 Gluten Free Lasagne Sheets
- Your favourite vegan cheese (optional)
Directions
Dig out your largest casserole pot so we can start with the bolognese. Place your pot on a medium heat on the hob and add a glug of oil. Throw in the onion, carrot and celery and gently saute, stirring occasionally until softened. This will likely take between 10-20 minutes, be patient. Once the vegetable are soft, add the garlic and red pepper. Continue cooking until the garlic is fragrant and the pepper has just started to soften.
While the vegetables are cooking, prepare the walnuts and mushrooms. Now while I love mushrooms, Kenny hates them so whenever I use them i a dish they have to be hidden. if you have a similar picky people in your house then blend the mushrooms into a paste – this will cause them to just disappear into the mix. Don’t skip the mushrooms, you won’t taste them but they do add a great meaty base. If everyone i your house can tolerate mushrooms them just finely dice and put to one side. Really finely dice the walnuts, I tend to pop them into a food processor until they look like breadcrumbs. Put to one side with the mushrooms.
Add just a touch of the stock at this point and deglaze the pan, scraping up all the brown bits that have stuck to bottom. From this point it’s really simple, add all the rest of the bolognese ingredients and stir really well, making sure everything is well combined. Bring up to a simmer, partially cover, and drop the heat as low as it can go. Very slowly simmer for about 3 hours, stirring occasionally.
While the bolognese cooks, whip together the white sauce. Melt the butter in a medium pan over a low heat. Add the flours and whisk until smooth. Season well and cook until the mixture turns a very light, golden colour, about 10 minutes. At this point there are two methods you can use to mix in the milk. The traditionally method is to add the milk a little at a time. Pour in no more than a few tablespoons of milk and mix really well, until fully combined. Repeat until all the milk is fully added and no lumps remain. The second method is to preheat the milk until almost simmering (like with normal milk, don’t let it boil) then put the roux and milk into a high speed blender and mix on high until fully combined before returning to the pan. Be as quick as you can with this so the temperature doesn’t drop too much. Whichever method you use, once combined turn up the heat to medium high and bring the sauce up to a boil. Turn the heat down a little a simmer, stirring constantly, for 10 minutes. The sauce should thicken to a texture similar to double cream. Mix in the nutritional yeast and pesto (if using), taste and season if needed before removing from the heat.
When the bolognese is ready, taste and season if needed. Preheat your oven to 180 C (160C Fan/350 F). Lightly grease a 30cm by 40cm roasting tin, paying particular attention to the sides so the pasta doesn’t stick too much during cooking. Start layering up your lasagne starting with an even layer of bolognse, cover with a layer of uncooked lasagne sheets then coat with a layer of white sauce. Repeat (bolognese, pasta, sauce, bolognese, pasta sauce ….) until the tin is full, finishing on the white sauce. Tightly cover with a sheet of greased foil (seriously, don’t forget to oil your foil first or the pasta will stick to it like glue) and bake in the preheated oven. After 45 minutes remove the foil, top with cheese (if using, I love a homemade mozzarella) and place back into the oven for another 15 minutes or until the top is crispy.
Rest for a few minutes before cutting. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Don’t feel like lasagne tonight? the lentil bolognese works great with spaghetti for an equally tasty weeknight dinner.
*If you can’t find a yeast extract that works for you then substitute with 1/2 Tbsp of your favourite soy sauce substitute and 1/2 tbsp of nutritional yeast. It won’t be the same but it’ll get you close. Marmite isn’t gluten free but you can find alternatives that are.
**If you don’t have these to hand you can try just subbing in cornstarch – it won’t be quite the same but it’s a traditional recipe for a gluten free roux.
***adding pesto to the white sauce adds an interesting extra dimention to the lasagne but it will still be tasty without it. We use a free from pesto which is both vegan and nut free.
Allergy Notes; To make this nut free, substitute sunflower seeds for the walnuts and make sure you use a nut free pesto.
