This recipe is a wonderful ‘homey’ comforting dish best served in autumn or winter. The vegan bolognese is a delicious combination of finely chopped vegetables, tomato puree and green lentils. The vegan béchamel is a cauliflower and almond puree, indistinguishable from the real thing. Most supermarket lasagne sheets do not contain egg. If your supermarket doesn’t have egg free, vegan suitable lasagne sheets then try your local organic store.
Give yourself plenty of time to make this dish, as it will take couple of hours, but it’s definitely worth it! If you’d like to make it a bit lighter, you can swap the baby potato cakes with a simple salad.
Serves 4. Approximately 2 hours prepping and cooking time.
Ingredients
For the vegan bolognese
- olive oil
- 1 white onion
- 1 celery stick
- 2 carrots
- 1 red pepper
- 1 yellow pepper
- 1 small courgette
- 1 small aubergine
- 6 button mushrooms
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 vegan stock cubes
- 1 can chopped tomatoes
- 1 sprig of fresh basil
- 1 lemon
- 150g green lentils
For the vegan béchamel
- olive oil
- 1 whole cauliflower
- 2 white onions
- 1 celery stick
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 vegan stock cube
- 50g ground almonds
- salt
- pepper
For the baby potato cakes
- 500g baby potatoes
- 2 white onions
- sprig of rosemary
- sprig of thyme
For the lasagne
- 1 pack of lasagne sheets
- 50g sliced almonds
For the asparagus spears
- asparagus spears
- olive oil
- salt
Making the vegan bolognese
1) Put a medium sized pan on a medium heat with 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
2) Finely chop all of the fresh vegetables (onion, celery, carrots, red and yellow peppers, courgette, aubergine and mushrooms) and add to the pan. Cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally until soft.
3) Finely chop the garlic and stir into the vegetables. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes.
4) Crumble up a stock cube into the pan and then add some boiling water, enough to submerge the vegetables. Turn the heat down to simmer and allow to cook slowly until most of the liquid has evaporated. This will take approximately 30 minutes.
5) Half fill a separate medium sized pan with water, add the other stock cube, then bring it up to a rolling boil. Rinse the lentils in a sieve before putting them in the boiling water and cook until tender. Cooking time can vary between different types of lentil and should take 12 to 20 minutes.
6) When all the liquid has nearly boiled away in the pan of vegetables, add in the cooked lentils and the can of tomatoes. Stir and simmer on a low heat with the lid on for 30 minutes.
7) After 30 minutes taste the bolognese and add in salt and pepper to your liking. Also add the zest and juice of a lemon at this point, along with the finely chopped sprig of basil. Remove the bolognese from the heat. It is now ready to go in the lasagne.
Making the vegan béchamel
1) Put a medium sized pan on a medium to high heat with 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
2) Finely slice the onion and celery, add to the pan and fry until golden brown and soft. Then finely chop the garlic and add to the pan for 2 minutes.
3) Cut all the edible parts of the cauliflower into small pieces and add them to the pan of onions, celery and garlic. Add the stock cube and enough boiling water to cover the cauliflower. Gently boil away until the cauliflower is very soft, around 30 minutes.
4) Once the cauliflower is cooked strain it from the liquid and keep the cooking liquid. Put the cauliflower, onions, celery and garlic in a blender. Pour in some of the cooking liquid until it is half way up the cauliflower mix. Then blend into a puree. Add in the ground almonds and blend into a smooth thick puree. If the puree is not smooth, pass it through a sieve to remove any lumps. If the puree is too thick, add more of the cooking liquid. Adding ground almonds will thicken it. Once you are happy with the consistency of the vegan béchamel, season with salt and pepper to taste.
Building the lasagne
1) Pre heat the oven to 180°C
2) In an oven proof dish, start with a layer of bolognese, followed by the béchamel sauce and then lasagne sheets. Repeat until you have 3 or 4 layers of each, finishing with a layer of the béchamel on the top. Sprinkle a layer of sliced almonds on top.
3) Cook for 45 minutes in the oven.
Making the baby potato cakes
1) Chop the potatoes into quarters, add them into a pan of cold water, place on the heat and bring up to a rolling boil. Cook for a further 10 to 15 minutes. When the potatoes are soft enough, drain them, place them in a bowl and crush them with the back of a spoon.
2) Finely slice the onions and cook over a medium heat until golden brown. Finely chop the rosemary and thyme leaves and stir into the onions. Mix with the crushed potatoes and add a teaspoon of salt.
3) Heat a frying pan with 2 tablespoons of oil until medium hot. Form 4 potato cakes using your hands (wet your hands for this process so the potato doesn’t stick to them). Fry the potato cakes on both sides until golden brown, then place on a baking tray. They can go in the oven for the last 10 minutes with the lasagne to heat thorough.
Making the asparagus
1) Trim your asparagus spears down to around 8 to 10 cm.
2) Place the asparagus spears into a pan of boiling water. After 2 minutes take them out of the water and place in a bowl.
3) Drizzle with olive oil and a sprinkle of salt.
To serve
1) Cut your lasagne into individual portions.
2) Serve each portion with a potato cake and a few asparagus spears, as in the photo above.
3) Enjoy!