Vegetarian Lasagna

Tender, ‘meaty’ slices of pan-fried eggplant and zucchini replace meat in this hearty, easy to make vegetarian lasagna. A rich, creamy, béchamel sauce holds the pasta and veggies in fine balance. Be sure to choose oven ready lasagna noodles for a fuss-free, no boil option helping this dish come together quickly.

Vegetarian Lasagna

Louisa Lorang

This greens-stuffed lasagna is packed with flavour and sure to become a favourite—whether you’re vegetarian or not.

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Ingredients

Vegetable Filling

• 1 yellow onion peeled and chopped
• 3 cloves garlic peeled and chopped
• 2 stalks celery chopped
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 200 g chestnut mushrooms trimmed and roughly chopped
• 1 handful fresh thyme
• 1 can 796 mL crushed tomatoes
• pinch granulated sugar
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

Sauce

• ⅓ cup butter
• 3 tbsp flour
• 400 mL whole milk
• 1 tsp grated nutmeg
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

Lasagna

• 1 eggplant sliced
• 2 zucchini sliced
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• ¼ tsp salt
• 10 dried lasagna sheets approximately 200 g
• 1¼ cups grated mozzarella
• 1 handful fresh thyme chopped

Instructions

 

Vegetable Filling:

• Fry onion, garlic and celery in olive oil for a couple of minutes. Add mushrooms. Pick thyme leaves and fold it in along with crushed tomatoes. Let everything simmer for 5 to 10 minutes. Season with salt, pepper and sugar. Set aside to cool.

Sauce:

• Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat and whisk in flour until it comes together. Add milk a little at a time and whisk until sauce thickens. Season with nutmeg, salt and pepper.
• Rub eggplant and zucchini slices with olive oil. Fry in pan, sprinkle with salt and set aside.
• Preheat oven to 375°F.
• Pour some of the sauce into bottom of baking dish. Place a layer of lasagna sheets on top. Then add slices of eggplant and zucchini and spread vegetable filling on top. Add another layer of sauce. Build layer upon layer until all filling is used up. Top with mozzarella. Bake in lower part of oven for about 30 minutes. Sprinkle over chopped thyme before serving.

Keyword lasagna, pasta, vegetarian, vegetarian lasagna, vegetarian main, vegetarian recipes, Weeknight Dinner

Tips from the ELLE Gourmet Editors

What are chestnut mushrooms?

Chestnut mushrooms grow as clusters of small cinnamon brown, scaly caps on long white stems. Above all, they are prized for their nutty flavour and crunchy texture that remains even after cooking, making them ideal in soups and sauces. Find chestnut mushrooms online direct from local growers or at specialty grocery stores. Brown cremini or shiitake mushrooms are perfectly reasonable substitutes.

Tips for a smooth béchamel

Béchamel is one of the mother sauces of French cuisine, a white sauce of milk thickened with roux (a paste of flour and butter). It’s the creamy layer of classic lasagna and forms the base of many mac & cheese recipes, soufflés, gratins and creamy casseroles. Fortunately, it’s also very forgiving. The keys to success lie in cooking the sauce over medium-low to medium heat only because you can’t rush a good thing. Whisk and cook the butter and flour together for a few minutes until the paste is smooth and lump-free. This step is crucial in keeping the sauce smooth once the milk is added and cooks out the raw flour flavour. Whisk the milk in slowly, but confidently. Continue whisking until the sauce is smooth and thickened. Add seasoning (salt, pepper, herbs, cheese) at the very end to suit your taste.

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