Serves 4-6 | Prep time 30 mins | Total time 90 mins
Lentil lasagne is a delicious and comforting recipe for when you have vegetables that are on the verge of spoiling. If you're short of time, the lentil sauce is equally as good served with pasta, a jacket potato, or leafy salad.
Lentils are a great substitute for traditional beef or pork mince, and three heaped tablespoons (80g) counts towards one of your five a day.
Ingredients
250g green lentils
1 onion, finely diced
1 red pepper, finely diced
1/2 punnet mushrooms, diced
2 medium carrots, coarsely grated
1/2 large courgette, coarsely grated
2 tbsp tomato puree
1 large jar of tomato sauce (660g-700g), or 2 tins of chopped tomatoes
Large handful of basil, chopped
50g butter
50g plain flour
550ml semi skimmed milk
9-12 wholewheat lasagne pasta sheets
50-75g cheddar cheese
(Optional: salad leaves & dressing of choice)
Recipe
In a bowl, soak the dried green lentils for a minimum of 30 minutes.
In a large pan, start by frying the onion on a medium heat setting, for 5 minutes. When the onions have started to turn golden, add the red pepper and mushrooms, and cook for another 5 minutes. Next, add the carrots, courgette and tomato puree.
Drain the lentils and add to the pan, along with the jar of tomato sauce, or tins of chopped tomatoes, and basil.
Preheat your oven to 200°C/Gas mark 6/Fan 180°C.
While this is cooking, make the roux by melting the butter and mixing in the plain flour to form a paste; cook for 2 minutes. Take off the heat, and gradually (i.e. bit by bit) add the milk, stirring continuously with a whisk to remove lumps. Move the pan back to a low heat and continue to stir so that it thickens and forms a smooth sauce. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Into your oven dish, layer the lentil sauce followed by lasagne sheets, and white sauce. Repeat this so that you have two or three layers (depending on the depth of your pan) and finish with a sprinkling of cheese over the top. Any left over lentil sauce can be frozen, and kept for 3 months.
Bake in the oven for 30-40 minutes.
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