Recipe courtesy of Belling
Vegan Lasagne
Ingredients
- 1tbsp olive oil
- 1 red onion, diced
- 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
- 1 tin of kidney beans
- 1tbsp tomato puree
- 1 tin of chopped tomatoes
- 1/4 - 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- Small handful fresh basil leaves
- Black pepper, to taste
- 2 large aubergines
- For the bechamel sauce:
- 60g soya spread
- 60g plain flour
- 600ml unsweetened soya or almond milk
- To finish:
- 50g pine nuts
- 1-2 slices wholemeal bread
Method
Vegetarian // Vegan // Dairy-Free // No Added Sugar // Egg-Free
Heat the grill to a fairly high temperature and start work on the aubergine layers.
Slice the aubergines into thin slices lengthways, add a little salt and leave to sit. After a few minutes, rinse the salt off the aubergines and sprinkle with olive oil.
Place the aubergines under the grill, in single file, until browned (you might need to do this in two lots). Once browned, set the grilled aubergine slices aside until later.
Preheat the oven to 180℃.
Making the lasagne sauce:
Heat the oil in a large pan and add the onions. Cook for around 5 minutes, until golden and then add the garlic and cook for another 2 minutes.
Add the tomato puree and mix in well to cover the onion and garlic.
Add the kidney beans, followed by the chopped tomatoes, nutmeg, paprika and the handful of torn basil leaves.
Stir well and leave to simmer for around 15 minutes.
Whilst the sauce is cooking, start on the béchamel sauce:
Add the soya spread to heat in a medium sized saucepan and once melted add in the flour very gradually, stirring continuously. Once the mixture has made a paste, gradually add the alternative milk a little at a time, remembering to stir continuously until it thickens and makes a smooth, thick sauce. You can add a few grounds of black pepper here too if you wish.
Start layering the lasagne:
Add a few small spoonfuls of the bean and tomato mixture to the bottom of a square lasagne dish. Spread out evenly and lay about 1/3 of the aubergine slices on top. Next add a layer of the bean and tomato mixture (around ½ of the mixture) and then pour on 1/2 of the béchamel sauce. Next add aubergine slices followed by the rest of the bean and tomato sauce and then add more aubergine slices followed by the rest of the béchamel sauce.
Before adding the dish to the oven, toast the pine nuts by putting them in a dry saucepan on a high heat for just a couple of minutes, turning them half way through. Be sure to keep an eye on them as they can brown very quickly.
Add the wholemeal bread slices to a blender. Whizz the mixture until it makes fine breadcrumbs. Then add the toasted pine nuts into the mixture for a single blast.
Add the breadcrumb and pine nut mixture to the top of the lasagne and pop in the oven for around 25-30 minutes – keep an eye on the top and add some tin foil for the last 10 minutes if the breadcrumbs start to brown!
Once ready, serve with a side salad.