A delicious plant based lasagne with a Middle Eastern twist.
Serves 6
INGREDIENTS
¼ butternut pumpkin, peeled and sliced into wedges
Lentil Ragu:
1 brown onion, diced
1 carrot, diced
1 leek, sliced into half moons
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tbsp harissa paste
2tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground cardamom
1 tsp paprika
800g cooked lentils
100g walnuts, finely chopped
800g diced tomatoes
1 bunch of parsley, roughly chopped
Bechamel Sauce:
3 tbsp vegan butter
2 tbsp plain flour
500ml almond milk
1 tsp Dijon mustard
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
250g lasagne sheets
3 tbsp breadcrumbs
2 tbsp zataar
METHOD
1. Preheat the oven to 190C fan. Line a baking sheet with baking parchment and arrange the pumpkin. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for 25 minutes until just cooked through.
2. Heat a large saucepan with olive oil over a medium heat. Add the onion, carrot and leek and cook for 10 mins until softened and caramelised. Add the garlic, harissa and spices and cook for 5 minutes, stirring to coat.
3. Add the lentils, walnuts and tomatoes and bring to a simmer for 10 minutes. Stir through the chopped parsley and season with salt and pepper.
4. In a separate saucepan, melt the butter and add the flour, mixing to form a paste. Gradually pour in the milk, whisking until smooth. Bring to a simmer, whisking as it thickens into a creamy sauce, around 3 mins. Add the mustard, nutmeg and nutritional yeast. Taste and season.
5. To assemble the lasagne, spoon some of the lentil ragu over the base of a baking dish. Layer with lasagne sheets then top with more ragu, bechamel sauce and pumpkin wedges. Repeat with another 3 layers of pasta, leaving enough of the ragu and bechamel to cover the top. Scatter over the breadcrumbs and zataar. Place in the oven for 30 minutes until the pasta is cooked through and the top is crispy and golden.