Jess Hardiman
You can't beat a good lasagne, and while there's nothing wrong with the classic combo, it's never a bad idea to mix things up.
Author Yasmin Khan has come up with a clever twist that incorporates everyone's favourite squeaky cheese, which tops layers of tasty veg for a solid meat-free meal.
“Lasagne is one of my ultimate comfort foods, and in the case of this particular lasagne, it’s not hard to understand why,” Khan - whose latest recipe book, Sabzi: Fresh Vegetarian Recipes for Every Day, is out now - said.
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“Soft layers of pasta and béchamel are interspersed with a rich tomato sauce laden with hearty Mediterranean vegetables such as squash, courgette, pepper, and aubergine, and then topped with thin slices of halloumi cheese for an irresistible appeal.
“I serve it with a crisp salad and some garlic bread. This freezes well, so it’s great for batch-cooking.”
(Serves 4-6)
For the béchamel sauce:
Toppings:
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/Fan 160°C/Gas Mark 4. Combine the squash, courgettes, red pepper, and aubergines on a large baking sheet (use two sheets if needed), drizzle with 3 tablespoons olive oil, season with a generous pinch of salt, and mix well with your hands. Roast for 30 minutes, or until soft.
2. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, for 12 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. stir in the passata, vinegar, oregano, paprika, chilli flakes, and cinnamon and cook for 5 minutes, stirring often.
3. Add the roasted vegetables and season with ¾ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon black pepper. Add the water to loosen the mixture and mix well.
4. To make the béchamel, combine the butter and flour in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring to form a paste. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring often. Add the milk, white pepper, and nutmeg and whisk for 1 to 2 minutes, until the sauce is thick and smooth. Stir in the 50g Parmesan and ¼ teaspoon salt.
5. Now begin layering. Spoon one-third of the vegetable mixture into a 2.6 litre glass baking dish and cover with one-third of the lasagne sheets in a single layer. Top with one-third of the béchamel. Repeat with two more layers each of vegetables, pasta, and béchamel. Top the lasagne with the halloumi and the 25g Parmesan.
6. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 25 minutes, or until the topping is golden brown. Let stand for 10 minutes to allow the filling to settle before cutting the lasagne.
Sabzi: Fresh Vegetarian Recipes for Every Day by Yasmin Khan (Bloomsbury Publishing, £26) Photography by Jonathan Gregson. Available now.