My special lasagne

As you know, I like spices, so it’s no surprise that my recipe for lasagne contains a few just to liven things up a bit! Serve it with a salad or veg.

SERVES 4 PREP 25 mins

COOK 1 hr 25 mins EASY V

2 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, roughly chopped

1 red pepper, deseeded and

chopped

4 garlic cloves, inely chopped 400g chilled or frozen vegan mince 600g jar passata

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp all-purpose seasoning tsp ground allspice

1 tsp dried thyme

6 egg-free dried lasagne sheets

(about 125g)

For the ‘cheesy’ sauce

50g vegan butter

50g plain lour

500ml almond milk, warmed tsp ground nutmeg

3 tbsp nutritional yeast lakes

1 Heat the oil in a saucepan over a medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, for 5 mins until softened.

2 Add the red pepper and garlic, and cook for another 5 mins, stirring often, until softened.

3 Stir in the vegan mince, passata, cumin, all-purpose seasoning, allspice, thyme and 50ml water and, when the sauce starts to simmer, turn down the heat slightly.

Part-cover the pan with a lid and cook for 20 mins until reduced and thickened. Stir the sauce occasionally so it doesn’t stick. Season to taste.

4 Meanwhile, make the ‘cheesy’ white sauce. Melt the vegan butter over a low heat in a small pan. Using a small balloon whisk, gradually stir in the flour. Cook, stirring, over a low heat for 1 min until it makes a light brown paste. Gradually pour in the warm almond milk and cook for 5 mins, stirring, until thickened. Stir in the nutmeg and nutritional yeast flakes.

5 Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/ gas 6. Now it’s time to put together the lasagne – you will need a deep ovenproof dish, about 22 x 15cm. Spoon a third of the vegan mince mixture in the bottom of the dish. Top with a layer of lasagne, breaking the sheets if needed so the mince is covered. Spoon another layer of vegan mince on top followed by half the ‘cheesy’ sauce. Now for another layer of lasagne sheets and the remaining vegan mince. Finish with a third layer of lasagne sheets and the rest of the ‘cheesy’ sauce.

6 Bake the lasagne for 40-45 mins until bubbling and golden.

GOOD TO KNOW vegan • healthy • low cal • ibre • vit c • 2 of 5-a-day

PER SERVING 449 kcals • fat 17g • saturates 3g • carbs 45g • sugars 15g • ibre 11g • protein 25g • salt 0.5g