WHO LOVES LASAGNE?
Latest offering from Nadia Lim will become a go-to for recipes to feed the whole family
ONE OF THE BEST feelings you can have as a parent is when your child gobbles up a meal you’ve cooked for them, especially when you know it’s chockfull of good stuff.
But any parent knows that this doesn’t happen every time. Getting your child to love food (good, wholesome food that is) is not always easy.
With fellow mum and cook Annabel Inglis, Nadia Lim has put together a collection of favourite meals, snacks and ideas for feeding the family from babies starting solids to older school kids, and even teens leaving home.
With over 100 parent- and child-tested recipes, and practical, down-to-earth tips and discussions about starting solids, fussy eating, food allergies and more, YUM! will become the go-to for families.
BIG VEG LASAGNE
Who doesn’t love lasagne? And this lasagne, with eight different vegetables(!) is no exception. A brilliant way to get kids eating and enjoying a wider range of vegetables.
Serves 2 adults + 3 children, Prep time 30 minutes, Cook time 1 hour
Ingredients
1 onion, finely diced
1 eggplant, finely diced
1 courgette, finely diced
1 capsicum, finely diced
1 loosely packed cup grated pumpkin or carrot
150g button mushrooms, stems removed, diced
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1⁄2 tsp dried mixed herbs
1⁄2 tsp paprika
1⁄4 cup tomato paste
400g can crushed tomatoes
400g can brown lentils, rinsed and drained
3⁄4 cup vegetable stock or water
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp sugar
3 handfuls of chopped spinach or baby spinach
400g dried or fresh lasagne pasta sheets
WHITE SAUCE
50g butter
2 Tbsp plain flour
2 cups full-cream milk
1 cup grated cheese + 1⁄2 cup extra for sprinkling
2–3 Tbsp finely chopped parsley
Method
Preheat oven to 200C. Grease a large lasagne or baking dish (about 20 x 30cm) with olive oil.
Heat a good drizzle of olive oil in a large fry pan on medium-high heat. Cook onion, eggplant, courgette, capsicum, pumpkin or carrot, mushrooms, garlic, dried herbs and paprika for 8–10 minutes or until soft and most of the liquid has evaporated.
Add tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, lentils, stock, balsamic vinegar and sugar. Bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes or so until it has thickened. Stir through spinach until wilted and season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.
To make the white sauce, heat butter in a pot on medium heat. Stir in flour with a wooden spoon and cook for about 1 minute until golden and frothy. Whisk in
1⁄2 cup milk, then remaining milk (about 1⁄2 cup at a time) until smooth and there are no lumps. Continue whisking sauce frequently whilst it is cooking to avoid any lumps forming. Cook for about 5 minutes or until sauce has thickened. Stir in cheese and parsley, and season to taste with salt and pepper.
To assemble lasagne, spread a few tablespoons of the vegetable sauce over the base of your baking dish and top with a single layer of lasagne sheets (you may need to cut or break lasagne sheets so that they fit).
Spoon over half of the remaining sauce and top with another layer of lasagne sheets. Repeat with remaining sauce and one more layer of lasagne sheets.
Pour over cheese sauce and sprinkle with extra grated cheese. Bake for about 30 minutes until bubbling and golden brown. Leave to rest for about 10 minutes before cutting and serving.
TIP
To make a dairy-free white sauce, use a dairy-free spread in place of butter, dairyfree milk (e.g. soy or oat milk) and 2 teaspoons nutritional yeast in place of the cheese (for a cheesy flavour).