Three-cheese & mushroom lasagne
I love this recipe – it’s the one where I definitely get my carnivore friends eating a vegetarian dish and not commenting that they feel they have missed out on something. It’s also easy to prepare. We serve it with big bowls of salad, so it’s definitely a sharing dish – it’s lovely to bring to the table for people to help themselves.
Serves 4-6
8 lasagne sheets (or use gluten-free lasagne sheets)
FOR THE BASE
400g large flat mushrooms, roughly chopped
400g white mushrooms, roughly chopped
50g flat-leaf parsley, chopped few thyme sprigs, leaves picked
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
100g unsalted butter
175g garlic & herb soft cheese
FOR THE WHITE CHEESE SAUCE
40g cornflour
400ml milk, plus extra for the cornflour paste
250g halloumi, grated
150g cheddar, grated
1 Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. For the base, put all of the mushrooms, the parsley, thyme leaves, garlic and butter in a large saucepan. Cook until the mushrooms are tender and juicy. Stir in the soft cheese. Set aside.
2 To make the cheese sauce, mix the cornflour with a little milk until you have a paste that’s the consistency of double cream. Bring the 400ml milk to the boil, and pour in the cornflour mixture, stirring or whisking until you have a thick white sauce. Stir for a few minutes more.
3 Remove from the heat and add the halloumi and most of the cheddar. Season with black pepper and a little salt (the cheese is already salty so don’t add too much). Whisk until the sauce is smooth. If a little of the halloumi is not melted, don’t worry – it will melt in the oven.
4 To assemble the lasagne, place half the mushroom base into a 25 x 8cm dish, cover with lasagne sheets, and pour over half the sauce. Repeat with the rest of the mushrooms, lasagne sheets and sauce, then sprinkle over the rest of the cheddar and bake for 25-30 mins, until golden, bubbling and cooked through. Leave to rest for 5 mins before serving.