vegetarian lasagne – Every Step Fitness

This is another great option for weekday dinners as the weather gets colder. I make a big batch and it’s fab for a lovely quick meal. It is super versatile too – you can use it for spaghetti bolognese, lasagne, shepherd’s pie, or as a chilli with rice or jacket potato, or just on its own! It will keep in the fridge for at least a week (I’ve kept it for 2 but usually I’ve eaten it all by then!) or you can freeze portions too.

This is really easy to make and if you’re busy you can speed it up even more by using bags of frozen veg. Waitrose/Ocado do a bag of mixed onion, celery and carrots (‘soffritto mix’) and a great bag of frozen mixed grilled veg (onion, aubergine, courgette and pepper) which work brilliantly. Don’t be afraid of using the frozen veg – often they’re actually higher in nutrients than fresh as they’re frozen immediately rather than sitting in warehouses for months. I’m very much a believer in making eating healthy as easy as possible so this is a really easy option.

Even if you’re not vegetarian I’d definitely suggest you try this – it’s a lot lighter in calories and just as tasty. And if you’re worried the family may not want a meat substitute i’d suggest trying it and not telling them – I bet they don’t notice! Loads of my clients have found that their other halves and children haven’t even realised it’s not meat (though obviously you could use turkey or beef mince if you wanted to).

This makes approx 8 generous servings at 245 cals per serving!

You will need:

1000g of Quorn mince (or ‘meet the alternative’ or any other meat substitute)

1500g Pasatta

Either – 1 bag of soffritto mix OR 1 onion, 2 sticks of celery and 1 large carrot all finely chopped

Other mixed veg – pepper, courgette, aubergine (your choice, or 1 bag of the frozen veg)

3 vegetable stock cubes

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp of chilli (to taste)

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

1/2 tsp Mixed herbs

Dash of Worcestershire sauce (vegetarian brand if necessary)

Spoonful of marmite (optional)

Salt and pepper

Heat a little oil in a large pan. Add the onion, celery and carrot and sauté for a few mins.

Add the mincemeat and mix well and let it heat through (if using turkey, beef etc then ensure the meat browns at this point). Add the stock cubes and mix well.

Add the other vegetables and stir well. Heat for a few mins.

Stir in the passata and then add all the spices, sugar, Worcestershire sauce, balsamic vinegar and marmite. Mix well and allow to simmer.

Taste it during this phase and adjust seasoning to taste.

Once it’s cooked for at least 20 mins, if you can let it cook a bit longer do as it helps to give a better flavour. Then it’s done!

Serve with spaghetti, jacket potato, rice, or as a chilli with a dollop of yoghurt and spinach!

Enjoy 🙂

Lasagne is such a popular dish but can be so full of fat and other processed nasties so I thought I’d have a go at creating a healthy lasagne. I’ve never made lasagne before so I’m pretty proud of this. It tastes divine, as good as any “normal” lasagne, rich, creamy and satisfying!

For the filling:

150g Soya Mince (soaked in 450ml of vegetable stock (or just plain water) and a glug of olive oil) or quorn or any vegetarian mince (no need to soak)

1 White onion

1 clove of Garlic

1 Red Pepper

800g Chopped Tomatoes

1 tbsp Concentrated tomato puree (optional)

1 – 2 tsp mixed Mediterranean herbs (I used oregano, marjoram, thyme and basil)

Black pepper and himalayan rock salt

For the Sauce:

1/2 cup Olive oil

4 tbsp White spelt flour (or normal plain flour)

4 – 5 cups of Soya milk

Himalayan rock salt and black pepper to season

a pinch of nutmeg (optional)

For the rest of the Lasagne:

8 whole grain Spelt lasagne sheets (or any lasagne sheets you like)

150g soft goat’s cheese or your choice of cheese

Grated hard goat’s cheese for the top or any cheese you want!

Start by soaking the soya mince in the vegetable stock and olive oil. Allow it to absorb the water, ideally leaving it for at least an hour, but if you haven’t got time then just until it absorbs the liquid. If you are using quorn or another veggie mince then you don’t need to soak it first so you can skip that bit! Chop the onion, garlic and red pepper. Add the onion to a large pan and saute until translucent. Add the garlic and pepper and saute for a further few minutes. Add the soya mince, stirring well and then add the tomatoes and tomato puree. Finally add the herbs. Bring to the boil then simmer for as long as you can, at least 20 minutes. Taste and season.

Preheat the oven to 180 C.

Meanwhile start on the bechamel sauce. Add the olive oil to a cold pan and place on a moderate heat. Add the flour and mix continuously using a wire whisk. The flour will dissolve in to the oil and there shouldn’t be any lumps (if there are you can always run the sauce through a sieve later so don’t panic). After a few minutes, once the flour and oil are mixed and starting to form a paste you can start to slowly add the milk. Run the milk down the side of the pan and start with a little, whisking all the time to prevent the sauce separating. Mix all the time and continue to add the milk. After you’ve added about a third allow the sauce to thicken, then add more milk, continue with this until you have the consistency and amount you want. Add the salt, pepper and nutmeg.

Grease a 8 – 9 inch baking tray/lasagne dish and start by adding a thin layer of the sauce. Then add a layer of soya mince and crumble half the soft goat’s cheese on top. Lay 4 lasagne sheets on this and add another layer of sauce. Next add the rest of the mince and goat’s cheese. Add the other 4 lasagne sheets and pour the rest of the sauce on top. Finish with a grating of hard goat’s cheese and pepper.

Pop in the oven for 35 minutes, or until the cheese is golden and bubbling. Enjoy with a side salad 🙂

(This recipe was originally posted on pureformfitnesskitchen.com)

mg_7866

Tag: vegetarian lasagne

Chilli con veggie!

Veggie-mince Lasagne