Meat Free Mondays- Vegan Lasagne

Ah, this recipe is my absolute favourite vegan lasagne recipe EVER!!! Its from the incredible vegan chef Gaz Oakley aka avantgardevegan. He does lots of amazing recipes that are all vegan, he is especially good on recreating meat classics but completely made from plants. This Meat Free Mondays recipe is a real treat.

A classic hearty and delicious lasagne that give any non vegan lasagne a run for its money. Its wonderfully creamy and full of those classic lasagne flavours!

Lasange:

 

6-8 portions

Ingredients:

Ragu:

  • 2 tbs Olive Oil, for frying
  • 1 Red Onion, finely sliced
  • 3 cloves Garlic, minced
  • 4 sticks Celery, finely sliced
  • 1 medium Aubergine, cubed
  • 1 Courgette, cubed
  • 400g/1 packet Vegan Mince (alternatively, used finely chopped mushrooms or lentils)
  • 2 tins Chopped Tomatoes
  • 3 tbs Tomato Puree
  • 1 heaped tbs Mixed Herb
  • 2 tbs Balsamic Vinegar
  • 2 tsp Sea Salt
  • 2 tsp Cracked Black Pepper

Béchamel Sauce:

  • 1/2 cup Butter
  • 1/2 cup Flour
  • 4 cups Soy Milk/Oat Milk
  • 1 Onion, peeled & cut into 8
  • 1 Bay
  • Pinch Nutmeg
  • 1 tsp Sea Salt
  • 1 tsp Black Pepper Corns
  • 1 cup Grated Vegan Cheese (optional)
  • 2 tbs Nutritional Yeast (optional)

Pasta:

  • 1 Pack Dried Lasagna Sheets

 

Method:

  1. First up you need to infuse the milk for the béchamel, in a medium saucepan add the soy/oat milk followed by the onion, bay, nutmeg & seasonings. Place the saucepan over a low heat & stir every now and then.
  2. For the ragu, in a large saucepan placed over a medium heat, add the oil followed by the onion, garlic, celery & a pinch of salt. Sweat the mix down for around 3-4 minutes.
  3. Add the courgette, aubergine & mixed herbs. Turn the heat down lower, pop a lid on & allow the mix to cook for 3-4 minutes.
  4. Add the vegan mince & stir well. Cook for 2-3 minutes.
  5. Deglaze the pan with the balsamic vinegar & chopped tomatoes.
  6. Stir in the tomato puree, then pop the lid on and let the mix cook over a low heat for 10-15 minutes.
  7. For the béchamel, in a saucepan add the vegan margarine and place the pan over a low heat.
  8. When the margarine is melted, add the flour. Using a spatular mix well. Cook the mix whilst stirring for a couple of minutes to cook out the flour. It should resemble a paste like consistency.
  9. Gradually whisk in the infused milk, a little at a time.
  10. Once you’d added all the milk, the béchamel should be creamy, if you want to make it cheesy, add vegan cheese & nutritional yeast.
  11. Pre heat your oven to 180 degrees C.
  12. Build your lasagne in your oven proof baking dish, a layer at a time, I like to do – ragu, béchamel then pasta sheets. Repeat this until you have filled your dish. Making sure the top layer is béchamel.
  13. Bake the lasagne in your oven for 45 minutes. Then serve.

 

If this is something you try please tag @thoughtfulwaysuk on instagram and use the #twmeatfreemondays

 

 

1st Image: Vegan chef and YouTube star Gaz Oakley announces restaurant pop-up tour - Vegan Food & Living (veganfoodandliving.com)

Ingredients/method: My Lasagne - Avant-Garde Vegan (avantgardevegan.com)

2nd image: My Lasagne - Avant-Garde Vegan (avantgardevegan.com)