I recently made a really good lentil ragu. The flavour was strong enough that I thought it may well make a good lasagna. This is the result and it was very good indeed! It will freeze well, so is something you can batch make.
Lentil Ragu Lasagna
The prolonged cooking time of the bechamel really does improve the flavour. All the seasonings are added at the end of the cooking time as the heat of the cooking reduces their flavour. We still have to cook it in the oven of course.
What was the Lentil Ragu Lasagna Like?
Absolutely delicious! It’s gone in my recipe book and I shall be making it again. Serve with a bit of salad, garlic bread or cooked vegetables
Variations for Lentil Ragu LasagnaÂ
Use plant milk, a vegan spread and a vegan cheese for vegans, or just leave out the cheese part. If you can’t find lasagna sheets without egg, and you want to make this vegan, you could try making pasta, it’s really not very difficult.
I’ve found that this can be used as a basic recipe for lasagna, just changing the ragu layer for all sorts of other things. I’ll be doing a mushroom one over the weekend and writing that up, and a beetroot one is next.
Ingredients
Ragu layer Ingredients
- 1 tblsp olive oil
- 1 large onion finely chopped,
- 110 g red lentils finely chopped,
- 1.5 tblsp tomato puree
- 1 tsp garlic granules
- 287ml ml water boiling
Bechamel Layer
- 25 g butter
- 25 g flour
- 250 ml milk
- nutmeg freshly grated
- 1-2 bay leaf optional
- salt and pepper
Pasta
- 50 g flour to make pasta, or use bought lasagna sheets
Topping
- 40 g cheddar grated
Instructions
To Make Ragu
- Saute the onion in the olive oil until cooked through.
- Add the garlic granules, lentils, water, tomato puree and the boiling water.
- Simmer, with the lid on, very gently for about 20 minutes. The red lentils need to be cooked through.
- Stir every now and again and keep an eye on it, as the water is absorbed they may stick.
- Add the salt and pepper. Taste and add more if it needs it.
To Make Bechamel
- melt the butter in a saucepan.
- Add the flour and stir around to mix and cook a little.
- Now add half a cup of the milk and stir continuously until the milk is absorbed.
- Repeat until all the milk has been used.
- Simmer very gently for around half an hour with the lid on.
- Infuse with a bay leaf or two if you have any and add a little grated nutmeg right at the end if you have any.
- Season well with salt and pepper, taste and adjust. Use a little spoon of mustard if you like.
To Make Pasta
- Put the flour in a bowl and add enough cold water to make a pastry like dough.
- Knead a little, or just leave in the bowl for a couple of hours and the gluten will develop.
- Divide your pasta into 3
- Roll out each third to the thickness of a credit card and approximately the shape of your dish.
- Or use bought lasagna sheets
Layer up your lasagna
- Divide your ragu into 3 sections in the saucepan.
- Divide your pasta into 3
- Divide the bechamel into 4 sections in the saucepan.
- Divide the cheddar into 4.
- In the dish, place 1 portion of ragu, top with 1 portion of bechamel, sprinkle with 1 portion of cheese. Cover with 1 portion of pasta
- Repeat twice more
- Now top it all off with the last layer of bechamel making sure all the pasta is covered
- Sprinkle with the last of the cheese
- Bake at 180c for about half an hour until golden and bubbling.
Equipment Needed
Notes
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Nutrition
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