I recently made a really good lentil ragu which I thought would work well as a lasagna. It did and it was very good indeed.

This led me to think of other vegetable based mixes that I could substitute for the lentil ragu layer.  The first one is a mushroom ragu, flavoured with thyme. Another favourite to add to my folder!

Mushroom Ragu Lasagna

Priced at Asda using mySupermarket, February 2019
Serves 4

Ragu layer

2 tblsp butter, £1.45/250g, 17p
1 large onion, finely chopped, 75p/kg, 8p
stalk celery, finely chopped, if available, 52p/head, 5p
600g mushrooms, £2.80/kg, £1.68
2 tsp garlic granules, £1.09/115g, 10p
30ml soy sauce,49p/150ml, 10p
a few sprigs of thyme, stripped of their leaves
or a good pinch of dried thyme, 17g/59p, 3p
salt and pepper

Bechamel layer

50g butter, Asda £1.45/250g, 29p
50g flour, 2p
500ml milk, £1.09/2.27litres, 24p
fresh grated nutmeg
salt and pepper

100g flour (3p) to make pasta or buy lasagna sheets
80g grated cheddar £3.69/825g, 36p

Total cost £3.15, 79p a serving(4)
Total nutrition 1880 calories, 72g protein, 96g fat, 184g carbs
Nutrition per serving 470 calories, 18g protein, 24g fat, 46g carbs

 

Quantities to serve 2

Mushroom Ragu Layer

1 tblsp butter
1 medium onion, finely chopped
stalk celery, finely chopped, if available
300g mushrooms
1 tsp garlic granules
15ml soy sauce
salt and pepper

Bechamel layer

25g butter
25g flour
250ml milk
fresh grated nutmeg (optional)
a bay leaf or two (optional)
salt and pepper

50g flour or buy lasagna sheets
40g grated cheddar

To make mushroom ragu

Melt the butter in a pan and saute the onion until cooked through. Add the sliced mushrooms, celery and garlic. Sizzle for a bit, then add the soy sauce and thyme. Cook until all the moisture has evaporated. This step is important. If there is too much water remaining your lasagna may be soggy. Season well

To make bechamel

For the bechamel layer, 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. I like to use a small whisk for this. Repeat until all the milk has been used. Now simmer very gently for around half an hour with the lid on. This prolonged cooking time really does improve the flavour. 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. Now season well with salt and pepper, taste and adjust. Use a little spoon of mustard as well if you like. 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.

To make pasta

If you want to make pasta, for cheapness, or to make the dish vegan – for 2, put 50g flour in a bowl and add enough cold water to make a pastry like dough. For 4, use 100g flour. Knead a little, or just leave in the bowl for a couple of hours and the gluten will develop.
Divide into 3. Roll out each third to the thickness of a credit card and approximately the shape of your dish.

Or just use value pasta sheets.

Layer up your lasagna

Now layer up your lasagna in an ovenproof dish

Divide your ragu into 3 sections in the saucepan. Divide the bechamel into 4 sections in the saucepan. Divide the cheddar into 4.

Ragu
Bechamel
sprinkle with cheddar
Pasta or lasagna sheets

repeat
Ragu
Bechamel
sprinkle with cheddar
Pasta or lasagna sheets

repeat
Ragu
Bechamel
sprinkle with cheddar
Pasta or lasagna sheets

Now top it all off with the last layer of bechamel. Sprinkle with the last cheddar

Bake at 180c for about half an hour until golden and bubbling.

 

Verdict

Absolutely delicious! Serve with a bit of salad, garlic bread or cooked vegetables

Variations

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‘ve done a lentil one, now this mushroom one, and a beetroot one may be next, although there are so many flavours to try, I can’t decide which one to do!