Roasted Vegetable Lasagne

Roasted vegetable lasagne is one of those dishes I've been making for most of my adult life. Over the years I've tried all sorts of combinations: different vegetables, different cheeses, alternatives to béchamel, and plenty of shortcuts. And after all that experimenting, I've come back to the same conclusion. For me, you can't beat a classic.

Roasted vegetables, a rich homemade tomato sauce and a traditional béchamel, layered with pasta and plenty of cheese, have that comforting combination that never really needs improving.

This is the version I keep coming back to. The vegetables are roasted first so they become sweet and caramelised, then folded through a thick tomato sauce before everything is layered with béchamel and baked until golden and bubbling.

It's a little bit of work, but this is exactly the kind of recipe where I think the effort is worthwhile. Make a big lasagne and you'll have dinner for several days, or portions ready for the freezer.

From my Mindful Meal Prep System

This recipe had to be included in my Mindful Meal Prep System. It's one of my staple comforting meals, but it's also incredibly practical for meal prep. You can make a large batch, freeze the whole lasagne before baking, or portion it once cooked and have a homemade dinner ready for another day.

I've recently launched the Mindful Meal Prep System, an easy and flexible approach to meal prep for real, busy lives. There is no calorie counting, no eating the same meals every day and no expectation that you spend your entire Sunday cooking.

Instead, I've designed it around flexible preparation, useful foundations and making food that is realistic for your own week. Alongside the practical system, I've woven in mindfulness guidance and ideas around developing a more nourishing and supportive relationship with food, because that has been such an important part of my own approach to eating.

My purpose with this project is to redefine what meal prep can look like. To move away from the idea that it has to be rigid, repetitive or purely about efficiency, and towards something that feels nourishing, supportive and genuinely useful.

Meal prep has helped me enormously over the years. Having something prepared and waiting in the freezer has often meant I can nourish myself when, without that preparation, I might simply have gone without.

You can explore the full Mindful Meal Prep System [here].

Ingredients

Vegetable sauce

1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
200g mushrooms, sliced
1 courgette, roughly chopped
2 yellow peppers, chopped
1 medium sweet potato, diced
2 large tomatoes, chopped
2 tbsp tomato paste
2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes or 2 tins of homemade tomato base
150ml water
1 tsp dried oregano or a handful of fresh oregano
Olive oil
Salt and pepper

Béchamel

60g butter
60g plain flour
750ml milk of choice
Pinch of nutmeg
Salt and pepper

To assemble

Lasagne sheets
150 to 200g grated mozzarella or Parmesan

Serves approximately 6

Method

Preheat the oven to 200°C. Toss the sweet potato with a little olive oil, salt and pepper and roast for 10 minutes. Add the courgette and peppers to the tray and continue roasting for 20 to 25 minutes, until the vegetables are tender and golden.

Meanwhile, heat a little olive oil in a large pan and sauté the onion, garlic and mushrooms until softened. Add the fresh tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato base or chopped tomatoes, water and oregano. Season and simmer until the sauce has thickened, then stir through the roasted vegetables.

For the béchamel, melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute, then gradually whisk in the milk until smooth and thickened. Season with nutmeg, salt and pepper.

Layer the vegetable sauce, lasagne sheets and béchamel in a baking dish, repeating until everything is used. Finish with a layer of béchamel and scatter over the grated cheese.

Bake at 180°C for 35 to 45 minutes, until bubbling and golden. Allow to rest for a few minutes before serving.

Notes

Use homemade tomato base: If you have a batch of my homemade tomato base in the freezer, use it here for extra depth of flavour.

Don't overcrowd the vegetables: Give the vegetables plenty of space to roast and caramelise. Use two trays if necessary.

Keep the tomato sauce thick: A thick sauce will give you a much better lasagne and prevent it becoming watery.

To freeze: For the best texture, freeze the assembled lasagna before baking. Thaw overnight in the fridge before baking as directed.

To freeze leftovers: Allow the cooked lasagne to cool completely before portioning and freezing.

This lasagna will keep well in the freezer for up to 3 months.