Gemüse-Lasagne (vegetable lasagne)
A layered vegetable lasagne where the vegetables are roasted first rather than folded raw into the sauce, which concentrates their flavour and keeps the finished bake from turning watery. A proper béchamel, not a shortcut cream sauce, is what gives the layers their structure and keeps the whole thing from sliding apart when sliced.
Prep40 min
Cook50 min
Rest15 min
Oven190°C
Servings6
Christoph's vegetable lasagne, the vegetables roasted first to concentrate their flavour and keep the finished bake from turning watery.
Ingredients
Written for a 30 × 20 cm dish
Units
Temperature
Servings
Roasted vegetables
- 300 g zucchini, sliced 1 cm thick rounded
- 300 g aubergine, sliced 1 cm thick rounded
- 200 g red bell pepper, sliced rounded
- 50 ml olive oil rounded
- to taste fine salt rounded
Tomato sauce
- 150 g onion, finely chopped rounded
- 2 garlic cloves rounded
- 20 ml olive oil rounded
- 800 g chopped tomatoes rounded
- 5 g dried oregano rounded
Béchamel
- 60 g butter rounded
- 60 g flour rounded
- 700 ml milk rounded
- to taste fine salt rounded
- to taste freshly grated nutmeg rounded
To assemble
- 250 g dried lasagne sheets, no pre-cook needed rounded
- 150 g grated hard cheese rounded
Dietary labels are a guide, not a guarantee. If you have an allergy, read the ingredients yourself.
Method
- Heat the oven to 220°C. Toss the zucchini, aubergine and pepper with the olive oil and a good pinch of salt, spread across two baking sheets, and roast 20 minutes, until softened and lightly coloured. Reduce the oven to 190°C.
- For the sauce, heat the olive oil in a pan and sweat the onion and garlic for 4 minutes, until softened. Add the tomatoes and oregano, simmer 15 minutes, and season with salt.
- For the béchamel, melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Gradually whisk in the milk, a little at a time, until smooth. Simmer 5 minutes, stirring, until thickened. Season with salt and nutmeg.
- Spread a thin layer of tomato sauce in the base of a baking dish. Layer lasagne sheets over it, then a layer of roasted vegetables, a spoonful of béchamel, and a little tomato sauce. Repeat the layers, finishing with a generous layer of béchamel and the grated cheese on top.
- Bake at 190°C for 35 to 40 minutes, until deeply golden and bubbling. Rest 15 minutes before slicing; it holds together far better once slightly set.
Notes
- Roast the vegetables first, rather than layering them raw. Raw vegetables release a large amount of water as they bake, which waterlogs the finished lasagne; roasting drives that water off beforehand and concentrates flavour.
- A real béchamel, whisked to a proper thickened sauce, is what gives the layers structure. A thin cream poured between layers does not bind the lasagne together the same way.
- Let the lasagne rest before cutting. Sliced straight from the oven, the layers slide apart; 15 minutes lets everything set enough to hold a clean slice.
- It keeps for 4 days in the fridge and freezes well, whole or in individual portions.
Ingredient substitutions
- Zucchini, aubergine and pepper can be any combination of vegetables that roast well; mushrooms are a good addition.
- No-boil lasagne sheets are used here for convenience; if using sheets that need pre-cooking, follow the packet instructions first.
- Grated hard cheese can be a mix of two cheeses for more depth; a little mozzarella mixed in gives extra stretch.
From Christoph Mayer