Introducing: Vegan Made Easy – Lasagne
There has been a huge rise in veganism over the past couple of years. From more access to vegan food, recipes, ready meals and restaurants, to a larger portion of the population turning to a plant-based diet, there has definitely been considerable change in the food industry to accommodate veganism. Although I am not a vegan myself, I do have both friends and a boyfriend that have become vegan in the last few years. Watching them adapt their lives as a result, experimenting with cooking to accommodate their new dietary needs, along with being all too aware of the declining health of our planet has definitely had an affect on me, resulting in a considerable amount of experimentation with vegan cooking. It is all too common that we associate eating vegan food with plain bland vegetables, food that is perhaps not particularly filling or satisfying, or meals and ingredients that are too complicated to cook. But this definitely doesn’t have to be the case. If you are someone like me, who still enjoys eating meat, fish or dairy occasionally but wants to be more conscious of our environment, carbon footprint and animals, introduction a few vegan meals and alternatives to our usual favourites each week can have a huge impact.
In this new section of my blog, titled ‘Vegan Made Easy’, I will be adding some of my favourite vegan recipes for you to try. It will include easy and quick recipes as well as my take on some classic meals. First in this section is my vegan Lasagne. Find the recipe below, and drop me a comment on here or Instagram if you give it a try.
Vegan Lasagne
Serves 2
You will need:
One garlic clove
One red onion
One aubergine
100g of mushrooms
A handful of dried porcini mushrooms
One can of chopped tomato
Six lasagne sheets
Store bought vegan béchamel sauce. (Most supermarkets stock this in the ‘free from’ section) – or make from scratch using cashews, almond milk and vegetable oil, along with seasoning.
Vegan mozzarella style cheese
Fresh basil
Olive oil
Malt vinegar
Salt, pepper and dried basil to taste
Pre-heat your oven to 180 degrees.
Cut the aubergine in to long thin slices. Place a large frying pan on the heat with some oil and add the aubergine to brown, turning to cook both sides. This should take 10 minutes on a medium to high heat. Set aside until time for assembly.
In a bowl of water, add the porcini mushrooms to soak and soften.
Finely chop the garlic, onion and mushrooms.
In the now empty frying pan, add a little more olive oil and the finely chopped garlic and onion to soften. Once soft add the porcini mushrooms and season with fresh basil, salt and pepper.
In another sauce pan, fill with water and add the lasagne sheets. Remove from the water just before they are fully cooked and leave to cool slightly.
Once the vegetables have all turned soft, add the soaked mushrooms in small chunks, discarding the water. Then follow with a teaspoon of vinegar, the chopped tomatoes and a cup of water. Season well, adding more fresh and dried basil as well as salt and pepper. Leave to simmer for 15 minutes or until the sauce has thickened.
Remove all from the heat and use the empty saucepan to simmer the béchamel sauce on the heat for a few minutes.
To assemble, you will need a small ceramic dish (approx 30x20cm is ideal). Cover the bottom of the dish with a layer of your tomato sauce, followed by a couple of aubergine slices. Place two sheets of pasta so the mixture is covered. Top the pasta with a layer of béchamel sauce, followed by tomato sauce and then the aubergine. Repeat this until all your ingredients have been used, leaving a layer of tomato sauce on top. Sprinkle the grated vegan mozzarella on top and put it in the oven for 20-25 minutes, or until the cheese has melted and the top has set. Serve and enjoy!
Until next time,
Abi x