Veggie Lasagne recipe (serves 4)

Ingredients:

Feel free to change the vegetables to ones you like.. but these are mine!

8 sheets of fresh lasagne

200g mushrooms

1 large onion

3 peppers (whichever colour you fancy!)

1 tin of sweetcorn

1 packet of fresh chopped tomatoes (you can use tins but I prefer the fresher ones)

1 bag of fresh spinach (or 1 tin of spinach.. up to you!)

2 cloves of garlic

1 tablespoon of olive oil

Approx 4 tablespoons of sieved tomato passata

& for the sauce:

Large knob of butter (or alternative)

1 tablespoon of flour

1 pint of milk

100g of mature cheddar cheese (grated or finely chopped)

20g of fresh (vegetarian) parmesan

Salt & pepper

To make the filling:

Chop the garlic, onion, and pepper into quite small pieces, add the olive oil and a sprinkle of black pepper and salt to a heated large pan (I use a wok style deep frying pan). Add them to the oil and cook slowly on a medium heat for 5-10 mins keep stirring to avoid sticking.

Then chop and add the mushrooms, and stir through. Cook on a low to medium heat for another 5-10 mins until all the veg begins to soften.

Then add the sweetcorn, chopped tomatoes, and the spinach, stir in then add the passata. Leave on a low heat for another 5-10 mins, stirring when needed.

For the sauce:

Melt the butter in a sauce pan slowly avoiding burning. As soon as it is melted add the flour and stir continuously to form a paste.

Then add the milk, and stir all the time on a low heat until the paste has mixed in.

Begin to add the cheddar cheese bit by bit continuously stirring. Also add a few parmesan shavings to enhance the flavour as you go along. You should use about 2/3's of the cheese and leave the rest to top at the end.

It is important to keep the heat quite low and keep stirring as if it boils too much it may separate.

Add a small splash of passata.. just about a desert spoon full, and salt and pepper to taste.

Once all the cheese has melted and the sauce has started to thicken it is done! This should take about 5 mins of simmering and stirring.

The lasagne:

Cut each piece into 2, and place in a bowl of boiling water for 5 mins just to blanche.

Oil a roasting dish across the bottom, then place approx 4 of the half sheets in the dish. Cover with the veg mixture then layer again with sheets of lasagne, continue this until everything's gone! Usually 3-4 layers.

(Make sure your last layer is a sheet of lasagne!!)

Then pour the sauce over and around the sides of the lasagne, it should pretty much fill your dish to avoid drying out when cooking.

Place in a pre-heated oven at 170 degrees and cook for 30 mins. Then remove and add the remaining cheeses on top and return to the oven for a further 5-10 mins until golden.

Lovely!

For the ultimate vegetarian cuisine you really have to read Denis Cotter's stuff. You will never go back! I can't recommend it highly enough. He has a few different books out but I like Paradiso Seasons. One day I'll make it over to Cork & try his stuff out for real. I can dream eh!