July 29 is National Lasagna Day
Vegetarian Lasagna for any day of the year
July 29 is National Lasagna Day in USA, although by rights it should be International Lasagna Day!
If you think that lasagna is made with minced beef, tomato sauce and soft cheese then you would be very wrong.
You would also be pleasantly surprised at the delicious lasagna dinners you can make without any meat at all.
The best lasagana uses two sauces
white sauce and red sauce
This is your basic white sauce.
Add cheese for more flavour, use any cheese which takes your fancy
Add a bayleaf and/or a sprig of thyme if you wish. Remove before pouring sauce over
Ingredients
- 60 g butter
- 1/3 cup plain all purpose flour
- 4 - 5 cups of milk
- 75 g cheese finely grated (optional)
Instructions
- Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat until foaming, then add flour.
- Cook, stirring all the time, until bubbling ( 1 to 2 minutes). Remove from heat.
- Put the saucepan on the bench and slowly add milk, whisking all the while, until the mixture is smooth.
- Return to heat. Cook on a low heat, stirring with a wooden spoon, for 10 to 12 minutes or until sauce comes to the boil, thickens and coats the back of the wooden spoon.
- Remove quickly from heat.
- If you're using cheese, stir it in now while the pot is off the heat
- Return to a very low heat and, stirring constantly, allow the cheese to blend through the sauce (( 1- 2 minutes)
- Remove from heat
Easy Red Sauce
- 1 small onion
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 medium size can crushed tomatoes
- 1/2 cup tomato paste
- 1/2 cup dry red wine
Instructions
- Finely dice the onion and chop the garlic
- In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, saute the onions and garlic in olive oil over medium-high heat for 7-10 minutes, or until soft.
- Add crushed tomatoes, tomato paste and wine, and bring to a simmer.
- Reduce heat to low and let simmer for 20 minutes to allow the flavours to blend.
Fennel and Butternut Squash Lasagna
Recipe for Fennel and Butternut Squash Lasagna
- 1 kg butternut squash
- 750 g fennel bulbs
- 1 clove garlic chopped
- 3 sprigs thyme de-stalked
- 150 g mild blue cheese or feta
- 20 g grated cheddar
- 125 g lasagna sheets
- 2 -3 cups bechamel sauce
Instructions
- Peel and de-seed the butternut squash, cut into cubes, place on roasting tray, splash with oil and roast for 30 minutes until tender. Add the thyme and garlic and set aside.
- Remove outer layer of the fennel and cut it up. Fry in pan with oil to saute for 10-15 minutes
- Make your own bechamel with 1 litre of milk, and pour one third of it into an ovenproof dish.
- On top, layer half of your lasagna sheets and the roasted squash.
- Add another third of the sauce, and then more sheets, before adding the fennel.
- Sprinkle with blue cheese, and add the last of your sauce.
- Finally add your grated cheddar and bake for 30 odd minutes, until browned.
Asparagus Lasagna
Recipe for Asparagus Lasagna
- 1 kg white asparagus
- pinch salt
- 1 tsp sugar
- 10 grams butter
- 750 grams of spinach
- 1 onion
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 tablespoon oil
- freshly ground pepper
- 250 g mozzarella cheese
- 9 lasagna sheets
Instructions
- Peel asparagus and trim the ends tightly.
- Bring about 600 ml of water with salt, sugar and butter to a boil.
- Put the asparagus in the pot and cook for about 5 minutes. Remove, drain, rinse and let cool.
- Wash the spinach and rinse. Peel the onion and garlic and chop finely.
- Heat the oil in a saucepan, saute onion and garlic.
- Add the spinach, let it steam under a lid until it's dry. Season with salt and pepper.
- Take a greased ovenproof dish, add a lasagna sheet.
- Then put a layer of asparagus and half the bechamel.
- Place half of the drained spinach on top.
- Cover with a double layer of lasagna sheets.
- Cover with white sauce, spinach and asparagus and finish with mozzarella
- Bake for 35-40 minutes until golden brown
Family Size Lasagna Pan with Lid
For a large lasagna, you need a large lasagna baking dish - this is the All Clad answer.
I often cover the top of my lasagne with foil to keep it moist and stop any loose ends from curling, here's a better way of wrapping, a pan with its own lid.
Made from stainless steel with large easy to grip handles, it has sides which are rounded gently for ease and efficiency in serving your delicious home-made lasagna.
Vegetarian Lasagna
You don't need meat for lasagna!
Fast And Easy Vegetable Lasagna Recipe
Have you ever tried a Vegetable Lasagna Recipe? Lasagna is popular with all age groups but kids and teens really go for it in a big way. Let the teens cook ...
All comments are greatly appreciated. You don't have to be saucy to leave yours
