Love lasagna, but not the ‘heavy’ feeling you get after eating it? This vegetable-rich lasagna is a dream come true. It’s completely gluten-free, and will provide a good chunk of your daily quota of vegetables in just one serve.
It’s a little more time-consuming than most of my recipes due to the multiple components, but since the leftovers taste even better the next day, it’s worth making in bulk.
Ingredients:
Vegetable ‘noodles’
2 medium eggplants, sliced into 1 cm rounds
4 medium zucchinis, sliced lengthwise 4 mm thick
Cauliflower white sauce
1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
3 cups cooked white beans – I used navy beans; you may substitute 2 cans of rinsed, drained white beans
1/2 cup savoury yeast flakes/nutritional yeast
1 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp onion flakes
1 tsp Mrs Dash Table Blend* (optional)
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 cup plant milk
Red sauce
1 onion, peeled and diced
3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1/2 cup water or low-sodium vegetable stock (or use the water from steaming the cauliflower)
1 bunch kale, de-stemmed and finely chopped
1 large carrot (mine weighed 190 g), grated
1 head broccoli, cut into florets
1 red capsicum, seeded and diced
1 jar no added salt passata (crushed tomatoes)
2 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried thyme
2 tsp paprika
2 tsp Frontier Onion and Herb Seasoning*
2 tbsp savoury yeast flakes/nutritional yeast
6 tbsp no added salt tomato paste
1/2 cup savoury yeast flakes/nutritional yeast (additional, for topping)
Method:
Vegetable ‘noodles’
Preheat oven to 200°C. Line a baking tray with non-stick baking paper.
Lay eggplant slices on prepared tray, and bake for 20 minutes. Flip and bake for another 10 minutes.
Cauliflower white sauce
Steam cauliflower for 8 minutes or until tender. Transfer to food processor or high-powered, add remaining ingredients and blend at high speed until smooth and creamy.
Red sauce
Place a large, heavy-based frying pan over high heat, and when it reaches the ‘mercury ball stage’ (i.e. water flicked into the pan forms little balls that roll around the surface before evaporating), add the diced onion. Sauté vigorously 3 minutes or until onion is lightly browned in spots. Add garlic and continue to sauté vigorously for 30 seconds.
Reduce heat slightly and carefully add water or low-sodium vegetable stock, pouring into the side of the pan to avoid scalding your hand.
Add kale, reduce heat to medium, and simmer, covered, for 3 minutes.
Add carrot, broccoli, capsicum, passata, herbs, paprika and Onion and Herb seasoning (if using), and cook, covered, for 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Remove from heat and stir in 2 tbsp savoury yeast flakes and tomato paste.
Assembly
Spread 1/4 of the cauliflower white sauce into a large baking dish. Arrange eggplant slices in a single layer on top of the sauce. Spoon in half the red sauce, then lay the zucchini slices over the top. Spread another 1/4 of the cauliflower sauce on top, then remaining half of the red sauce, then another 1/4 of the cauliflower sauce. Arrange remaining eggplant and zucchini slices on the red sauce, then spread remaining cauliflower sauce on top, and sprinkle 1/2 cup savoury yeast flakes over the white sauce.
Cover with aluminium foil, and bake for 40 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 20 minutes, checking regularly to avoid burning.
Remove from oven, and rest for 10 minutes before slicing.
* Salt-free seasonings; I buy them from iHerb. If you don’t already have an account with iHerb, you can use the coupon code UTE208 to get $5 off your first order.
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