Dec 21

Dec 21 Christmas lasagne alla Bolognese with a lil extra

Lasagna is always a crowd pleaser, wether it’s a classic Bolognese one, a green one or white, heck even yellow. It never fails to be delicious and it’s perfect for dinner parties. And since Christmas is around the corner; It’s an absolute must for me! But since I find the classic one a bit too simple for a festivity I added a secret layer (that I saw over at “Playswellwithbutter”of ricotta and pesto. Ofcourse made vegan. For my lasagne I always use tofu to make the ricotta, when you blend it and cook it it really has the texture of dairy ricotta so if you are catering for non-vegans, I’ve got you! Let’s jump straight into the recipe so you can start prepping for Christmas.

Recipe

This make enough for 6 portions

Ingredients

500 gr pack of lasagna noodles
Bolognese sauce (listed below)
Pesto tofu ricotta
Bechamel (listed below)
Vegan gondino parmesan (optional)

For the basil pesto ricotta:

250 gr of firm tofu
150 gr of basil pesto (homemade or storebought) (recipe here)

For the Bolognese sauce:

5 tbs of olive oil
1 white onion, minced
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
2 carrots, minced
2 stalks of celery, minced
500 gr of vegan minced meat
200 ml vegan white wine
500-700ml of tomato sauce or passata
2 bay leaves
1 sprig of rosemary and 1 sprig of thyme
2-3 tbs of soy sauce
a splash if plant based milk

For the Bechamel:

2 tbs of flour
4 tbs of vegan butter
1 litre of plant based milk
1 tsp of vegetable stock powder
salt and pepper
pinch of nutmeg

Instructions

Start by making the bolognese sauce; Heat up the olive oil in a large pot, add the onion, garlic, carrot and celery. Fry until transluscent and fragrant for about 5 to 10 minutes over low heat.
Add the bay leaves, rosemary, thyme and minced meat and cook until the mince is cooked through.
Deglaze with the white wine and leave to evaporate.
Add the tomato sauce/passata and if the sauce is too thick some water, it should have the concistency of a thick soup.
Leave to bubble away for 10 minutes then taste and add the soy sauce.
Taste again and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Leave to bubble away for another 15 to 20 minutes with a lid on. Make sure to stir every once in a while to prevent the bottom from burning.
Once the bolognese is ready add a splash of milk and set aside.
Make the bechamel by melting the butter in a pot, once melted add the flour stir and make a roux.
Cook this roux paste for 1 minute or so then add in the milk a little at a time whilst whisking to prevent lumps.
Add the vegetable stock and let it cook through.
Taste and season with salt and pepper and the nutmeg. Set aside.
Make the pesto ricotta by blending the tofu in a blender or mixer until it resembles ricotta, you might need to add a little water to help the blender along.
Add the pesto to the tofu ricotta and mix wel.
Now that all the components are done we are ready to assemble the lasagna.
Start by spreading a few tablespoons of bolognese sauce into the bottom of a baking dish.
Add your lasagna sheets and cover again in bolognese sauce.
Spoon some bechamel ontop and layer with lasagna sheets.
Add the pesto ricotta and grate a generous amount of cheese ontop.
Layer again with lasagna sheets, bolognese sauce and bechamel.
Depending on how deep you baking dish is you can add another layer of pasta, boloignese sauce and bechamel.
Make sure to finish with bolognese sauce and bechamel and swirl the 2 together.
Place in a preheated oven on 180°C for 30 minutes covered with tin foil.
After the 30 minutes remove the tin foil and bake for another 10-15 minutes.
Serve with some basil on top.
Buon appetito!