Adam Shaw, Leiths-trained chef, dad of two and author of How to Grow Your Family shares his tasty veggie lasagne recipe...
Lasagne is such a versatile dish and a great way of getting lots of veg into baby. Pasta sheets make excellent finger food and the dish is hearty enough to give tired parents an energy boost too!
Serves: 2, plus a few baby portions and some for the freezer
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 50 minutes
Ingredients
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 shallot, diced
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tablespoon oregano, fresh or dried
500g/1lb 2oz/7½ cups chestnut/cremini mushrooms, trimmed and finely diced
2 x 400g/14oz cans chopped tomatoes
1 tablespoon tomato purée/paste
250g/9oz kale, tough stalks removed, roughly chopped
2 x 400g/14oz cans green lentils, drained
50g/1¾ oz/scant 1/4 cup butter (or plant-based alternative)
50g/1¾oz/1/3 cup plain/all-purpose white flour (or any alternative)
400ml/14fl oz/1 2/3 cups full-fat/whole milk (or a plant-based alternative)
200g/7oz/1½ cups Cheddar, grated
Enough lasagne sheets for 2 layers in your dish, wholegrain if you can
150g/5½oz /1½ cups mozzarella
Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas 4.
Heat the oil in a frying pan over a low heat. Add the shallot and cook for a couple of minutes. Add the garlic, oregano and mushrooms. Cook for 2–3 minutes. Add the tomatoes and tomato purée/paste and cook for 7–8 minutes. Add the kale and lentils.
Make your bechamel sauce. Melt the butter in a saucepan over a medium heat. Add the flour and let it cook for a minute or so until the pan begins to smell like a cookie! Little by little, pour the milk into the pan, taking it on and off the heat and whisking continuously. When you’ve used up all the milk, let the sauce cook for a further 2 minutes before removing from the heat. Add the Cheddar and mix well.
Spoon half of the mushroom and kale mixture into the bottom of an ovenproof dish. Cover with a layer of lasagne sheets, then pour over half of the bechamel. Spoon the rest of the mushroom and kale mixture on top, followed by another layer of lasagne sheets and then the remaining bechamel. Top with the grated mozzarella and bake for 30 minutes.
Mix it up:
* Add more veg to the lasagne, such as diced courgettes/zucchini, peppers and carrots or swap the kale for spinach.
* Of course, minced/ground beef or lamb works well too.
Recipe from How to Grow Your Family:
How to Grow Your Family, by Adam Shaw
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From pregnancy to new parents - one meal at a time.
Published by Nourish, in hardback, on 8th March 2022
RRP: £18.99
Available at all good bookshops, Bookshop.org and Amazon
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