Lentil Lasagne

Ingredients

Béchamel (white sauce)

• 500ml milk
• 5 peppercorns
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 sprig of thyme
• A handful of celery leaves
• Half an onion (peeled)
• 1 vegetable oxo Cube or 1 teaspoon of vegetable stock
• 60g butter
• 1/3 cup flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Pepper to taste

Lentil Filling

• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 1 onion (finely sliced)
• 5cm leek (white part, finely sliced)
• 1 stalk of celery
• 1 carrot (peeled, halved lengthways and sliced)
• 2 x 400g cans of brown lentils (drained and rinsed) or 2 cups of cooked brown lentils
• 1 jar Maison Therese Tomato Basil Pasta Sauce
• 1 vegetable oxo cube or 1 teaspoon vegetable stock
• 2 teaspoons worcestershire sauce
• 2 teaspoons maple syrup or brown sugar
• salt and pepper to taste

To Assemble

• 1 box of dried instant lasagne sheets or 1 packet of fresh pasta sheets.
• 1 cup of grated tasty cheese or grated mozzarella

Serves 6

Method

1. Pre-heat oven to 175 degrees, fan forced.
2. In a pot, add the milk, peppercorns, bay leaf and thyme sprig, celery leaves, onion and vegetable stock and bring to a simmer. Remove from the heat and leave all the ingredients to infuse into the milk. Once cool, strain off the milk using a sieve, discard the remaining ingredients and keep milk in a pouring jug on the side.
3. In another pot on medium heat, melt the butter and add the flour. Keep mixing with a spatula or whisk for about 5 minutes, this will help to cook the flour to avoid a floury finishing taste. It will make a nice thick roux and we don’t want this to stick to the bottom of the pot. Slowly add in the milk mixture and whisk well. Turn the heat down and keep stirring every few minutes until it has become nice and thick. Season with salt and pepper to your liking and remove from the heat.
4. Using a frying pan, on medium heat, add the olive oil and the prepped onion, leek, celery and carrot. Add a pinch of salt to the pan to help the vegetables sweat and soften. Once the vegetables are nice and soft and beginning to colour, add the lentils and the Maison Therese Tomato Basil Pasta Sauce. Fill the empty jar with ½ cup of water and add the vegetable stock to this, give it a shake to ensure no sauce is left behind and pour it into the mix.
5. Add the worcestershire sauce, maple syrup or brown sugar and season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove from the heat.
6. To assemble, start by spreading a thin layer of béchamel on the base of the lasagne dish. Follow this by placing a layer of lasagne sheets on top (break or cut the sheets to fit in one uniform layer, avoid overlapping). And now spread over a layer of lentil mixture. Continue this order – bechamel, lasagne sheet and then lentil mix until you have used all of the lentil mixture. Finish the top of the lasagne with a layer of lasagne sheets, a layer of béchamel on top and sprinkle with the grated cheese.
7. Bake in the pre-heated oven for 30 minutes, or until the top is bubbling and golden.
8. Bon appetite!

Pairs well with steamed fresh green beans tossed in Maison Therese Apple Cider Vinaigrette!