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Vegan Lentil & Cavalo Nero Lasagne

Helen Trendell - picture
By Helen
Published 01-09-2022

Lentil, red wine, tomato and cavalo nero ragu layered between vegan bechamel sauce and lasagne pasta sheets

Vegan lentil and cavalo nero lasagne
  • 6 Servings
  • 45 Mins Prep Time
  • 45 Mins Cook Time

Ingredients

  • 250g of Green Lentils
  • 1 Bunch of Cavalo Nero
  • 1 White Onion
  • 1 Celery Stick
  • 4 Garlic Cloves
  • 2 Tins of Chopped Tomatoes
  • 4 Tsp of Italian Mixed Herbs
  • 125 Ml of Vegan Red Wine
  • 1 Vegetable Stock Cube
  • 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
  • 2 Tbsp of Tomato Ketchup
  • Pinch of Sea Salt
  • Twists of Black Pepper
  • 12 No-Cook Lasagne Sheets

Vegan Bechamel Sauce Ingredients

  • 3 Tbsp Vegan Butter
  • 3 Tbsp Plain Flour
  • 500 Ml of Unsweetened Almond Milk (or Soy Milk)
  • 4 Tbsp Nutritional Yeast
  • 1 Pinch of Ground Nutmeg
  • Reserved Cavalo Nero Water
  • Pinch of Sea Salt
  • A Twist of Black Pepper

Method

  1. Heat a fan assisted oven to 200 degrees.
  2. Boil the lentils in a saucepan on the hob for 15 minutes, adding the stock cube at the start before draining and reserving the lentil water, then setting aside.
  3. Wash the cavalo nero, remove the stalks and roughly chop into ribbons. Boil in a large pan on the hob for 5 minutes, before draining and reserving the drained water to use in the bechamel sauce later on.
  4. Peel and finely chop the onion. Wash and finely chop the celery. Peel and finely chop the garlic.
  5. In a large pan on the hob on a low heat, add the olive oil before adding the onion and celery to gently sauté until translucent (about 7-9 minutes). Add the garlic and cook for a further 1-2 minutes. Deglaze the pan by adding the red wine, followed by stirring in the tinned tomatoes, dried herbs, tomato ketchup, salt, pepper and cooked lentils. Simmer on a low heat adding the reserved lentil water to keep the ragu a rich sauce consistency whilst you prepare the vegan bechamel sauce.
  6. To make the vegan bechamel sauce, start with a small saucepan on the hob on a low to medium heat. Add the vegan butter to melt it completely, then add the plain flour and stir carefully together using a wooden spoon to make a thick paste or roux. Then gradually add the plant-based milk to the mixture, a little at a time and whilst keeping it on the heat, to get a silky smooth texture without lumps after each addition of the milk. Once all the plant-based milk has been added, start adding the reserved cavalo nero water to the sauce in the same way for extra depth of flavour (don’t worry the bright green water won’t turn the sauce green!). Once you have a glossy, pourable sauce that coats the back of the spoon, stir in the nutritional yeast, nutmeg, salt and pepper.
  7. Finally, in an oven-proof dish compile your lasagne by starting with a layer of lentil ragu, layer of bechamel sauce and layer of no-cook lasagne pasta sheets. Repeat the layering process with ragu, bechamel, pasta before the final layer is ragu and bechamel only. That way the lasagne sheets are fully covered in sauce and can cook all the way through.
  8. Bake in the oven for 45 minutes until golden brown and bubbling on top. Remove from the oven and wait 5 minutes before serving to make sure the lasagne holds it’s shape when served.