Vegetable and Lentil Lasagne

Vegetable and Lentil Lasagne
We are not vegetarians, but enjoy eating tasty vegetable dishes and this really fits the bill. If you wish to make it for vegetarians make sure the cheese is suitable, that is, made with vegetarian rennet.

Serves 4- 5

2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 stick celery, chopped
 2 medium carrots, diced
1 large red pepper, chopped
1 medium courgette, chopped
100g mushroom, sliced thinly or chopped if very big
200g red lentils
400g can chopped tomatoes
500ml carton passata
150ml dry white wine or water
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried parsley
Black pepper and salt to taste
2 tsp brown sugar or honey

Lasagne sheets, I tend to use about three layers of six sheets for this recipe but use less or more as your dish permits.

For the white sauce:
600ml milk
60g butter
60g plain flour
1/2 tsp mustard powder
Pinch salt
Black pepper to taste
50g cheddar and 30g Gran  cheese grated and combined together

100g cheddar and 30g Gran Padano cheese grated, for the top

Heat the oil in a large pan and fry the onion, garlic, celery and carrot together for a few minutes on a medium heat.
Add the pepper,  courgette and mushrooms and cook together for 3-4 minutes
Stir in the lentils.
Stir in the tomatoes, passata and wine or water.
Add herbs, sugar and seasoning and stir well.
Simmer for about 30 minutes.
Make the white sauce, put the milk in a pan over a low heat.
Mix the butter and mustard powder into the flour in a small bowl.
Raise the heat under the milk and add the butter and flour mixture. Whisk gently as the sauce comes to the boil. Simmer for another minute or so to cook out the flour.
Remove from the heat and stir in the cheeses and season to taste. It always better to season after adding the cheese as it so salty. Preheat the oven to 180C/ gas mark 4.
Put a couple of ladles of the vegetable  sauce in a large deep ovenproof dish and swirl it over the base of the dish. Add a spoonful of the white sauce also.
Place a layer of lasagne sheets over the sauce and continue layering until you have used all the vegetable mixture.
Finish with a layer of lasagne and pour the rest of the white sauce over the top
Sprinkle with the grated cheese and bake for 40- 50 minutes in the oven.

We tend to serve this with a crisp green salad with lots of chopped red onion.
If you wish to make the lasagne feed six people serve with a few slices of garlic bread also.