Surplus Supper: Spiced vegetable and lentil lasagne

A wonderful and tasty twist to a classic, adding a boost of plant protein and providing two of your five a day.

Serves 6-8
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp vegetable or mild olive oil
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 1 red pepper, deseeded & finely sliced
• 1 clove garlic, peeled & finely chopped
• 3 tbsp ground garam masala/curry powder or 200g jar Tikka paste
• 500g carton tomato passata or 400g can chopped tomatoes or fresh tomatoes
• 380g drained can/carton lentil (beans or chickpeas can be used instead)
• 1 vegetable stock cube

Sauce:

• 4 tbsp (60ml) vegetable or mild olive oil
• 40g plain flour
• ½ tsp ground nutmeg (optional)
• 300ml Alpro Almond or Oat drink
• A small pinch of salt and a good pinch of pepper
• 200ml Alpro Plain No Sugars (or Greek-style) alternative to yogurt
• 100g cheddar or hard cheese, grated

Putting it all together:

• 8 sheets dried lasagne sheets
• 100g fresh spinach, washed
• 250g leeks, finely sliced into rings, washed
• 150g mushrooms, wiped or peeled & sliced

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC fan, 190ºC conventional, gas 5.

2. Heat the oil in a large saucepan and cook the onion & red pepper over a medium heat for 5-7 minutes, then add the garlic and curry powder/paste cooking for a further 30 seconds.

3. Add the tomatoes, lentils and stock cube and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat, cover with a lid, and simmer on a medium heat for 5 minutes.

Sauce:

4. Pour the oil into a small saucepan and stir in the flour, place over a medium heat and add the Alpro Oat or Almond drink a little at a time, beating well after each addition to prevent lumps forming.

5. Bring to the boil, add the nutmeg (if using) & season to taste. Stir in half the grated cheese.

6. Remove from the heat and leave to cool slightly before stirring in the Alpro Plain No Sugars or Greek-style alternative to yogurt.

Putting it all together:

7. Lightly oil the base of an ovenproof 34 x 25cm dish and lay 4 sheets of dried lasagne sheets across the base.

8. Spoon over half the spicy lentil mixture and top with the washed spinach and sliced leeks.

9. Cover with the other 4 sheets of lasagne sheets and spoon over the remaining spicy lentil mixture, top with the sliced mushrooms and pour the cheese sauce evenly over the top.

10. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour. If the top becomes too brown, cover with baking parchment.

Delicious served with a fresh salad or garlic bread.

If cooking from chilled: this dish will need to be cooked for longer to ensure it is temperature safe.

Cooking for a crowd:

• To serve 12. Double the recipe ingredients. Prep time: 45 minutes. Cooking time: 1¼ hours. Tin size: 42 x 34 x 6cm.
• To serve 18. Triple the recipe ingredients. Prep time: 60 minutes. Cooking time: 1½ hours. Tin size: approx. 40 x 60 x 6cm.

Top Tips:

If you don’t have leeks, replace with 2 large onions. Instead of spinach and mushrooms, you can replace with any roasted vegetables e.g. courgettes, parsnips, squash. Some of the vegetables can be replaced with minced meat or soya mince. You can use any plant-based drinks e.g. Alpro Soya or Cashew drink.

Download PDF recipe