lentil lasagne

pulses protein+ pasta

the typical party meal for italian families, in a delicious plant-based version. its peculiarity is a special type of besciamelle, that doesn’t require any (plant-based) milk. with a more delicate taste, it will enhance the taste of the ragù.

quantities for 6 portions

ingredients

  • egg-free lasagna pasta: 250g
  • nutritional yeast (optional): 3 tablespoons

for the lentil ragù

  • onion: 1 and 1/2
  • carrots: 1 big or 2 small
  • celery: 1/2 of a head
  • raw dried lentils: 300g
  • red wine: 1 glass - old wine leftovers are fine, even if they have become vinegar-like
  • tomato purée: 750g
  • salt and pepper

for the besciamelle

  • vegetable stock: 0,75l
  • flour: 90g
  • extra-virgin olive oil: 60g
  • nutmeg
  • salt and pepper

we learned this besciamelle recipe from our friends Fresche e Ribelli’s cookbook of seasonal and genuine recipes. Check out their website to know more about their delicacies and the social projects they carry on!

procedure

for the lentil ragù

  1. if you want to make the cooking faster, or if you are using big lentils, soak the lentils in advance for at least 5 hours.

  2. mince the onions, the carrot and the celery. to make it faster, we used a blender.

  3. sauté them in a big pot with some extra-virgin olive oil.

  4. pour the lentil and sauté for a couple of minutes.

  5. add the red wine and let it cook out. the wine really gives a special touch to your ragù, but if you don’t have it, feel free to skip this step.

  6. add the tomato sauce with a glass of water, a teaspoon of salt and pepper to your taste. cover and let it cook at low heat until the lentils soften - 30 minutes at least. while the ragù cooks, prepare the besciamelle.

for the besciamelle

  1. warm up the olive oil in a pot.

  2. add the flour and mix well to avoid lumps.

  3. pour the vegetable stock little by little, while stirring.

  4. when it boils, lower the heat and keep stirring until it becomes thick and creamy.

  5. add salt, pepper and nutmeg to your taste.

you can prepare both the ragù and the besciamelle in advance. store them in the fridge, then before assembling your lasagna warm them up adding a glass of water to each of them if necessary. the besciamelle will have become especially thick, but with some water and the heat it will regain its creamy texture.

let’s assemble the lasagna

  1. in a square or rectangular baking pan, spread a few spoons of besciamelle.

  2. cover the surface with raw lasagna pasta - if the pasta doesn’t fit to your pan, break it and use the pieces to cover the edges.

  3. cover the pasta with a layer of lentil ragù.

  4. cover the ragù spreading a few spoons of besciamelle.

  5. repeat until you finish the pasta. the number of layers will depend on the size of your pan: we realized four layers in a 30x20cm pan.

  6. cover the last layer of pasta with ragù and besciamelle again.

  7. spread the nutritional yeast on the surface (or some breadcrumbs if you don’t have the yeast).

  8. cook in pre-heated static oven at 180°C for 30 minutes.

  9. cut in squares and enjoy!