Quorn lasagne

In my earlier blog post for the ultimate Quorn spaghetti bolognese I waxed lyrical about the wonders of a British spag bol, with its rich tomatoey sauce and generous sprinklings of Cheddar cheese . The next step in greatness in my opinion, however, is the lasagne which elevates the aforementioned recipe to even greater heights. A rich bolognese is layered with silky white sauce, lasagne sheets and plenty of cheese, before crisping up in the oven for the ultimate dinnertime treat. This is the recipe I go to most frequently for special occasions, be it birthdays or anniversaries, mainly because of how tasty it is but partly because it’s not the swiftest of meals to prepare so we don’t do it too often!

The first step in constructing this lasagne is the red sauce. I simply use my Quorn bolognese recipe linked above, which takes about an hour from start to finish. While the sauce bubbles and reduces I make the white sauce - I make mine with a little bit of nutmeg and a good grating of Parmesan to add some saltiness. Once the component parts are ready, the fun begins! Assembling the lasagne is fairly straightforward, simply layering the bolognese, pasta and cheese sauce in turn, but you may need to do some lasagne sheet surgery to get the pasta to fit your dish (one day, when I have enough cupboard space, I will buy an oven dish that matches the dimensions of a lasagne sheet!). Once you’ve run out of room in the dish, finishing with a final layer of white sauce, more cheese is added to the top which will go wonderfully crispy after a good half hour or so in the oven. If you can bear it, let the lasagne sit for five minutes once it’s finished cooking just to firm up slightly, then serve with a fresh salad and maybe even some garlic bread on the side! If there are any leftovers (even though it will be tempting to eat the whole thing in one go, believe me), they do reheat fairly well in the microwave the next day and can be frozen for another day in individual portions.

The next time you need something tasty for a celebration, give this lasagne a try and let me know how you get on!

Quorn lasagne

Serves: 4 | Total time: 1 hr 45 mins | Source: vicki cooks veggie

Ingredients

• One quantity of the Ultimate Quorn spaghetti bolognese

• 40g (1.5oz) unsalted butter

• 40g (1.5oz) plain flour

• 400ml (1 ⅔ cups) semi-skimmed milk

• 25g (1oz) vegetarian Parmesan, or another hard cheese, grated finely

• Pinch of nutmeg

• Salt

• 100g (3.5oz) dried lasagne sheets

• 40g (1.5oz) mature cheddar

• Black pepper

Method

• Make the bolognese as per the instructions for the Ultimate Quorn spaghetti bolognese

• When the bolognese is almost done, make the white sauce for the lasagne. Get a small pan on a low heat and melt the butter. Once the butter has melted, add in the plain flour and whisk for about a minute to cook out the flour. If you’re using a non-stick pan, do NOT use a metal whisk! (your pans will thank me later)

• Start to add the milk a little at a time, whisking as you go. The sauce will thicken and may become lumpy as you add the milk, but keep stirring and the lumps will disappear. Once all of the milk has been added, keep stirring for around 5 minutes until the sauce is thick and glossy.

• Turn the heat off, then add the grated Parmesan, a pinch of nutmeg and a good sprinkle of salt to the sauce, stirring well to incorporate.

• It’s time to assemble! Preheat your oven to 200°C (390°F), and find yourself an ovenproof dish around 20cm by 30cm (8” x 12”) large (if you’re being really clever, you may want to select the width of your oven dish to match the length of the lasagne sheets).

• Start with about a third of the bolognese sauce, followed by a layer of pasta sheets (if you need to break them up to fit, that’s okay) and about a third of the white sauce. Repeat twice more so that you have three layers of each component, making nine layers in total.

• Grate the mature cheddar over the top of the lasagne, then add a good grinding of black pepper. Place in the oven and cook for 35 minutes, until the top is golden brown and bubbling. Leave to stand for 5 minutes, then serve with some garlic bread and a dressed side salad.