I looked at quite a lot of roasted vegetable lasagne recipes before making this, but the ones I looked at all seemed to involve combining the vegetables with a tomato sauce.
I wanted to create something that let the roasted vegetable flavours shine, and so have simply used them as a filling on their own. By including cherry tomatoes in the vegetable mix, then a kind of sauce is created anyway.
The only things that I've added to the vegetables are oregano and basil, along with a handful of kalamata olives and seasoning.
In terms of the white sauce, then I've made a rich cheese sauce instead of a bechamel (because we love a cheese sauce and it makes the whole thing extra delicious!!).
Serves 6
Lasagne sheets
For the roasted vegetable filling
Extra virgin olive oil
3 medium red onions
2 red pepper
2 yellow pepper
400g cherry tomatoes
1 aubergine
2 courgettes
2 large garlic cloves
2 tablespoons of dried oregano
Kalamata olives (stoned)
Handful of fresh basil leaves
For the cheese sauce
50g butter
5 tablespoons of plain flour
400ml milk
250g mature cheddar
1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard
Pinch of nutmeg
Black pepper
Make the roasted vegetable filling
- Pre-heat the oven(s) to 200°C.
- Peel and top and tail the onions, then cut into 1 cm wedges.
- Deseed the peppers and remove the stalk, then cut into 1-2 cm slices (or diced pieces).
- Remove the top from the aubergine and then cut into medium dice (see image)
- Divide the onions, peppers and aubergines between two large, deep-sided roasting tins and toss with approx 1½ tablespoons of olive oil.
- Scatter a tablespoon of dried oregano over the vegetables in each tray and mix well to combine.
- Place in the heated oven(s) for 20 minutes.
- Whilst the vegetables are roasting, top and tail the courgettes and cut into medium dice (see image).
- After 20 minutes, take the roasting tins out of the oven and add the courgettes, cherry tomatoes and garlic cloves in their skins. Drizzle with a little more olive oil, season and then stir to combine.
- Return to the oven and Increase the temperature to 210°C for a further 15-20 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and take out the garlic. Remove the skin then crush the cooked garlic and return to the roasting tins.
- Scatter over a handful of torn fresh basil leaves and kalamata olives. Stir to combine.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 180°C.
Make the cheese sauce
- Grate the cheese.
- Melt the butter in a saucepan over a gentle heat.
- Stir in the flour and cook for a couple of minutes.
- Now slowly add the milk, stirring all of the time.
- Once all of the milk has been added, use a whisk to ensure the sauce is lovely and smooth.
- Stir in the Dijon mustard and grate in some nutmeg.
- Add 200g of cheese and stir until it's melted into the sauce.
- Increase the heat slightly and stir for a few minutes until thickened. Set aside.
Assemble the lasagne (see images)
- Spoon some of the cheese sauce into the bottom of an ovenproof dish. Tilt the dish until you have approx 0.5cm covering over the bottom.
- Cover with lasagne sheets (trying not to overlap if possible).
- Spoon over some of the roasted vegetable until the lasagne sheets are covered. Cover with lasagne sheets.
- Continue until all of the roasted vegetables have been used.
- Spoon or pour the remaining cheese sauce over the last layer of lasagne sheets.
- Cover with 50g of cheddar and place in the hot oven for 30-40 minutes until the top is golden.
