There are so many delicious varieties of lasagne but this one I particularly like... Its a great dish if you're expecting lots of people as it can be made early in the day, the ingredients can be bought a week before and left overs keep really well too. Throw in a garlic bread and put a salad together and you have a feast!Serves 8
1 - 2 boxes dried lasagne sheets
1 large eggplant
2 zucchinis
1 tub ricotta cheese
2 eggs*
1 bottle tomato pasta sauce
big handful of basil leaves
2 cups milk*
30gms butter
2Tbs cornflour (or plain flour)
nutmeg
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese*
Slice the eggplant & zucchini half a centimeter thick then grill on a hot oiled griddle pan if you have one or BBQ on med-low heat. You want them to cook til tender and have nice stripes from the hot metal without burning. You can fry them just as easily but don't add too much oil. Spray oil is great as you can give them a light spray each time you turn them to keep them moist without going oily. Leave these to cool after they're cooked.
Beat the eggs and add the ricotta, chopped basil and salt & pepper.
To assemble your lasagne... a little tomato sauce to coat the bottom of the deep casserole dish, lasagne sheets, eggplant topped with half the ricotta mixture, lasagne sheets, half the tomato pasta sauce, lasagne sheets, zucchini topped with remaining half of ricotta mixture, lasagne sheets, remaining tomato sauce then lasagne sheets.
Finally make your white sauce by melting the butter in a saucepan over medium heat and microwave the milk for approximately 2 minutes. Add the cornflour to the melted butter and stir, then let it bubble and cook for a couple of minutes - this is important as cooking the 'rue' will get rid of the floury taste. When it has cooked add the hot milk all in one go and stir straight away with a wooden spoon. Continue to stir for about 5 minutes as the white sauce thickens then remove from the heat and add salt & pepper to taste and a good sprinkle of nutmeg. Pour this sauce all over the top of your lasagne and sprinkle with the cheese then bake in a hot oven about 30 minutes.
*For a healthier option use soymilk and Nuttelex, and flavour your white sauce with nutritional yeast powder and omit the eggs. I haven't found a good alternative for the ricotta cheese however.
Posts
