Description
This roasted vegetable lasagne is a delicious, hearty vegetarian dish featuring layers of tender roasted red peppers and aubergines, homemade tomato sauce, creamy white sauce, fresh lasagne sheets, mozzarella, and cherry tomatoes. Roasting the vegetables intensifies their flavors, while the combination of sauces creates a rich, comforting meal perfect for dinner parties or family gatherings.
Ingredients
Scale
Roasted Vegetables
- 3 red peppers
- 2 aubergines
- 8 tbsp olive oil, plus a little for greasing
Lasagne
- 300g fresh pack lasagne sheets
- 125g ball mozzarella
- Handful cherry tomatoes, halved
Tomato Sauce (Makes double quantity)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 onions, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, sliced
- 1 carrot, roughly chopped
- 2 tbsp tomato purée
- 200ml white wine
- 3 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes
- 1 handful basil leaves
White Sauce (Makes double quantity)
- 85g (3oz) butter
- 85g (3oz) plain flour
- 750ml (1¼pt) milk
Instructions
- Prepare the tomato sauce: Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add finely chopped onions, sliced garlic cloves, and roughly chopped carrot. Cook for 5-7 minutes until softened. Increase the heat slightly and stir in 2 tbsp tomato purée, cooking for 1 minute. Pour in 200ml white wine and cook for 5 minutes until reduced by two-thirds. Add chopped tomatoes and basil leaves, bring to a boil, then simmer for 20 minutes. Let cool and blend in a food processor until smooth.
- Make the white sauce: Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in plain flour and cook for 2 minutes, stirring continuously. Gradually whisk in the milk and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat and cook until the sauce thickens and coats the back of a wooden spoon. Cool the sauce if preparing in advance.
- Roast the vegetables: Preheat oven to 200°C (fan 180°C, gas 6). Deseed and halve the red peppers, then chop into large chunks. Trim aubergines and cut into ½cm thick slices. Lightly grease two large baking trays and spread the peppers and aubergines on them. Toss with olive oil and season well. Roast for 25 minutes until lightly browned and tender.
- Assemble the lasagne: Reduce oven to 180°C (fan 160°C, gas 4). Lightly oil a 30 x 20cm ovenproof serving dish. Layer roasted vegetables on the bottom, then pour over a third of the tomato sauce. Cover with a layer of fresh lasagne sheets, then drizzle a quarter of the white sauce over the pasta. Repeat these layers until you have three layers of pasta in total.
- Add final toppings and bake: Spoon the remaining white sauce evenly over the top layer, ensuring full coverage. Scatter torn mozzarella pieces and halved cherry tomatoes on top. Bake in the oven for 45 minutes until the lasagne is bubbling and golden on top.
Notes
- For best results, prepare the sauces a day ahead to allow flavors to develop.
- You can substitute aubergines and red peppers with other vegetables like courgettes or mushrooms based on preference.
- The lasagne can be assembled ahead of time and refrigerated before baking; just add extra baking time if cold from the fridge.
- Use fresh lasagne sheets to ensure soft layers without boiling the pasta separately.
- The homemade tomato sauce can be frozen for up to 3 months; white sauce can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian
Keywords: roasted vegetable lasagne, vegetarian lasagne, homemade tomato sauce, white sauce, Italian casserole, baked pasta dish, aubergine lasagne, red pepper lasagne
