PEA, ARTICHOKE & SAUSAGE (KINDA) LASAGNE

This Pea, Artichoke & Sausage (kinda) Lasagne recipe offers the comfort of a cool autumn night, yet it’s surprisingly perfect for a relaxed summer evening. Inspired by my Sausage, Leek & Gruyere (Kinda) Lasagne, I’ve created a simpler take that packs a flavourful punch, without the time commitment a typical one asks for.

Fresh pasta sheets aren’t something you see too often, so if they aren’t readily available to you, don’t worry. Dried pasta sheets will work nicely too – just boil 150g of them until al dente, then carry on with the recipe as written.

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PEA, ARTICHOKE & SAUSAGE (KINDA) LASAGNE

A gorgeous recipe to welcome in pea season. It's not your typical crowd-favourite lasagne; it embraces the abundance of summer vegetables, with a creamy gruyere sauce. I like to serve mine with a zesty side salad, but it also pairs perfectly with an unoaked chardonnay – like a Chablis, for example.

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 50 minutes

Servings 5 generous servings

Ingredients

• olive oil
• 6 sausages (I use vegetarian sausages)
• 60 g unsalted butter
• 8 garlic cloves finely sliced
• 400 ml double cream
• 200 ml milk
• 100 g gruyere cheese grated
• 280 g jar artichoke hearts drained & halved
• 300 g fresh peas
• 175 g fresh lasagne sheets sliced into quarters (see notes)
• 125 g mozzarella drained thoroughly
• salt & freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 200°c (fan assisted)/420°f/gas 7.
2. Heat a good glug of olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Use a sharp knife to slice down the side of each sausage and peel off its casing. Use your fingers to pull off small sections of the sausage meat and drop them in the oil, creating little uneven meatballs. Fry the sausage meat for 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until glistening and golden and cooked all the way through. Use a slotted spoon to remove the sausage meat from the oil and into a bowl lined with kitchen towel, to soak up any excess grease, leaving all the fat behind in the pan.
3. Next, melt the butter in the same frying pan over a low-medium heat. Let it bubble and crackle, swirling the pan occasionally, until the butter is covered with a layer of foam and the underneath has turned a golden brown. This will take 3–4 minutes. At this point, add the garlic and continue to cook for a further 2–3 minutes, still swirling occasionally, until the garlic is soft. You don’t want the butter to get too dark, so just keep an eye on it. Also, it will spit, so be careful.
4. Add the double cream, milk, gruyere and a good pinch of salt and black pepper. Stir until the cheese has melted, not letting the pan come to a boil. Taste and adjust the seasoning, if needed.
5. Layer the artichoke hearts, peas, crispy sausage, lasagne sheets and cheesy sauce in a baking dish or shallow casserole pot. Tear the mozzarella over the top, nestling it into the folds of the pasta, then bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the pasta has cooked through and the top is golden (the pasta on the top of the lasagne will be crunchy, but the underneath should be soft and luscious). Serve with a zesty green salad on the side, if you like.

Recipe Notes

If you can’t find fresh lasagne sheets, boil 150g of dry lasagne sheets until al dente and continue the recipe as written.

If you loved this recipe, then you must try my autumn/winter version: Sausage, Leek & Gruyere (Kinda) Lasagne when the time comes. Or to see this recipe in video form, you can head over to my Instagram.