All the taste without any of the guilt!! Vegan comfort food at its best.
In a large saucepan or dutch oven soften the onion and carrot on a medium heat with a splash of water for 5-7 minutes until the onions have become translucent. Add in the garlic, thyme, mushroom and tomato puree and cook for another 2 minutes, making sure to stir the mixture well so that the tomato puree coats all the onions and carrots.
Into the same pan, add the lentils, stock and tinned tomatoes. Stir well and bring to the boil. Turn down the heat and simmer for 30-35 minutes or until the lentils are very soft and the ragu has thickened.
Once the lentils are soft remove the ragu from the heat and stir in the balsamic vinegar. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
While the ragu is simmering, preheat the grill to a high heat. Slice the aubergine and courgettes longways into 3mm slices to resemble sheets of lasagne. Divide the slices onto two lined baking trays and brush both sides with coconut oil. Grill for 3-4 minutes each side until golden brown.
To make the butternut béchamel, first bring a pan of water to the boil. Add the cubes of squash and simmer for 20 minutes (or steam for 30 minutes) until soft. Remove from the heat and drain.
Into a blender add the butternut, nut milk, cashew nuts, salt and black pepper. Blend until smooth before tasting to adjust seasoning if needed.
Preheat the oven to 170°c fan/190°c/380°f.
To assemble the lasagne, evenly spread half of the lentil ragu into the bottom of a 12in x 12in dish, before laying half of the aubergine and courgette sheets into a even layer over the top - just like you would with pasta sheets. Repeat this step with the other half of the ragu and vegetables to create four layers. To finish, carefully spread the butternut squash béchamel over the top of the vegetables before sprinkling over the black pepper and thyme.
Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes until the edges start to turn golden brown.
I love this simply served with a salad of mixed leaves.
Any left overs can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days.
To make ahead - assemble the lasagne, cover and keep in the fridge. When ready to use follow the baking instructions in step 9 as usual.
Recipe courtesy of georgieeats.co.uk