Alex vegetarian vegetable lasagna with cheddar

Ingredients for 6 servings:

• 5 onions
• 1 zucchini
• 3 oxheart tomatoes, large
• 15 broad runner beans
• 1 bottle of tomato(s), strained, 500 ml
• 2 tbsp vegetable stock powder, granulated
• 1 pinch of pepper
• 2 tbsp organic olive oil
• 1 tsp chili oil
• 1 handful of fresh herbs, e.g. parsley, chives, basil, thyme, marjoram
• 50 g butter
• 4 tbsp flour
• ¾ liter of milk
• 1 pinch of nutmeg, grated
• 1 pkt. lasagna sheets
• 250 g mild Cheddar cheese

Instructions

Working time approx. 40 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 50 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour 30 minutes

For the vegetable sauce, wash and dice the vegetables. Trim the ends of the beans and slice them into thin strips. Peel and dice the tomatoes (I didn’t need to blanch them because they came straight from the garden and were overripe). Heat the oil in a large pan, fry the onions and, gradually, add the remaining vegetables. Add the tomato sauce, season, and simmer. Meanwhile, for the béchamel sauce, melt the butter in a tall saucepan, add the flour, and stir with a whisk until no lumps form. Then pour in the milk, add the nutmeg, and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove the vegetable sauce from the heat and mix in the herbs. Line a large baking dish with lasagna sheets, ladle over the vegetable sauce, then add a ladleful of béchamel sauce, then more lasagna sheets, and so on, until the dish is nice and full. Finally, spread the remaining béchamel sauce over the top and scatter the diced cheddar cheese over the top. Mozzarella or another melty cheese can also be used, but the cheddar gives this lasagna its great flavor. Bake for 30-45 minutes at 180°C (350°F) top/bottom heat. I like to broil the lasagna for another 5-8 minutes at 220°C (428°F) to give the cheese a nice, crispy brown. Tip: If you have any leftover vegetable sauce, it makes a great vegan sauce for pasta.