This Meat-Free Lentil Lasagne is the perfect vegetarian dish for #MeatFreeMondays. The lentils have the heartiness and body of mince so you don’t miss the meat at all. This dish is inspired by a recipe from chef Ammaarah Peterson who you can read more about in one of my Chef Profiles here. I’ve added my spin on the flavours for a more Italian feel.

You will need:

Ingredients ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
40g butter ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
40ml olive oil ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
2 x onions
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
2 bay leaves ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Tin of chopped tomatoes⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
350g lentils cooked ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
2 cloves Garlic⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
1 chopped green chilli⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
1 cup Cheddar cheese ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Lasagne sheets
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Sauce ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
100g Butter ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
1 clove crushed garlic⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
50g Flour ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
1lt Milk ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Method⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Melt butter and oil till lightly browned.
Sauté onions till golden. Add lentils, garlic and chili, herbs and tomato. Cook on medium heat for 10min.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
In a sauce pan, heat butter with garlic. Don’t let the garlic brown. Whisk in the flour and cook for 1 min stirring continuously. Slowly add in milk while whisking. Season and Cook on low heat for 7min. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Butter a casserole dish, then add a layer of white sauce then lasagne sheet.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Then make layers of lentils, lasagne, sauce and cheese then repeat ending with a layer of cheese on top.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Bake at 180 deg for 20 mins.

I cut mine when it had cooled down so the layers show very well. It will be saucier and not as insta-worthy when hot, but that’s how you’d want to eat it. Enjoy!