Vegetable Lasagna With A Thick Bechamel Sauce Recipes

VEGETABLE LASAGNA WITH WHITE SAUCE (OR BECHAMEL SAUCE)

Steps:

• Peel and finely chop the shallots and the garlic. Keep separately.
• Clean the vegetables. Cut the carrots, bell peppers, zucchini into small cubes. Set aside in a bowl. Divide the broccoli into small florets and chop the broccoli stem into small cubes as well.If using mushrooms, wipe them clean with kitchen paper and slice them thinly. Set aside separated from the other vegetables.
• Defrost the peas.
• Cheese: Chop the mozzarella into cubes and grate the Parmesan. Set aside separately.
• Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius/ 360 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Saute: Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pan. Cook the shallots until translucent, about 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic and stir for 1 minute. Add the sugar and stir for another minute or until slightly caramelized.
• Add the chopped vegetables, except the mushrooms, and cook for about 8 minutes or until softer. Stir well a few times in between.
• Simmer: Add the chopped tomatoes, water, dried herbs, and lemon juice. Stir well, bring to a boil and simmer the sauce for about 10 minutes until slightly thickened.
• Fry mushrooms: In the meantime, cook the mushrooms if using. Heat the remaining oil in a pan and fry the mushrooms until golden and until all the juices they have released are evaporated.
• Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Sprinkle the flour on top and stir for 1 or 2 minutes until lightly golden. Slowly start adding the milk while whisking all the time to avoid the formation of clumps.
• Let the sauce simmer for 2 or 3 minutes while whisking or stirring continuously. Adjust the taste with nutmeg, salt, and pepper.
• Butter a rectangular casserole dish of about 30x20 cm/ 12x 8 inches. You should have 3 layers of noodles, and you should finish with a layer of Parmesan.
• White sauce: Place a few tablespoons of white sauce in the prepared casserole dish. Spread them all over the bottom of the dish.
• Pasta sheets: Add some lasagna sheets. I can use 3 sheets for each layer, but use as many as they fit in one layer without overlapping.
• Vegetable sauce: Cover with 1/3 of the vegetable sauce.
• Cheese: Add ½ of the mozzarella and 1/3 of the hard cheese on top. Cover with white sauce.
• Repeat twice. End with the last layer of grated hard cheese.
• Bake the lasagna in the preheated oven for 30-40 minutes or until bubbly and golden. Check if the noodles are cooked through by inserting a fork into the lasagna.
• Rest for about 10 minutes, cut into 12 squares, and serve with a green salad.

VEGETABLE LASAGNA WITH A THICK BECHAMEL SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F In a medium bowl, mix cheese layer ingredients together well and set aside.
• VEGETABLES: In a large skillet, heat the onion and garlic over medium heat. Sauté until the onions are translucent. Add the zucchini and mushrooms. Saute until the water has evaporated from the zucchini. Add sliced tomatoes, tomato paste and seasonings. Cook to reduce and thicken. Set aside.
• BECHAMEL: Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour slowly until the roux, whisk or stir for about 1-2 minutes.
• Add the milk slowly while whisking constantly to avoid lumps. Cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes until the béchamel comes to a medium thickness (soft paste texture) Remove from heat and rest 2 minutes, stirring occasionally, to cool slightly. While whisking, slowly add the eggs a little at a time until incorporated well.
• ASSEMBLY: To a 9x13 pan, Spread a thin layer of Bechamel sauce into the bottom of the lasagna pan. Place a layer of cooked lasagna sheets, cut to fit into the pan if necessary. Add a thin layer of cheese mixture, then some spinach, followed with a vegetable layer. Repeat.
• Continue layering in this manner until ingredients are used up. Pour the remaining Bechamel sauce over top. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until bubbly. Let stand for 10-15 minutes before slicing.