This winner has been coming for a while. I’ve made different versions of it so many times. You can add extra layers of sliced vegetables if you like but it’s perfect as is. A rich vegetarian ragu full of umami flavour layered with cheesy sauce and silky pasta. Oh yes.

I use ready to bake lasagna sheets to keep things simple, as making lasagna has enough steps. It’s not a quick dish, if that’s what you’re after try this skillet, free form version.

You want to use a sharp and flavoursome cheese as well as a nice melty one. I always add Parmesan and provolone but an aged cheddar and mozzarella would work too. I’m all about a flavoursome and silky béchamel based sauce in lasagna, no ricotta in site!

There’s layers of flavour in the ragu, and it needs time to build them so don’t rush it and keep taste testing. It’s important that you don’t skimp on the extra virgin olive oil as it helps develop the flavour and richness of the sauce. You’re looking for the tomato to cook down and get darker and the sauce to get a little sticky. It’s such a good combination with the sharp silky béchamel.

Serves 6

Ingredients

Ragu

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 cup diced celery (1/2cm dice)

1 red onion, finely diced (or replace with 1/2 cup spring onion if fructose isn’t your friend)

2 Tbs fresh thyme leaves

3 cloves garlic, crushed

500g mushrooms, roughly diced (approx 1cm)

500g eggplant, diced (approx 2cm)

1/3 cup roughly chopped Sundried tomatoes

1/4 cup dry white wine

2 x 400g cans crushed tomatoes

Béchamel sauce

2.5 Tbs extra virgin olive oil

3.5 Tbs plain flour

1.25 cup stock (vegetarian if you are!)

1.25 cup milk (use full cream as mixing with stock)

1 tsp Dijon mustard

1 cup freshly grated provolone cheese

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1 packet lasagna sheets, oven ready

Salt and pepper to season

Directions

Place a large high sided pan on medium high heat, once warm add 1/2 the oil. Add the celery, onion and thyme and sauté until the celery and onion have softened. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds before adding the mushrooms. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add the eggplant and the remaining oil and stir through the rest of the vegetables. Cook for 5 minutes and the.

Add the Sundried tomatoes and wine and cook for another 5-10 minutes or until the eggplant is soft and has some colour and the wine has evaporated.

Add the crushed tomatoes and stir through. Simmer for 30 minutes or until the sauce is darker in colour and getting a little sticky on the edges of the pan. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Turn off the heat.

While the ragu is cooking make the béchamel: place a medium pot on medium high heat. Once hot add the oil and the flour. Whisk to combine and cook for 1 minute. Combine the milk and stock in a jug and slowly whisk into the flour and oil. Once combined simmer until it thickens slightly, add the mustard and cheese and stir until melted. Season to taste.

Choose a baking dish, I used a
25 x 28 x 7cm dish and would recommend sticking close to that size.

Spoon 1/3 cup of the ragu into the base of the dish and spread out thinly. Cover in a single layer of lasagna sheets. Follow with 1/3 of the remaining ragu, then 1/3 of the béchamel. The béchamel will not completely cover the ragu and this is fine as it’s strong and cheesy so you don’t need heaps of it!

Repeat with another layer of pasta, ragu and béchamel. For the next layer just do ragu, then pasta again, then finish with a layer of béchamel over the pasta to crest your crispy golden top.

Bake at 180 C for 30 minutes.

It should be golden and bubbling when done.

Serve with steamed green vegetables or a salad.

HH. x