I don't know why but I always thought lasagne was really hard to make. Then I thought it was impossible to make it delicious and Low Fodmap. Turns out I was wrong on all counts. This recipe is also a slam dunk hit with my kids and a brilliant way to get vegetables into us all. I have made this version gluten and egg free but if you can eat egg and gluten, then I highly recommend using egg lasagne sheets for extra decadence!
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp Garlic Infused Olive oil
- 5 Carrots, chopped
- 2 Red Bell Peppers, chopped
- 1 Courgette, chopped
- 150g Baby Spinach
- 800g Canned Chopped Tomatoes
- 3 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 tsp Balsamic Vinegar
- 2 tbsp Vodka
- 2 tbsp Garlic & Chilli Infused Oil or use 2 tbsp Garlic Oil + ¼ tsp Chilli Flakes
- ¼ Cup Basil Leaves, roughly torn
- 600g Lactose Free Cottage Cheese
- 9 Sheets Gluten Free Lasagna Sheets (or use Egg Lasagna Sheets, made-up to package instructions, if you do not have an intolerance to gluten or egg)
- 250g Grated Mozzarella Cheese
Utensils
- Large Frying Pan or Wok, with a lid
- Spoon
- 3 Large Bowls
- Sieve
- Food Processor
- Kettle
- 23x23 cm Baking Dish
- Aluminum Foil
Method
- Heat the oven to 210°C/200°C (fan)
- Firstly make the vegetables. Heat the garlic infused oil in the large frying pan (or wok), over a high heat. Chuck in the Carrots, Bell Pepper and Courgette. Cook, stirring every few minutes until the veggies are cooked around the edges and the carrot is easy to cut through. This will take about 10-12 minutes.
- Add the Spinach to the rest of the veggies and put the lid on. Keep checking on it/giving it a stir, until all the spinach has wilted - about 3 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat.
- Next prepare the tomato sauce. Pour the tomatoes into the sieve and leave them for a minute or two, to remove some of the excess liquid. Transfer the drained tomatoes to the food processor. Add in the basil, worcestershire sauce, chilli/garlic infused oil, balsamic vinegar and vodka. Pulse the mixture until the tomatoes have broken down to a sauce consistency. Put the tomato sauce in one of the large bowls and set aside
- Rinse out the food processor bowl and return it to the machine
- Pour half the cottage cheese into the processor and blend it until smooth. Transfer to one of the large bowls. No need to rinse the food processor again, instead just add in the cooked veggies and pulse until finely chopped (but not pureed!) about 8-10 times, stopping to scrape it down to avoid any rogue carrots escaping. Transfer to the bowl with the whipped cottage cheese. Add in the remaining cottage cheese and mix together until fully combined.
- Put your Lasagna Sheets in the third large bowl and pour over enough boiling water to cover them. Leave to blanch for 1 minute then drain and refresh under cold water.
- Time to assemble your lasagna....
- Spread ½ cup your tomato sauce evenly over the base of your baking dish.
- Layer 3 lasagna noodles on top (don't worry if you need to cut off the ends/overlap them to fit)
- Spread half the cottage cheese/vegetable combo evenly over the noodles. Top with ¾ cup tomato sauce and ½ cup cheese
- Top with 3 more noodles
- Spread the remaining cottage cheese/vegetable combo evenly over the noodles (we are skipping the tomato sauce on this layer) and ½ cup cheese on top
- Top with the last 3 noodles
- Spread ¾ cup tomato sauce (do not worry if you have some left over) to evenly cover the noodles. Top by evenly spreading 1 cup cheese over it
- Wrap the foil over the top of the dish, you may need to make it slightly tent like, to avoid it touching the cheese
- Place it in the oven and cook, covered, for 18 minutes. Remove the foil, turn it through 180° and cook it, uncovered for a further 10-12 minutes, until the top is turning spotty brown. Remove it from the oven and allow it to cool for 15-20minutes (as it will be hotter than the gates of hell when it first comes out!). Slice and serve
