Roasted Vegetable & Lentil Lasagna

Vegetarian dishes can be so tasty and fulfilling. You don't need to be a vegetarian to eat vegetarian food. I'm not a vegetarian, but I love vegetarian and vegan food. It requires more thinking, if you are not used to cook vegetarian dishes. However the end result might surprise you! The majority of us eat more meat than we should. The British Dietetic Association recommends we should eat no more than 70g of red or processed meat a day! This is slightly smaller than the size of the palm of our hands. Including vegetarian meals in your diet have some advantages:

• Healthier: vegetarian dishes are a great way of increase the amount of vegetables in your diet. Vegetables contain vitamins and minerals essential for the good function of our bodies and can also prevent from diseases
• Cheaper: meat or fish are usually a lot more expensive than pulses or vegetables, specially frozen vegetables and dry pulses
• Helps with losing weight: if you are trying to lose weight, eating vegetarian can help you. Usually vegetarian dishes, based on beans, lentils, peas are lower in calories comparatively to a meat based dish (obviously depends on the amount of fat that is added into the recipe)
• More creative: cooking vegetarian might help you to become more creative, thinking about ways of cooking delicious food, using different kind of vegetables. It's also a good opportunity to try new vegetables

Nutritional tip: Beans, peas and lentils (which are all types of pulses) are good alternatives to meat because they’re naturally very low in fat, and they’re high in fibre, protein, vitamins and minerals.

Diet advice: Try to go vegetarian at least a day a week to cut down your red meat intake. Include different kind of pulses: beans, lentils, peas. Mixing at least two different kind of pulses and adding lots of vegetables will give you the amount of protein your body needs. You don't need to buy just fresh vegetables. It can be a waste, if you don't use it all. Frozen vegetables are also good and you can keep them for longer in the freezer and add to your dishes whenever you need them.

This week, I cooked a roasted vegetable & lentil lasagna. It was delicious! Roasting the vegetables enhanced the flavor and the lentils blended the filling together and also added extra flavor. I used red split lentils, they are very quick to cook and also perfect for soups or stews. I used lots of herbs, like rosemary and oregano - they are my favorites for roasts. I also used onion and garlic powder, however you can use fresh.

To cook this dish, you will need:
Ingredients (serves 6):
Vegetables

• 1/2 butternut squash
• 2 courgettes
• 1 aubergine
• 1 tbsp oregano
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp paprika
• 1 tbsp rosemary
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• 1 tbsp onion powder

​Lentils

• 1 cup of dry lentils
• 3 cups of water
• 1 tsp salt

Bechamel sauce

• ​3 tbsp butter
• 3 tbsp flour
• 700ml skimmed milk
• 1 tbsp mixed spice (cinnamon, cumin, coriander, pepper)

125g fresh mozzarella cheese
9 lasagna sheets

Method:

1. Peel and dice the vegetables
2. Put the vegetables on a roasting tray
3. Add the seasoning (all herbs, salt and olive oil)
4. Roast the vegetables for 30 min at 220C
5. In the meantime, wash the lentils and cook it in boiling water until very soft (approximately for 15 min) on a separate pan
6. Prepare the bechamel sauce: add butter and flour to the pan, mix until you get a roux. Add milk and mixed spice. Keep stirring until it boils. Make sure it's lump free (if not, use the stick blender to make it smooth)
7. When the vegetables are cooked, add the cooked lentils and mix it
8. On a tray, add a ladle of bechamel sauce on the bottom, align 3 lasagna sheets and add a ladle of the vegetable mixture. Pour over another ladle of bechamel sauce, then add the vegetables and another 3 lasagna sheets. Repeat the process one more time, with the last layer being pasta. Slice the fresh mozzarella cheese and add on top
9. Put it in the oven at 200C for 35 minutes

​Enjoy! :)