Recipe: Rainbow Vegetable Lasagne

For many people, a New Year represents a new start, with resolutions set out to improve certain aspects of life; but whether you want to lose weight, quit smoking or save money, change can be hard to implement. One thing that you can easily control however, is what passes your lips, so why not make 2013 the year to focus on food, and extend your culinary repertoire by developing a collection of dishes that not only taste delicious, but allow you to lead a healthier lifestyle as well.

One way to make your meals more nutritious is to focus on the colours of foods used within them. A large proportion of your daily food intake should be made up of a rainbow assortment of fruit and vegetables, which, as well as enhancing the aesthetic appeal of dishes, provide your body with the essential vitamins and minerals it needs to perform its daily functions.

The following recipe is for a much-loved Italian dish that has been colourfully adapted for a nutritional twist. It is perfectly suitable for vegetarians, however you could add mince to the filling, or even diced chicken, for a protein boost.

 

Rainbow Vegetable Lasagne

 

Ingredients:

Filling:

• 2 tablespoons oil
• 1 large red onion, diced
• 1 sweet potato, peeled and cubed
• 1 carrot, peeled and cubed
• 1 courgette, peeled and cubed
• 1 yellow pepper and 1 green pepper, de-seeded and cubed
• Handful of mushrooms, washed and cubed
• 2 tins/cartons chopped tomatoes
• 1-2 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 1 stock cube
• 1-2 teaspoons fresh or dried mixed herbs

Cheese sauce:

• 50g butter
• 50g plain flour
• 600ml milk
• 75g cheese
 
• 6-8 lasagne sheets

Method:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 190°C.

2. Prepare the vegetables, chopping them into even sized chunks.

3. Heat the oil in a large saucepan, and cook the onion for 2 minutes until softened.

4. Add the other vegetables to the pan and cook for 2 minutes. Add the chopped tomatoes, the stock cube, and the herbs, and simmer for 10 minutes. Season as desired.

5. Meanwhile, make the cheese sauce. Melt the butter in a saucepan and add the flour, stirring to form a roux. Gradually add the milk, stirring continuously to ensure the mixture remains smooth. Once the milk is added, continue stirring the sauce until it bubbles and thickens. Remove the sauce from the heat, add the cheese and stir until it is melted. Season as desired.

6. Remove the vegetables from the heat and layer them into an ovenproof dish with the lasagne sheets and cheese sauce. Finish with a sprinkling of grated cheese.

7. Place the lasagne in the oven and cook for 20-25 minutes. When cooked, the lasagne sheets should be softened.