Courgette & Cauliflower Cheese Vegetable Lasagne

Can be gluten free

If you grow your own summer squashes, then you too will be desperate for new things to do with them. They certainly are prolific croppers.

Over the years we have used courgettes and other summer squashes in more and more inventive ways. One of our favourites is to use it in Courgette cake which we eat for breakfast with yogurt, it’s really good!

But we have a new favourite!

I speak to you as a meat eater when I tell you that this vegetable lasagne is far, far better than a traditional beef lasagne!

If this dish doesn’t convert the most ardent carnivore to eating at least an occasional vegetarian dish, then nothing will!

Assembling the ingredients

Anyone that’s made lasagne knows that it’s quite time consuming! The big advance though, (apart from quite how delicious it is) is once it’s made, it will sit happily in the fridge all day or even better overnight, just needing to be popped in the oven when needed. It also freezes extremely well, if anything this adds to the flavour.

As I’ve said I grow my own courgettes, as there are so many I roast them off and freeze them in small batches.

The same goes for the tomatoes, I purposely grow far more than we can eat on a daily bases. The purpose for this is to be able to make tomato sauce for the freezer. Making a pasta dish in winter with homegrown tomato sauce is a treat in deed!

I also make cauliflower cheese in large amounts, freezing it in small portions. I do this as I do tend to crave it every now and again!

Having these three key parts already made, makes for a quick and easy lasagne assembly.

Roasting the Courgettes

The key to this dish is roasting the courgette slices first. It brings out the most intense flavours

If you’re thinking you haven’t got time to roast courgette slices, think again. Do you have any type of toasted sandwich maker or double sided electric grill? If so it’s the easiest way to bring out those roasted flavours, in a fraction of the time and with very little oil. I use spray oil.

What’s even better, is if the weathers good, you can get an extension lead and take your grill outside. For the same reasons that we enjoy barbecuing, cooking outside just seems more relaxed!

I take my chopping board outside and keep slicing more courgettes for the grill. Once they are done I portion them up into small batches and freeze them. Of course I do eat the odd one, the smell is simply irresistible!

Courgette & Cauliflower Cheese Vegetable Lasagne

Ingredients

Large courgette – Sliced and roasted or grilled – see above
Tomato sauce – Click here for recipe
Cauliflower cheese – Click here for recipe
Lasagne sheets – Traditional or Gluten free
Grated cheese – Mature chedar

Method

As I use gluten free lasagne sheets, I have to start by soaking them in boiling water for 10 minutes.

If you are using ordinary pasta you don’t necessarily need to pre-cook it, especially if you are going to freeze the lasagne.

Start by spooning a thin layer of tomato sauce onto the bottom of your dish. This is to stop the pasta from sticking.

So now place your lasagne sheet onto the sauce, breaking it if necessary to form a neat layer.

Spoon another layer of tomato sauce over.

Carefully place your soft roasted courgette into the next layer, butting them up to one another.

As the cauliflower cheese is a bit thick you’ll need to blob it around, trying to get it into an evenish layer.

Repeat again with one more layer of pasta, tomato sauce, courgette and cauli cheese.

Cover with tin foil and bake for 30 mins on 180 degrees.

The best way to make sure your lasagne doesn’t stick to the bottom is to cook it in a ‘bain-Marie’. This is simply a vestal holding boiling water, that your lasagne dish sits in. Just make sure the water doesn’t come up too high, I use a roasting tray.