Vegetarian Lasagne

Who says trying to get 4 or 5 servings of vegetables in one meal is difficult? This all-in-one dish is full of flavor and vitamins. Pumpkin is a good source of iron and zinc. Pumpkin meat is very high in carotenoids that’s why it’s orange in color. Carotenoids are really good at neutralizing free radicals (nasty molecules that can attack cell membranes and leave the cells vulnerable to damage). Also, the seeds from pumpkins are very high in protein (one ounce of seeds provides about seven grams of protein).

Serves 4
recipe from Super Food Ideas

800g butternut pumpkin, peeled and cut into 1cm thick slices
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium brown onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
2 medium zucchini, halved and thickly sliced
400g can diced tomatoes
80g baby spinach
30g butter
2 tablespoons flour
2 cups low fat milk
1 cup mozzarella cheese
125g dried lasagne sheets

Preheat oven to 180c/160c fan forced. Line a baking tray with baking paper. Arrange pumpkin on a single layer on the tray and drizzle with 2 teaspoons oil. Bake for 20 minutes or until tender. Set aside. Heat remaining oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, bell pepper, zucchini, eggplant and mushroom. Cook, stirring, for 10 minutes or until eggplant is just tender. Stir in tomato and bring to a boil. Reduce to low heat and simmer for 10 minutes or until sauce is thickened. Remove from heat and stir in spinach. Cover and set aside for 2 minutes or until spinach has wilted. Season with salt and pepper.

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat until foaming. Add flour and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, for 1 minute. Remove from heat and gradually add milk, stirring to prevent lumps from forming. Return to pan, cook, stirring for 5 minutes or until sauce boils and thickens. Remove pan from heat and stir in half the cheese. Set aside. Lightly grease of 7cm deep, 25cm (base) baking dish. Spoon half the onion mixture into the dish. Arrange half the pumpkin over the onion mixture. Place half the lasagne sheets over pumpkin. Repeat layers. Spoon sauce over top and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake for 40 minutes or until golden. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

The Culinary Chase’s Note: This vegetable mixture is so hearty you don’t even notice the meat is missing!