Most people think of lasagna as a weekend project. This is not true. This vegetarian version takes about 30 minutes to prepare and just 20 minutes to bake. This is a realistic time for a Tuesday night or a lazy Sunday. You don’t have to spend half the day at the stove to enjoy a hearty home-cooked meal. The process is divided into two easy parts: the delicious meat and vegetable filling and the creamy white sauce.
Required materials
You don’t need a complicated pantry for this. Here’s what you’ll actually use:
1 bag of lasagna sheets
250g minced meat (beef or turkey is OK)
* 1.5 tea cups of corn
* 1.5 tea cups of peas
* 1 zucchini
* 3 tablespoons of olive oil
* 1 tea cup of grated Parmesan cheese
*A sufficient amount of salt
For the white sauce:
- 2 tablespoons of butter
*4 tablespoons all-purpose flour - 2 cups of milk
- Salt
Prepare step by step
First, heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. When it is shimmering, add the ground meat. Split and brown it. You want some color here. It adds depth that braised meat does not have.
When the meat is cooked, add the corn and peas and stir. Cut the zucchini into small cubes. Small cubes cook faster and blend better into the texture of the pasta. Mix everything together and the vegetables will start to soften a little. Set it aside for a moment.
Now make the sauce. This is the scary part, but it is simple. Melt the butter in a pot over low heat. Add the flour and continue stirring. You are making a roux. It should look like wet sand in about a minute. Do not burn it.
Gradually pour in the milk while stirring constantly. If you pour it all at once, you will get lumps. Continue stirring until the mixture is custard-like. Add salt to taste. Taste it. It should be creamy and smooth.
Assembling the Dish
Buy a baking dish suitable for the oven. Brush well with olive oil or butter to prevent sticking. This way you don’t have to wipe the burnt cheese off the ceramic.
Start layering. Place a layer of lasagna noodles on the bottom. Spoon a little white sauce over the pasta. Then add a layer of the meat-vegetable mixture. Repeat this process. Pasta, sauce, filling. Repeat.
When you reach the top layer, pour the rest of the béchamel sauce generously over the pasta. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese evenly on top. If you prefer a meltier, gooier top, replace some or all of the Parmesan with shredded cheddar or mozzarella.
Let the assembled dish rest for 10 minutes. This is not just waiting. This allows the structure to settle a bit so it doesn’t collapse during cutting.
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit). Place the dish inside and bake