Brookdale's Vegetable & Bean Lasagne

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“Lasagne - think vegetable and bean which can be made with corn or rice pasta for those who are gluten intolerant. I’m going through a bean phase and returned from my recent American trip with a variety of packets for my sous chef, Elaine Boshoff, and me to work with.”

Serves 4 - 6

Vegetable Sauce

Ingredients:

• 5 ml olive oil
• 2 red onions, finely chopped
• 10 ml garlic, crushed
• 250 g button mushrooms, sliced
• ½ red pepper, seeded and chopped
• 200 g baby marrow, sliced and roasted
• 2 brinjals cubed and roasted
• 410 g red kidney or canneloni beans, cooked
• 6 tomatoes, peeled and chopped
• 125 ml vegetable stock
• 5 ml fresh oregano, chopped herb salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 500 g spinach, washed and roughly chopped
• 200 g instant lasagne sheets (corn and rice pasta for gluten free)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees and roast the brinjal, baby marrow, mushrooms and red pepper, rub with a little olive oil and seasoning and roast for about 10 minutes until tender.
2. Heat the oil in a sauce pan. 
3. Add onions and garlic and cook for 5 minutes. 
4. Add tomatoes, vegetable stock and allow to simmer until tomatoes have softened. 
5. Stir in the roasted vegetables, beans and herbs. 
6. Simmer for 10 minutes. 
7. Lastly stir in chopped spinach into vegetable sauce and allow to wilt in the hot sauce.

Bechamhel Sauce

Ingredients:

• 30 ml butter
• 60 ml cake flour
• 500 ml skim milk herb salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 30 - 40 g parmesan cheese, grated
• 8 calamata olives, pitted and chopped
• 15 ml fresh oregano, chopped

Directions:

1. Melt butter in a saucepan, add flour and brown.
2. Remove from the heat and slowly whisk in the skim milk, return to the heat, stirring and allow sauce to thicken. 
3. Season to taste. 

To assemble:

1. Pour half of the béchamel sauce into the bottom of casserole dish about 17 x 26 cm then cover with lasagne sheets then vegetable sauce over the lasagne sheets. 
2. Cover with a layer of lasagne sheets. 
3. Finish off with the balance of the béchamel sauce. 
4. Sprinkle with parmesan, olives and oregano.
5. Bake in a pre-heated oven @ 180 degrees for 30 - 40 minutes until golden in colour. 
6. Serve hot with a simple salad.

Beans offer brilliant nutritional value! They are a source of carbohydrate and protein, as well as fibre and numerous vitamins and minerals including iron, folic acid, and magnesium. Although it’s quicker to use them straight from a can, tinned varieties are higher in sodium (salt) than the packet alternatives. Cooking them yourself is thus beneficial for those on a salt-restricted diet. Alternate with canned and fresh beans, as well as different types of beans for healthy variety!

Please post your comments and any food-related questions below. I look forward to hearing from you.