Lentil Ragu Lasagne

A comforting and easy lasagne made with a mushroom, lentil ragu, fresh pasta and a fontina bechamel sauce. This flavour packed lasange will satisfy both veggie and meat lovers!

If you are looking for a great, hearty and good meat-free meal then look no further. This lentil ragu lasagne is not only incredibly good but so simple and easy to make. You don't have to simmer the ragu for hours upon end and it can be made in advance making dinner time so much easier and so much more good!

We've got a new favourite peeps, we mean we are seriously in love with this lasagne recipe. We can't believe how little time it takes to make (compared to traditional lasagne recipes) obviously because there is no meat involved but it's in no way lacking in flavour and dare we say it?…

It's as good as our all time favourite traditional recipe (with meat).

That's how good it is!

Lasagna or Lasagne?

Lasagne is the plural form of a lasagna sheet so two sheets would be lasagne and not lasagnasince this only means one sheet in Italian. However, in many parts of the world, especially English speaking countries the word lasagna refers to the traditional Italian dish in general. In most authentic and traditional Italian recipes you will see the word lasagne being used.

Lentil ragu Vs meat ragu – how are they different?

Ok apart from stating the obvious, one is made with meat and one is made with lentils let's talk about the differences. Our traditional meat ragu (for making lasagne and many other pasta dishes) is soffitto (carrot, onion and celery) pork mince and beef mince, tomatoes, red wine and some herbs.

This lentil ragu is made with soffritto, puy lentils, mushrooms (these add so much flavour, texture and bulk it out more), tomatoes, red wine, oregano and garlic.

Both use similar ingredients but the meat ragu takes at least 2 hours to make and the lentil ragu takes under half an hour. This means you can actually make this lentil ragu from scratch even on weekdays, toss it together with some pasta and you're sorted.

How to make lentil ragu lasagne – step by step

Finely chop the carrot, celery and onion. Add the olive oil to a large pan and add the chopped vegetables, sauté the veg gently until soft but not browned (around 7-8 minutes). Finely slice the mushroom and add them to the sauted vegetables (photos 1,2).

Fry the mushrooms for 2 minutes then add the pureed tomato/passata with the crushed garlic and a pinch of salt and pepper. Stir everything together and add the red wine (photos 3,4).

Let the ragu simmer gently for 10 minutes, then add the lentils. Stir the lentils into the sauce, simmer gently for another 2 minutes then turn off the heat (photos 4-6).

Tip: If the sauce reduces too much before the lentils are added then add a little water to the sauce and let it cook down slightly.

To make the bechamel sauce add the butter to a sauce pan over a low heat, once melted add the flour and stir into a paste. Stir the paste for around 30 seconds then add half of the milk, whisk the milk to get rid of any lumps. Once it starts to thicken add the rest of the milk and whisk until it thickens once more.

Turn the heat off and add the grated cheese, parmesan, nutmeg and a pinch of salt and pepper. Stir the sauce until the cheese has melted and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 200°C/400F/gas mark 6. Add 1-2 tbsp of lentil ragu to the bottom of a baking dish and spread it around. Add a layer of fresh lasagna sheets (you may need to cut some sheets to fit your dish). Add another 2-3 tbsp of ragu followed by 2-3 tbsp of bechamel sauce (keep 1/4 of the bechamel sauce for the top layer). Repeat this until all the pasta and ragu has been used up, finish with the final 1/4 of bechamel sauce (photos 7-9).

Cover the lasagne with tin foil and bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and top with the mozzarella, bake uncovered for 10-15 minutes until the cheese has melted, browned and bubbling.

Let the lasagne rest for 5-10 minutes before serving, this is great served with salad.

More recipes you might like

Mains

Italian Sausages and Lentils

Pasta

Pizzoccheri Pasta with Potatoes and Cabbage

Pasta

Farfalle Pasta with Pancetta, Chilli and Garlic

Fresh Pasta

Lasagna di Carnevale (Neopolitan lasagna)

Ingredients

Makes 4 people

For the lentil ragu

• 1 carrot
• 1 stalk of celery
• 1 white onion
• 2 2/3 cups (200g) mushrooms (, sliced)
• 2 cups (410g) puy lentils (, pre-cooked)
• 6.7 fl oz (200ml) red wine
• 2 cloves garlic (crushed)
• 2 1/4 cups (500g) passata/pureed tomatoes
• 1 tbsp of olive oil

For the bechamel sauce

• 3 tbsp (50g) butter
• 1/3 cup (50g) flour
• 1 2/3 cup (400ml) milk
• 3.1 oz (90g) fontina cheese (grated)
• Salt and pepper
• 1 tbsp parmesan
• 4.4 oz (125g) mozzarella (torn)
• 6-10 large fresh lasagna sheets

Method

1. Finely chop the carrot, celery and onion. Add the olive oil to a large pan and add the chopped vegetables, sauté the veg gently until soft but not browned (around 7-8 minutes). Finely slice the mushroom and add them to the sauted vegetables.

2. Fry the mushrooms for 2 minutes then add the pureed tomatoes/passata with the crushed garlic and a pinch of salt and pepper. Stir everything together and add the red wine.

3. Let the ragu simmer gently for 10 minutes then add the lentils. If the sauce reduces too much add a little water to the sauce before the lentils are added. Stir the lentils into the sauce and simmer gently for another 2 minutes, turn the heat off.

4. To make the bechamel sauce add the butter to a sauce pan over a low heat, once melted add the flour and stir into a paste. Stir the paste for around 30 seconds then add half of the milk, whisk the milk to get rid of any lumps. Once it starts to thicken add the rest of the milk and whisk until it starts to thicken.

5. Turn the heat off and add the grated cheese, parmesan, nutmeg and a pinch of salt and pepper. Stir the sauce until the cheese has melted and set aside.

6. Preheat the oven to 200°C/400F/gas mark 6. Add 1-2 tbsp of lentil ragu to the bottom of a baking dish and spread it around. Add a layer of fresh lasagna sheets (you may need to cut some sheets to fit your dish). Add another 2-3 tbsp of ragu followed by 2-3 tbsp of bechamel sauce (keep 1/4 of the bechamel sauce for the top layer). Repeat this until all the ragu has been used up, ideally, you want around 6 layers. Finish with the final 1/4 of bechamel sauce.

7. Cover the lasagne with tin foil and bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and top with the mozzarella, bake uncovered for 10-15 minutes until the cheese has melted, browned and bubbling.

8. Let the lasagne rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.

Kitchen notes

Please note this recipe was tested and developed using metric measurements all imperial measurements are approximate.

• Fontina cheese can be substituted for gruyere, white cheddar or another strong melting cheese.
• This recipe serves 4-6 people, great served with salad.