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More and more people are trying to eat less meat these days. There are lots of good reasons to do so, from protecting the environment to improving your health. The trick when it comes to adapting your diet to this new lifestyle is to make sustainable changes. To make eating less meat appealing long term, it’s important to find plant-based meals that you really enjoy. To help you do just that, we’ve put together three veggie spins on one of the best-loved meat dishes out there: lasagna. Here’s how to make vegetable lasagna that tastes just as good as the original.

Making fresh pasta for a vegetarian lasagna recipe

For the best meatless lasagna, it’s always worth making fresh pasta. This doesn’t have to be as time-consuming as it sounds. There are some modern kitchen solutions that make the process incredibly simple, such as the Philips Pasta and Noodle Maker, which is equipped with a special shaping disc to make perfectly even homemade lasagna sheets in 15 minutes or less. For inspiration on how to use your pasta maker, download this tasty recipe for Spinach Wholegrain Lasagne Sheets.

With a machine:

 

1. Having rested your dough, divide into three equal portions. Keep two portions covered with a towel whilst you flatten one portion of dough into a rough rectangle.

 

2. Remember to flour your dough before passing it through the widest setting of the pasta machine.

 

3. Once extruded, reform your dough back into a rough rectangle before flouring once more, folding in half, and passing through the machine once again.

 

4. after preparing them.

 

Tip: Always have extra flour close to hand so that you can liberally dust your lasagne sheets in-between passing them through the machine. Remember to fold the dough in half each time.

 

5. Now change the pasta machine to the middle setting, or manually reduce the space between the rollers, before once again passing your dough through the machine. This time, you don’t need to fold the dough after extrusion.

 

6. Repeat this step for all three portions of dough, and then move to the thinnest setting on the machine, or until your pasta sheets are roughly 3 inches wide and 1mm thick.

With a rolling pin:

 

1. Divide your dough into three equal portions. Take one portion and roughly roll flat before rotating it a quarter of the way round and rolling it out once again. Repeat this process to achieve an even thickness.

 

2. Cut your pasta into sheets to fit the size and shape of your lasagna dish.

 

Tip: Whether by rolling pin or pasta machine, leave your lasagne sheets to air-dry on a floured cloth for around half an hour.

 

Now you’re ready for the filling!

Squash lasagna recipe

 

If you’re looking for an easy no meat lasagna recipe look no further than squash. This tasty veg makes a great meat substitute and its vibrant color will give your dish added visual wow-factor.

Ingredients

 

  • One large squash (chopped into cubes)
  • 1 onion
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 1 cup mushrooms 
  • 2 cans of chopped tomatoes
  • 1 large spoonful of freshly chopped thyme
  • 0.2 of a butter stick
  • 3 large spoons of flour (more if required)
  • 4.25 cups of milk 
  • 1 cup of parmesan cheese (grated)
  • 21 oz lasagna sheets

Method

 

Add the oil, onion, garlic, mushrooms, chopped tomatoes, thyme and squash in a saucepan and season to taste. Simmer on a low heat for 20-30 minutes until the veg is tender. Then make the sauce by melting the butter slowly and adding the flour spoonful by spoonful until a dough appears. Cook this for around 2 minutes on low, then gradually add the milk while whisking gently. Once cooked, layer the vegetable mix, béchamel sauce and pasta sheets in your dish until reaching the top. Sprinkle with parmesan and bake at 400°F for 45 minutes or until golden brown. 

Eggplant lasagna recipe

 

Looking for a tasty vegetarian eggplant lasagna? Here’s our favorite:

Ingredients

 

  • 5 cloves of garlic 
  • 2 large eggplants 
  • Olive oil to cover 
  • 1 large onions 
  • 1 cup of mushrooms 
  • A tablespoon of thyme 
  • 1 cup of parmesan cheese 
  • 1 cup of fresh basil leaves

Plus: Béchamel sauce and fresh lasagne sheets. 

 

Method

 

Slice the eggplants, cover with olive oil, season and roast until soft and tender. While you’re doing that cook the onions, garlic, mushrooms and herbs in a pan until soft. Follow the above recipe for béchamel sauce. Use the onion/mushroom mixture as your first layer, then add the roasted eggplants, béchamel sauce and pasta. Continue layering up until you reach the top of the dish then sprinkle with parmesan. Bake for around 30 minutes at 400°F or until cooked right through.

Veggie lasagna with beetroot recipe

 

Beetroot is an unusual choice for a vegetable lasagna, but it works surprisingly well. Have a go making it with this recipe:

Ingredients

 

  • 6 medium red beetroots 
  • Olive oil to cover 
  • Seasoning
  • A pinch of nutmeg 
  • 0.50 teaspoon of smoked paprika, cumin and cayenne pepper each 
  • 1 cup of fresh herbs (any you have to hand will be fine, but parsley, coriander and chives all work well) 

Plus: Béchamel sauce and fresh lasagne sheets. 

 

Method

 

Roast the beets with olive oil and spices for 40 to 45 minutes, leave to cool, remove the skins and slice. Make the béchamel sauce as above, then layer sauce, beetroot slices, a handful of parmesan and pasta until you’re at the top of your dish. Cover with more sauce and parmesan then bake for 40 minutes until the pasta is soft.

Meatless lasagna sides

Keen to eat in a more balanced and healthy way? If you’re looking for plant-based sides to go with your meal, consider cooking something with a different texture to add a kick to your dinner. Crispy vegetables are ideal, but to ensure they remain crunchy and free of excess fat, use an air fryer such as Philips Airfryer XXL that creates a crisp texture without requiring too much fat. It’s the only Airfryer with fat reducing technology that removes and captures excess fat. Don’t know where to start? Try these tasty balsamic fried brussels sprouts or this innovative recipe for sweet gingery tofu bacon.