Courgette Lasagna With Meatless Tomato and Béchamel sauce

Updated at: Thu, 17 Aug 2023 04:43:02 GMT

Step 1

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna noodles in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes. Drain and rinse it with cold water, set aside.

Step 2

To make the tomato sauce: Heat the oil in a large heavy based saucepan over a medium heat. Add the shallots and garlic and sauté for 1 to 2 minutes or until tender. Add the thyme and bay leaves, season with sugar, salt and pepper, stir for few minutes, add the white wine and reduce until almost dry, then add tomatoes and bring to a boil.

Step 3

Simmer gently uncovered over a medium to low heat, stirring occasionally, for about 40 minutes or until the tomatoes break down to form a chunky sauce (you may need to add a little water during the cooking process if the sauce thickens too much). Adjust the seasoning to taste with salt and pepper and remove and discard the bay leaf and thyme sprigs.

Step 4

While the sauce is simmering, Slice the courgette lengthwise into 6.5 mm strips, Rub the slices on both sides with the olive oil and season with salt and pepper, preheat a grill pan on medium high heat, grill the zucchini for 1 to 2 minutes per side or until golden color are achieved. Remove it to a plate and reserve.

Step 5

To make the béchamel: Melt the butter in a heavy based medium saucepan over medium low heat, add the flour and stir with a wooden spoon for 3 minutes or until the flour and butter have formed a uniform mixture, slowly add the milk and stir constantly with a whisk until the sauce is smooth. Add thyme, bring the sauce to a simmer and cook stirring constantly for 5 to 10 minutes, or until the sauce is smooth and thick and the starchy taste of the flour has been gone.

Step 6

Add 1/2 of the grated parmesan and 1/2 of the shredded mozzarella cheese to the béchamel and stir until combined well. Season the sauce to taste with a little nutmeg, salt and pepper and remove thyme sprig and discard.

Step 7

To assemble the lasagna : Preheat oven to 180C. In a 33 cm x 22cm size baking dish, spoon about 1/2 of the tomato sauce onto the bottom of the baking dish in an even layer and top with a layer of pasta, cutting the lasagne sheets as needed to fit. Lay a single layer of courgette over the top of the lasagna sheets and spoon 1/3 of the béchamel over the courgette. (Repeat this process 3 times). Lay the final layer of pasta over the remaining tomato sauce, layer of courgette, remaining pasta and spread remaining béchamel over the pasta

Step 8

Sprinkle the remaining parmesan and mozzarella evenly over the top of the béchamel then cover the baking dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 30 minutes, or until it’s bubbly and golden brown. (Before removing the lasagne, check that the pasta is cooked, by inserting a small hot knife into the centre, and should go into the lasagna with a very little resistance.

Step 9

Remove the lasagna from the oven and allow to rest at room temperature for 5 to 10 minutes to cool slightly before serving, cut the lasagna into portions and and serve

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