Classic Meaty Lasagna

Your taste buds will not be able to comprehend that this is vegan - as the beefy pasta layers coupled with an INSANELY good béchamel is delicious enough to blow their tiny white socks off. While I'm in no way knocking my favourite vegetable lasagna, I recognize that those with hard to please family members and friends - may not find it the slam-dunk of a recipe they need to convince such company that leaving the furry friends be is totally do-able. Filling in the blanks (left by meat and dairy) with veg doesn't do it for everyone, I get it. So here's my answer to that, and it's flippin' fantastic!

P.S Don't be put off by the long ingredients list. The bulk of it you probably will already have in your pantry.

Ingredients

"Meat" Sauce

• olive oil
• 1 onion, diced small
• 1 stick celery, diced small
• 2 tsp minced garlic
• 1 cup diced mushrooms
• 350g vegan mince (e.g. Gardein veggie ground etc.)
• 700ml tomato passata
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 1 "beef" stock cube
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp dried Italian herb mix
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 2 tsp maple syrup (or other liquid sweetened)
• 1 tbsp vegan worstechire sauce
• salt & pepper
  Béchamel
• olive oil
• 1/2 onion, diced small
• 2 tsp minced garlic
• 2 tbsp vegan butter
• 2 tbsp plain flour (GF or not)
• 2 cups unsweetened soy milk
• 2 tbsp coconut cream (the thick stuff from the top of a can)
• 1/2 tsp vegetable stock powder
• 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1/2 tsp white miso
• 1 heaped tbsp nutritional yeast
• pinch nutmeg
• salt & pepper
  Extra Ingredients
• 2 packets lasagna sheets (GF or not)
• 2 large handfuls, baby spinach
• 4 tbsp vegan parmesan (or other hard vegan cheese to top), optional

Method

1. Start by making your "meat" sauce, by heating a glug of olive oil in a large pot and adding the onion, celery and garlic. Sauté until starting to soften. Add in the mushrooms and sauté until they are softened. Add the vegan mince, breaking it up with a spoon and browning it off/defrosting it (if cooking from frozen).
2. Once tender, add the passata. Fill up the bottle halfway with water and add this to the pan as well, along with the remainder of the "meat" sauce ingredients. Stir to combine, put the lid on and let simmer away for 30 minutes.
3. Pop your oven on to 200C.
4. Now make your béchamel. Grab a small/medium non stick saucepan/pan and add a drizzle of oil along with the onion and garlic. Sauté until soft and starting to go golden. Add in the butter and let melt completely. When bubbling, add in the flour and stir immediately for a couple of minutes to cook the flour slightly.
5. Add in the soy milk in splashes at first, then small and bigger glugs, stirring or whisking thoroughly to combine after each addition. Once all the soy milk has been added, stir with a wooden spoon until thickened or until the first bubbles appear.
6. Take off the heat and add in the remaining béchamel ingredients. Whisking once more to combine.
7. Once the "meat" sauce is finished simmering, take off the heat and get out a large/deep baking dish ready to assemble your lasagna.
8. Add a little olive oil and then a little sauce, alternating between sauce and lasagna sheets. When you think you're at the halfway point, add a little (like 10%) of the béchamel along with the spinach to a layer. Once all the "meat" sauce is used up, top with another layer of lasagna sheets and finish with the béchamel, smoothing it out to all the edges. Finish by sprinkling over the vegan parmesan (if using).
9. Bake in the pre-heated oven for 30-35 minutes until golden, bubbling and the pasta sheets are tender. Let sit for 15 minutes before serving.