23.04.24
Ingredients
3 red peppers, cut into large chunks
2 aubergines, cut into ½ cm thick slices
8 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for the dish
½ quantity tomato sauce (see below)
300g pack of fresh lasagne sheets
½ quantity white sauce (see below)
125g ball mozzarella
handful cherry tomatoes, halved
Method
Homemade tomato sauce
Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a saucepan. Add 2 onions, finely chopped, 2 garlic cloves, sliced and 1 carrot, roughly chopped. Cook for 5–7 minutes over a medium heat until softened. Turn up the heat a little and stir in 2 tbsp tomato purée. Cook for 1 minute, pour in 200ml white wine, then cook for 5 minutes until this has reduced by two thirds. Pour over 3 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes and add 1 handful basil leaves. Bring to the boil then simmer for 20 minutes. Leave to cool and then blend in a food processor.
White sauce
Melt 85g butter in a saucepan, stir in 85g plain flour, then cook for 2 minutes. Slowly whisk in 750ml milk, then bring to the boil, stirring. Turn down the heat, then cook until the sauce starts to thicken and coats the back of a wooden spoon. Sauce can now be cooled and kept in the fridge for up to 3 days or frozen for 3 months.
Assembling the lasagne
Heat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas mark 6. Lightly oil two large baking trays and add the peppers and aubergines. Toss with the olive oil, season well, then roast for 25 minutes until lightly browned.
Reduce the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/gas mark 4. Lightly oil a 30 x 20cm ovenproof dish. Arrange a layer of the vegetables on the bottom, then pour over a third of the tomato sauce. Top with a layer of lasagne sheets, then drizzle over a quarter of the white sauce. Repeat until you have three layers of pasta.
Spoon the remaining white sauce over the pasta, making sure the whole surface is covered. Scatter over the mozzarella and cherry tomatoes. Bake for 45 minutes until bubbling and golden.
