Vegetarian lasagna bolognese (Print Version)

# Ingredients:

→ For the veggie bolognese

01 - 3 tablespoons olive oil
02 - 1 yellow onion, coarsely chopped
03 - 2 celery stalks, roughly chopped
04 - 2 small carrots, roughly chopped
05 - 1 cup (80g) mushrooms, finely chopped
06 - 3 garlic cloves, minced
07 - 1/2 cup (65g) walnuts, roughly crushed
08 - 1 tablespoon dried oregano
09 - 1 bay leaf, fresh or dried
10 - 1/2 cup (120 ml) red wine or balsamic vinegar
11 - 1 cup (200g) beluga or du Puy lentils, rinsed
12 - 1 1/2 cups (360 ml) vegetable stock, more as needed
13 - 1 can (800g) crushed tomatoes
14 - Salt and freshly cracked black pepper

→ For assembly

15 - 9 sheets of oven-ready lasagna (no pre-cooking required)
16 - 150g grated cheese

→ For the creamy béchamel

17 - 1 cup (140g) all-purpose flour
18 - 1/2 cup (140g) unsalted butter, diced
19 - 4 cups (1L) warmed milk
20 - A pinch of ground nutmeg
21 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper

# Instructions:

01 - Toss the onion, celery, and carrot into a food processor with the metal blade, and pulse until chopped small but not blended into a paste. In a smaller processor, crush the walnuts into rough pieces. Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat, then sauté the chopped veggies. Stir every so often until they soften up, about 5 minutes. Mix in the crushed walnuts, oregano, and garlic, let them cook for a bit longer, then season with some salt and pepper.
02 - Pour in the red wine and allow it to simmer until the alcohol cooks down. Add the bay leaf, lentils, crushed tomatoes, vegetable stock, and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Once it starts boiling, turn the heat down and let it cook gently for about 30 minutes. Stir now and then to keep it from sticking, and if the mixture's getting too dry, splash in some extra stock or water a little at a time. Taste it and tweak the spices as you like!
03 - Melt the butter in a saucepan on medium heat. All at once, toss in the flour and quickly whisk it all together. Gradually pour in the warm milk (it shouldn’t be cold), whisking as you go, until the mixture thickens. This should take around 10 minutes. Once it’s creamy enough to coat the back of a spoon, stir in the nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
04 - Preheat the oven to 180°C and brush the bottom and sides of a 33×23 cm baking dish with olive oil. Start layering by spreading a bit of béchamel on the bottom. Add a layer of lasagna sheets, followed by some veggie bolognese, another layer of béchamel, and a sprinkle of grated cheese. Keep layering (pasta, bolognese, béchamel, then cheese) until you’ve got three stacked layers of pasta sheets. Finish things off with a final layer of lasagna pasta, pour over plenty of béchamel, and top with a thick layer of grated cheese.
05 - Bake for about 30 to 35 minutes, until the lasagna’s cooked through and bubbling. Turn the grill on high for a couple of minutes to get the top golden, but watch it closely so it doesn’t burn. When it’s done, sprinkle freshly chopped basil leaves on top, and enjoy!

# Notes:

01 - Beluga lentils are large, black, and have a meaty texture. You can find them in gourmet grocery stores, and they’re more firm and flavorful than the small green Puy lentils. Either type works fine here—just make sure there’s enough liquid in the sauce, or loosen it up with a splash of water or broth if needed.
02 - No-boil lasagna sheets don’t need to be cooked before layering and baking. Sometimes labeled as oven-ready lasagna, these save you time when putting this dish together!

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