Lasagne with chestnuts & peppers

Vegetable lasagne is still the most popular vegetarian dish and this is a more interesting version that uses chestnuts as the basis of the layered sauce.

Serves: 6

What you need:

• 30ml/2tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 100g/4oz mushrooms, chopped
• ½ red pepper, finely diced
• ½ green pepper, finely diced
• 175g/6oz cooked chestnuts (canned or vacuum packed), mashed
• 15ml/1tbsp tomato puree
• 2tsp fresh herbs e.g. marjoram or oregano, finely chopped
• to taste salt and pepper
• a little red wine (or vegetable stock)
• 6-8 sheets spinach lasagne
• 50g/2oz butter
• 50g/2oz plain white flour
• 450g/ ¾ pint milk
• 100g/4oz vegetarian cheddar cheese, grated

What you do:

1. Preheat the oven to 190C/375F/gas 5.
2. Heat the oil in a medium sized saucepan and fry the onion for 2 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for 1 minute. Add the chopped mushrooms and peppers and saute for several minutes.
3. Stir in the mashed chestnuts, tomato puree and herbs. Add a little stock or red wine, but don't make the mixture too runny. Season to taste and simmer for 2 minutes. Allow to cool.
4. Put half the chestnut mixture in the bottom of a rectangular ovenproof dish. Cover with pieces of lasagne making sure they do not overlap. Repeat the layers.
5. Make a cheese sauce, season to taste, add a little freshly grated nutmeg if desired and pour over the top of the final layer of lasagne. Bake in the preheated oven for about 40-45 minutes until the lasagne has cooked and the sauce is golden brown on top.

Recipe created by the Cordon Vert cookery school

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