Vegetable Lasagna
Ingredients
- For the lasagna noodles and tomato sauce
- 1 pkg Lasagne noodle (400 grams) (approximately 14 ounces)
- 500 grams chopped Tomatoes (canned)
- 2 onions (finely chopped)
- 1 carrot (finely chopped)
- 2 garlic cloves (finely chopped)
- Basil
- sugar
- For the vegetables
- 2 Eggplant
- 2 yellow Bell pepper
- 3 garlic cloves
- olive oil
- For the bèchamel sauce
- 500 milliliters milk
- 2 Tbsps Pastry flour
- 1 pinch Nutmeg
- 2 Tbsps butter
Preparation steps
For the tomato sauce: Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a saucepan and sauté the onions, carrot and garlic until tender. Add the tomatoes, bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer for about 10 minutes. Season with salt, pepper and 3 teaspoons sugar. Stir in the basil leaves and let cool.
For the vegetables: Rinse the eggplants, cut in half lengthwise and then cut into small cubes. Place in a bowl of heavily salted water and let stand for 10 minutes. Drain and pat dry.
Rinse the peppers, cut in half, remove the stems and seeds and cut into small pieces. Peel the garlic. Heat 4 tablespoons oil in a large frying pan, add the eggplant, peppers and garlic, cover and cook over medium heat for about 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add 2-3 tablespoons water, if necessary. Season with salt and pepper.
For the bèchamel sauce: Melt the butter in a saucepan then stir in the flour. Cook until golden brown and nutty then gradually stir in the milk. Bring to a boil and stir until thickened. Remove from the heat and season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.
Preheat oven to 200-220°C (approximately 400-425°F). Grease a baking dish with butter. Layer the lasagna noodles, tomato sauce and vegetables in the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan, pour the bèchamel over top and bake for about 30-35 minutes, until golden brown. Serve sprinkled with chopped olives, if desired.