Good afternoon/evening Steemers!
I am back again with a recipe for you all. As I mentioned in a previous post we recently got a new gas cooker, so naturally I have been cooking up a storm!
After seeing @gringalicious' mouthwatering Chipotle Beef & Bechamel Lasagna it inspired me to make my favourite one, which I haven't made in so long! If you haven't seen hers yet, here is the link:
https://steemit.com/food/@gringalicious/chipotle-beef-and-bechamel-lasagna-food-photo-shoot
Lasagna is one of my top comfort foods. As a vegetarian I have explored different fillings to see what works best, and lentils are hands down my favourite to use. They're hearty, nutty and delicious! Paired with spinach not only is this yummy, it's healthy too.
For this momentous occasion I went to my local home ware store and bought a whopping 5,0l glass dish. I've made a monster lasagna guys!
GARDENINGCHEF'S LENTIL & SPINACH LASAGNA
LENTIL & SPINACH FILLING - INGREDIENTS
200-300g of uncooked lentils (I used Spanish Pardina lentils)
500g of fresh spinach
1-3 x 400g tins of chopped tomatoes (depending on the size of your dish)
A good handful of sundried tomatoes
5 cloves of garlic, +1 extra for spinach wilting
2 vine-ripened tomatoes
2 carrots
1 large onion
1-2 bay leaves
1 heaped tsp of tomato paste
1 heaped tsp of dried oregano
½ tsp of dried rosemary
Small handful of fresh basil leaves
A pinch of chili flakes
Olive oil
BECHAMEL SAUCE - INGREDIENTS
100g of plain flour, sifted
100g of unsalted butter
1l of whole milk
2 bay leaves
Handful of grated mozzarella
Grated Parmigiano Reggiano
Plenty of freshly cracked black pepper
... and 2 boxes of dry lasagna sheets!
To start creating the dish I prepared the lentils, simmering them in a large saucepan of water for 30 minutes with 2 bay leaves. Once cooked I drained them, removed the bay leaves and set them aside.
To make the tomato sauce I finely diced the onion and popped it in a saucepan on a low heat to sweat off and lightly caramelise. Whilst that was cooking I peeled and finely chopped the carrots and garlic. I added the carrots to the onion, let those cook a bit and once I was happy I added the garlic and cooked for a minute or two until aromatic. After this I added the spices and cooked until fragrant, then added the chopped sundried tomatoes and chopped vine-ripened tomatoes. Once they were sufficiently cooked I added the tomato paste, tinned tomatoes and the handful of basil leaves, plenty of salt and pepper and brought to the boil, simmering for 30 minutes until reduced. I like my sauce chunky so I left it as is and added the lentils once ready, but if you're not a fan you could always blend it up for a smoother sauce before adding the lentils. Whatever you prefer!
Lentils ready, it was time to wilt the spinach and make the bechamel. I cracked a clove of garlic under my knife, removed the skin and popped it in a large skillet with a dash of olive oil on a medium heat and lightly wilted the spinach in a few batches, making sure to squeeze out and remove all the liquid from the leaves once cooked.
For the bechamel I melted the butter in the pan on a medium heat. Once melted I added the flour and cooked on high for 30 seconds to cook the flour out and form a roux. To this I added the milk bit by bit, stirring constantly and slowly with a whisk. Once all the milk was combined I added bay leaves and pepper, still stirring constantly on a simmer for 5-10 minutes, adding the handful of mozzarella a couple of minutes before removing from the heat.
Finally... it was time to assemble!
Starting with a thin layer of lentil filling, I covered that (making sure not to leave any gaps!) with lasagna sheets. Added a thin layer of bechamel, sprinkled parmesan and then dotted some of the wilted spinach on top. I repeated these steps until I ran out of lentil filling, and made sure to cover the top bechamel layer with a generous helping of parmesan and mozzarella for that gorgeous golden baked crunchy top. I popped the lasagna into the top shelf of my preheated oven (gas mark 7/220c) and cooked for 20-25 minutes until I could see the top was perfectly golden.
My goodness it is SO good!! This huge dish has left me plenty of leftovers which will become even tastier over time. My partner who eats meat absolutely loves this version and says he doesn't miss meat in this at all. Bonus points all round!
As always if you end up trying this recipe out, please let me know and/or tag me so I can see :)
Hope everyone is enjoying what is left of the weekend!
This looks sooooo good. Lentils are a wonderful ingredient I agree. That spinach looks so green and fresh too. Love your photos and your food. Upvoted and resteemed.
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Thanks so much @sallybeth23! Aren't they just? With so many varieties they work well in almost anything :D thanks for the upvote and resteem! <3
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Lentils? I never would have thought to use these in this type of dish... but WOW! It looks delicious!
You have a great creative cooking mind!
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Haha @goldendawne if that is the case you NEED to try this out... it'll change how you feel about veggie lasagna!
Thank you so much, I try my best!
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What a delicious looking beast of a lasagne! And again some fantastic photography! Upvoted and resteemed :D
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It sure is a beastly lasagna, thanks @magiccleatus! It's as tasty as I remember, if not better now! Thank you very much for the upvote & resteem :)
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Beautiful recipe, very inspiring! Thanks so much for the mention, the link back to my recipe and the tag.
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Thank you very much @gringalicious! Glad you like it. I really appreciate your resteem too!
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You're welcome. I've mentioned to people in the past that if they use my recipe for inspiration, create a post, link back to my recipe and add #gringalicious, then I would help promote that post. You are actually one of the very few to follow through with that offer and I appreciate it. Great work.
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People should do it more often, I've been so much more excited and inspired to cook now I have this wonderful foodie community to share recipes with!
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Hey dear
tasty yummy and lovely recipe
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Hello @yasirgawad! Thank you for your lovely comment :)
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Ooooh girllll this looks so awesome, the lasagna vibes are definitely spreading because your post is making me want to make MY favorite lasagna recipe now! ;) Also, fire move on the lentils!
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Haha @dayleeo I'm glad I could inspire you ;) what's your favourite lasagna recipe? I think @gringalicious has started a lasagna chain!
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You're right, her photos are deviously delicious looking so that doesn't surprose me one bit! My most recenent favorite is actually an adaptation of @heart-to-heart's vegan lasagna with mushroms bok choy eggplant and cashew ricotta. It's freaking divine.
If I can figure out how to recreate it without an oven (slow cooker possibly?) I'm going to have to make it again real soon... ugh you've created a monster @gringalicious !
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I don't have a cooker either but am about to look into making a solar oven for the garden.. free cooking while I sunbathe 😂 They are pretty simple to build and super effective... if you have sunshine at your disposal.
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Wow, that looks incredible! I haven't got any experience with slow cookers but I think it would be worth a try to see how it comes out!
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TO PINTEREST!
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Let me know what you find ;)
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Will do, I've already pitched it to @teamhumble as a dinner around christmas time so if we can pull it off I'll try to blog it for sure :)
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I like lentils but have never had them in lasagne. This looks really good so I think next one I make should be this recipe.
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It's a different approach so if you usually have beef/mince meat in yours the lentils will be a great alternative.
If you end up giving lentil lasagna a try let me know or make a post so I can see :)
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Will do! It might be after Christmas. This season is so busy...
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You got me good! I now have lentils simmering, the spinach layer done and now I am half way there. This is my dinner for tonight and I can hardly wait to taste this type of Lasagna. It will be a first for us. Great recipe, thank you.
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Oh wow @sunscape that's awesome!!! I am flattered that you liked my recipe enough to make it yourself - a first for me! Thank you so much :) I hope you enjoy it, let me know! Are you making a post on it? ;)
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I just finished the rouix and cheese and put all the layers together. It is ready to go into the oven. My husband loves lasagna and I can't wait to see what he thinks of this variety. I love trying new things and we both love lentils so this was a win win.
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Okay, I took a couple of pictures for you and did a fast post linking you. Thought you might like to see the results. lol
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Ahhh I just saw your post! So cool to see my recipe being enjoyed by other people :D
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Wow gardening chef!!
I LOVE lasagne and yours looks wonderful and extremely healthy and nutritious - perfect power food as the weather gets colder!
Upvoted, resteemed and re-heated :D
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Thanks @icedrum, it is ideal for the chilly Winter temperatures we are experiencing at the moment!!
Thank you as always for your upvote & resteem!!
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be right over let's eat :)
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Haha there's still leftovers @rebeccabe! :)
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freeze them it may be a while lol
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I actually think it would be fine to freeze! ;)
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yep I freeze lasagna when I have baked it.. my over needs a new pilot light no baking waugh!
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Oh no!! I hope you can get the pilot light fixed soon!
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This looks amazing and I cannot wait to try! I have never used lentils in a lasagna :) Thanks for the inspiration!
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If you've never had lentils in lasagna before you should definitely give it a try, it's a great combination! Glad I could inspire you, thanks for your comment @phatgirlsrun!
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This post received a 6% upvote from @morwhale team thanks to @icedrum! For more information, click here! , TeamMorocco! .
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One of my favorite snack food 👍❤️❤️❤️
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@pinay yay! Glad you like :D
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Thank you!
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Oh yum! I'm going to try this today. Thank you
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@sidetracks2 thank you! Let me know if you end up try it :)
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Thanks for sharing, this looks delicious!!!!
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Thank you @squishysquid! It sure is yum :)
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This looks amazing. I’m always on the hunt for recipes that use, mostly or only, things I can grow or collect myself.
My daughter, who can and does eat some meat, has problems digesting it if she eats it too often. She’ll love this post. Between you and @heart-to-heart, I might be able to talk her into joining Steem!
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Thanks very much @powellx5. Luckily this recipe uses lots of fresh ingredients, you can omit the tinned toms for example and just add more fresh ones... it'll be just as delicious if not even more so! I take it you have a good garden going?
I think your daughter would totally love this version, with no digestion problems after! The lentils stand just as tall as a minced meat, lentils like Pardina hold their shape really well even after reheating too so no consistency is lost :)
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Hmm. Love lentil lasagnas... pure comfort food!
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Agreed @amy-goodrich! These recipes start coming out again as soon as it gets cold :D
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