Hidden Veggie Lasagne - Family

Homemade lasagne is a family staple for us and I love it when you chomp down on some al dente carrot or pepper BUT my children seem to think I've hidden them in the lasagne to poison them so recently I'm having to come up with ways to get these vegetables in them, without them knowing. 

It's pretty simple with a lasagne as I can blend all the yummy goodness up in the tomato sauce so that's exactly what we've been doing. 

We've also created a wonderful video for you to watch here. 

Ingredients

Bechamel Sauce 

3 tbsp butter 
1/4 cup flour
4 cups whole milk
1 tsp crushed pepper
1/2 tsp nutmeg

Hidden Veggie Sauce 

1 tbsp olive oil 
1 red onion diced
2 cloves of garlic crushed
2 carrots diced
1 red pepper diced
2 sticks celery diced
1 courgette diced
1.5 cup vegetable stock (low sodium)
800g passata 

The mince

1 clove of garlic
1 small onion
500g mince or meat substitute 

Assembly

Oven ready lasagne sheets
Mozzarella or cheddar cheese 

Method 

For the Bechamel sauce:

1. Place the butter and the flour in a pan and mix until a paste is formed 

2. Slowly add the milk until the sauce starts to thicken

3. Add crushed pepper and nutmeg to taste.

For the hidden veggie sauce:

1. Add the olive oil to a pan to heat

2. Start by adding the garlic and onion

3. Add all other vegetables and cook for 5 minutes

4. Add the vegetable broth and passata and simmer for a further 10 minutes

5. Use a blender to make the sauce smooth 

For the mince:

1. Add the onion and garlic to a pan with olive oil

2. Add the mince and cook till brown 

3. Add the hidden veggie sauce to the mince or mince alternative

Assembly

Layer the lasagne in this order: 

Mince with hidden veggie sauce

Bechamel sauce 

Cheese

Lasagne sheets 

Repeat x 2 or 3 and finish with the cheese layer.

Serve up on your favourite eco rascals bamboo suction plate and bowl and accompany it with fresh fruits and vegetables.