Vegetarian lasagna is a perfect choice for any occasion. Dress it up with fancy ingredients and serve it at a dinner party; chop up some veges in the fridge and throw together a quick and tasty dinner for the kids. Vege lasagna is just so flexible.

Eating less meat each week can have serious health benefits and it’s also much better for the planet. Raising animals for slaughter requires huge amounts of energy and space, space that can be used far more efficiently and sustainably for growing veges and grains. Even having one meat-free day a week can make a real difference to the planet. Go on, give it a go! Of course you want to substitute your meat meal with a delicious vege alternative – you don’t want to eat boiled cabbage! That’s where dishes like vegetarian lasagna come in.

A well-made vege lasagna will leave the whole family satisfied and also amazed at how easy it is to eat yummy vege food. Try to use only fresh, organic produce in your lasagna (to maximise the health benefits) and always include a fresh garden salad with your meal. All that cheesy goodness, while a good source of protein and calcium, needs to be balanced with fresh greens!

Recipe below taken from http://www.vegetarianlasagna.net

Lasagna with Red Kidney Beans

Serves 6

Ingredients

150g ‘instant’ Lasagna sheets

1/2 cup cheddar cheese, grated

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Tomato Sauce

4 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

1 carrot, grated

1 red pepper, chopped

1 cup mushrooms, sliced

400g tomatoes (canned or fresh), chopped

2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 teaspoons brown sugar

1/2 cup vegetable stock

1/2 cup red wine

1/2 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped

Spicy Bean Mixture

400g can cooked red kidney beans

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 teaspoon ground cumin seed

1/4 teaspoon chilli powder

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Bechamel sauce

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons flour

1.5 cups milk

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Make the Tomato Sauce: Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a
frying pan. Add onion and gently fry for 5 minutes to soften. Add grated
carrot, red pepper and mushrooms and fry gently for a further 5
minutes.

Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, brown sugar, vegetable stock and red
wine. Bring to the boil and then simmer uncovered for about 30 minutes
or until the sauce has reduced and thickened slightly.

Make the Spicy Bean Mixture: Open the can of cooked red kidney beans
and wash under cold running water then leave to drain for a moment.
Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a frying pan and briefly
fry the garlic, cumin and chilli powder. Mix in the drained red kidney
beans and fry quickly for about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and season
generously with salt and pepper.

Combine the Spicy Bean Mixture and the Tomato Sauce. Add the chopped
parsley and stir.

Make the Bechamel Sauce: Melt butter in a saucepan. Stir in flour and
cook for 2 minutes, stirring mixture constantly. Remove from heat.
Using a wooden spoon, blend in milk gradually. When all the milk has
been added and the sauce is smooth, return to heat. Cook slowly,
stirring continuously, until the sauce thickens. Add half the Cheddar
and half the Parmesan cheese to the sauce. Season with salt and pepper.

Oil a large baking dish. Fill the dish with alternate layers of
lasagna, Tomato Sauce and Bechamel Sauce then sprinkle the rest of the
cheese on top. Bake for 30 minutes at 180 C, or until top is browned and
pasta cooked.

Serve with a green salad.