Christmas Lasagne by Vegan Sweet Tooth London

Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Servings: 12

You will need: Oven preheated to 180°C | Food processor | Large saucepan | Deep ovenproof lasagne dish (roughly 25cm x 30cm) | 2 baking sheets lined with parchment paper

INGREDIENTS

METHOD

For the roast vegetables

Peel the carrots, parsnips and brussel sprouts

Slice the carrots and parsnips into ½ cm slices and chop the brussel sprouts into halves

Spread the carrots and parsnips on to a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle over some salt and pepper and then spread the rosemary and thyme over the top of the vegetables

Bake in the oven for 20 minutes

Remove the trays from the oven, mix the spouts into the parsnips and carrots and put the trays back into the oven for 10 minutes

Remove the tray from the oven, transfer the vegetables to a bowl and set to one side

For the ragu

Peel and quarter the onions, put them in a food processor and blitz until very finely chopped. Remove from the food processor and put to one side

Peel and chop the carrots into smaller pieces and blitz them in the food processor with the celery until finely chopped. Remove from the food processor and put to one side

Now add the mushrooms to the food processor and blitz into a mince (you may have to do this in batches)

Peel and crush the garlic cloves

Finely slice the sage, thyme and rosemary leaves

Once all your vegetables are prepared warm the olive oil in the pan over a medium heat, add the onions to the pan with a pinch of salt and stir for 5 minutes

Add the carrots, celery, sage, rosemary and thyme to the pan and stir for 5 minutes

Add the mushroom mince to the pan and stir for 5-7 minutes to sweat off most of the moisture

Add the tomato puree and the cranberry sauce to the pan and stir for 1 minute

Pour the mulled wine into the pan, turn up the heat and simmer for 5-7 minutes until most of the liquid has evaporated

Pour the chopped tomatoes into the pan, fill the tins with water, pour them into the pan and stir everything together

Bring the pan to a light simmer and leave for 25-30 minutes

Taste the ragu and season with salt and pepper

For the béchamel 

While the ragu is simmering, make the béchamel

Warm the olive oil in a saucepan over a medium heat

Add the flour to the pan and stir for 3-5 minutes to make a thick roux

Slowly add the plant-based milk to the pan, a small amount at a time, stirring constantly

Add the nutritional yeast and spices to the pan and stir it into the sauce until totally smooth, bring up to the boil, then simmer until the bechamel thickens and is the consistency of custard

Taste the béchamel and season to perfection with salt and pepper

Time to build your lasagne

Spoon a quarter of the ragu into a deep ovenproof dish and spread it evenly

Evenly sprinkle a quarter of the roast vegetables over the ragu

Spoon over a quarter of the bechamel

Place lasagne sheets over the bechamel, breaking them if necessary, to make a complete and unbroken layer that will lock in the steam and properly cook the pasta

Repeat this three times reserving some bechamel

Finish with a good layer of bechamel covering the top completely

Sprinkle a few rosemary sprigs on top for garnish

Cover the lasagne in foil and put in the oven on the lowest shelf and bake for 50 minutes

Remove the foil and bake for a further 15 minutes, then stand for 10 minutes before serving

Serve with a side salad

ABOUT VEGAN SWEET TOOTH

Vegan London Sweet Tooth is the first and only itinerant Italian vegan patisserie and bakery in London and in the U.K.

Owner and chef Giancarlo Roncato of Italian origins, has been a professional chef with over 25 years of working experience in the catering and hospitality industry. Living in London for the past 20 years, he has built a solid experience in a wide and varied range of restaurants and businesses.

Giancarlo started Vegan Sweet Tooth London with his partner 6 years ago and and as a natural chef brings a unique elements, balancing taste and flavour with a nutritional outlook. Giancarlo places organic, seasonal and local foods at the core of his recipes, and is equipped with the knowledge and experience to create free-from, plant-based recipes to brief.

To see our guest recipe from Vegan Sweet Tooth London for vegan mince pies click here

London Sweet Tooth can often be found at festivals around the country. To find out more you can find them on Facebook here.