Christmas Lasagne

Christmas Lasagne

Christmas Lasagne is one of those ideas that sounds a bit mad until you try it, and then you wonder why you ever bothered with anything else. We came up with this because we wanted all the best bits of a Christmas dinner, roasted carrots, parsnips, sprouts, garlic, rosemary and thyme, layered up inside a proper comfort food bake. The result is something that genuinely wows people at the table, and it makes the whole house smell incredible while it's cooking. If you're feeding a crowd over the festive season and want something a bit special that also happens to be fully plant-based, this is the one. Trust us on this one, it's a total showstopper.

Cook: 85 min
Serves 6

Before You Start

  • Preheat oven to 180°C
  • 2x large baking trays
  • Food processor
  • Deep ovenproof dish
  • Large saucepan
  • Mixing bowl

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 500g Brussels sprouts
  • 300g carrots
  • 300g parsnips
  • 2 sprig of rosemary
  • 4 sprigs of thyme
  • 4 garlic cloves
  • Salt & pepper to taste
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tbsp tomato purée
  • 2 tbsp cranberry sauce
  • Salt & pepper to taste
  • 2 red onions
  • 2 carrots
  • 2 celery stick
  • 700g mushrooms
  • 4 garlic cloves
  • 1 small sprig of rosemary
  • 4 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 4 sage leaves
  • 300ml mulled wine
  • 2 x 400g can(s) of chopped tomatoes
  • 1 box of dried lasagne sheets
  • 125ml olive oil
  • 125g flour
  • 1 ½ nutritional yeast
  • 1 ¼ litre unsweetened plant-based milk
  • ½ tsp cinnamon
  • ½ tsp nutmeg
  • cloves pinch of
  • Salt & pepper to taste

Method

1

Prepare the roast vegetables

  • Peel the carrot and parsnips
  • Slice the carrots and parsnips into ½ cm slices
  • Cut the brussel sprouts into ½ slices
  • Spread the carrots, garlic and parsnips over the baking sheets, drizzle over the olive oil, sprinkle over some salt and pepper, spread the rosemary and thyme over the top of the vegetables
  • Put the tray in the oven and bake for 20 minutes
  • Take the trays out of the oven, sprinkle over the sprouts, mix them into the parsnips and carrots and put the trays back into the oven for 10 minutes
  • Take the trays out of the oven, transfer the vegetables to a bowl and set to one side
2

Now, make the ragu

  • Peel and quarter the onions, put them in a food processor and blitz until very finely chopped
  • Peel the carrots
  • Chop the carrots and celery into smaller pieces and blitz them in the food processor until finely chopped
  • Put the mushrooms in 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
3

Make the filling

  • 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
4

When the ragu is simmering, make the bechamel

  • When the ragu is simmering, make the bechamel
  • 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
  • Add the plant based milk to the pan, a small amount at a time, stirring constantly until all the milk has been used
  • Once all the milk is in the pan, 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 bechamel and season to perfection with salt and pepper
5

Now build the 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
  • 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

Tips & Variations

  • Get ahead on the roasting: You can roast all the vegetables the day before and keep them in the fridge. It actually makes the whole build much more relaxed on the day, and the flavours develop even more overnight.
  • Don't skimp on the seasoning: Parsnips and carrots need a generous hand with salt and pepper before they go in the oven. Under-seasoned veg is the easiest way to end up with a lasagne that tastes a bit flat, so be bold.
  • Leftovers are brilliant: Honestly, this might be even better the next day. Slice it cold, reheat in the oven covered with foil, and it holds together beautifully. Great for Boxing Day when you can't face cooking from scratch again.

Why This Works

The trick here is roasting the vegetables first before they go into the lasagne. It concentrates all those sweet, caramelised flavours and means you're not layering up watery veg that'll make the whole thing soggy. The rosemary and thyme get all fragrant in the oven, and that herby, festive flavour carries through every single layer.