Frying Pan Red Pesto Lasagne

Frying Pan Red Pesto Lasagne

This one is a proper weeknight hero. We came up with the frying pan lasagne when we wanted all the comfort of a proper lasagne but none of the faff, and honestly it's become one of our most-made recipes. You get that rich, smoky red pesto tomato sauce, hearty plant-based mince, and proper lasagne sheets all cooked together in one pan in just 35 minutes. The miso in the sauce is a little secret weapon that adds this deep, savoury backbone that makes everything taste like it's been slow-cooked for hours. Make this tonight and you will not be disappointed.

Cook: 35 min
Serves 4

Before You Start

  • Food processor
  • Blender
  • Large frying pan
  • Preheat oven to 200°C
  • Soak cashews (optional, for béchamel thickening)

Ingredients

  • 1 onion diced
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 400g can of tomatoes
  • 2 tbsp white miso
  • 680ml Passata
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 80g tomato purée
  • 220g plant-based mince
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • 2 tsp soft brown sugar
  • 185g sun-dried tomato pesto
  • 100ml red wine
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 1 handful of cashews optional
  • 50g plant-based parmesan
  • 250ml plant-based cream
  • 200ml oat milk
  • 2 tbsp Nooch
  • 1 tsp nutmeg
  • Salt & pepper to taste
  • plant-based parmesan to taste
  • 200g plant-based mozzarella
  • 250g plant-based lasagne sheets
  • fresh basil
  • 1 handful of fresh basil

Method

1

Make the tomato sauce

  • Peel and dice the onion, and add these with the peeled garlic cloves to the food processor with the smoked paprika, tinned tomatoes, miso, passata and blitz to combine 
2

Make the ragu

  • Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat
  • Add the mince and salt to the pan and fry until browned on all sides
  • Add the tomato purée and sugar and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring well to combine with the mince
  • Add the wine and cook off until most of the wine has evaporated
  • Pour in the blended tomato sauce and jar of pesto and mix to combine, bring up to the boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer
  • Let the ragu bubble away for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally while you make the béchamel
3

Make the cheat’s béchamel

  • Add all the ingredients to a blender and blitz to combine
  • Add some cashews to thicken the sauce if wanted
4

Make the lasagne

  • Take the pan off heat, then snap the lasagne sheets into large chunks and push them down into the ragu to fold them all through the sauce, and making the top as flat as possible
  • Tip the béchamel over the top of the ragu and spread it evenly with the back of a spoon
  • Grate over the remaining plant-based parmesan and tear up the plant-based mozzarella and place on top
  • Transfer to the hot oven to brown for 25 minutes
  • Tear the basil leaves over the top and serve

Tips & Variations

  • Use good miso: We always go for a white or brown miso here. It sounds like a weird addition to an Italian sauce but trust us on this one, it adds a savouriness that you just can't get any other way.
  • Break the lasagne sheets: Don't worry about keeping them whole. Snap them into rough pieces so they fit the pan and cook evenly. It's more rustic and honestly looks great when you serve it.
  • Top it properly: A big dollop of vegan creme fraiche or cashew cream on top before serving takes this from great to absolutely banging. Henry always adds a bit of extra red pesto on top too for good measure.

Why This Works

The trick here is blitzing the onion, garlic, tinned tomatoes and miso together before it even hits the pan. That base sauce is already packed with flavour before anything else happens, so everything that builds on top of it just gets better and better. Cooking the lasagne sheets straight in the sauce also means they soak up all that smoky, tomatoey goodness rather than just sitting on top of it.