Nooch Lasagne

Nooch Lasagne

This is genuinely one of the lasagnes we're most proud of, and we've made a lot of lasagnes. The secret weapon is nutritional yeast, or 'nooch' as we always call it, which gives the whole thing this deep, cheesy, savoury richness that honestly blows people away when they find out it's completely plant-based. The mushroom mince is the other thing we're obsessed with here, it goes so meaty and satisfying once you cook off all that moisture. Layers of that, a silky nooch sauce, and tender pasta sheets all baked together until bubbling and golden. Make this for a dinner party, make it for a quiet Sunday, just make it.

Cook: 95 min
Serves 8

Before You Start

  • Preheat oven to 180°C
  • Food processor
  • 2 large pans
  • Saucepan
  • Whisk
  • Lasagne dish
  • Baking sheet
  • Tin foil
  • Grater

Ingredients

  • 4 tbsp olive oil
  • 1kg mushrooms
  • 3 large cloves of garlic
  • 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
  • 6 sprigs of fresh thyme
  • 2 red onions
  • 3 celery stick
  • 2 medium carrots
  • 10 sundried tomatoes
  • 250ml vegan red wine
  • 2 tbsp sun-dried tomato paste
  • 2 400g tins of plum tomatoes
  • 250ml water
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 tbsp Marmite
  • 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • Salt & pepper
  • 300g plant-based lasagne sheets
  • 75g plant-based butter
  • 125g plain flour
  • 50g Nooch
  • ½ tsp nutmeg
  • 1 ½ litre oat milk
  • Salt & pepper

Method

1

Start the mushrooms

  • Halve the mushrooms and blitz them in the food processor into a coarse mince (you will have to do this in batches - don’t wash the processor)
  • Peel and grate the garlic
  • Warm 3 tbsp olive oil in one of the pans over medium high heat
  • Add the mushrooms and the garlic, stir to combine and fry for 15 minutes stirring occasionally to prevent catching, until most of the moisture has evaporated and you have a really meaty mince
2

Prepare the mirepoix and herbs

  • Peel and roughly chop the onions into 1 inch chunks
  • Trim the celery and cut into 1 inch pieces
  • Trim and peel the carrots and cut into 1cm chunks
  • Add the onion, celery and carrot into the food processor and blitz into very small dice
  • Warm the remaining olive oil the second pan over medium high heat, add the mirepoix (celery, onion and carrot) and fry for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent catching
  • Add the red wine and simmer for 3 minutes
  • Pick the rosemary springs and thyme leaves by running your thumb and forefinger up the stems and finely dice
  • Add the rosemary and thyme to the mirepoix, stir to combine and stir for 2 minutes
3

Prepare the sauce

  • Finely slice the sun dried tomatoes
  • Once the aroma of the herbs have been released, add the sun dried tomatoes and sundried tomato paste, stir to combine and simmer for 2 minutes
  • Add the tinned tomatoes to the pan, stir to combine
  • Add the water to the tins, swirl around to catch any remaining tomato juice, pour into the pan and simmer for 3 minutes
  • Pour the mushrooms into the tomato pan and stir to combine
  • Add the bay leaves, marmite, balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, stir to combine, turn the heat down and simmer for 15 minutes (Put the lid on leaving a gap - this will prevent your cooker from getting bubbled on)
4

Make the bechamel and build the lasagne

  • Warm the plant based butter in the saucepan over medium heat
  • Add the flour and whisk into the melted butter to form a roux
  • Add the nutritional yeast and nutmeg and stir to combine
  • Gradually add the oat milk, whisking constantly until you have a lovely smooth, silky cream
  • Taste and season to perfection with salt and pepper
  • Preheat the oven to 180*C
  • Taste the ragu and season to perfection with salt and pepper
  • Spread ¼ of the ragu out over the bottom of the lasagne dish
  • Spread ¼ of the bechamel over the ragu
  • Lay a single layer of lasagne sheets over the top of the bechamel
  • Repeat this process to use up all the ingredients, making sure your top layer is bechamel
  • Sprinkle a good pinch of pepper over the top of the lasagne
5

Cook and serve the lasagne

  • Tightly wrap the lasagne in tin foil, put the lasagne dish on a baking sheet, place in the oven and roast for 50 minutes
  • Take the lasagne out of the oven, remove the tin foil, put it back in the oven and roast for another 15 minutes
  • Take the lasagne out of the oven and leave to rest for 10 minutes
  • Cut the lasagne into 8 equal pieces
  • Use a spatula to transfer the pieces to serving plates, dress with simple green salad and serve immediately

Tips & Variations

  • Don't rush the mushrooms: We know it's tempting to move on after 5 minutes, but trust us on this one. Give them the full 15 minutes in the pan until they look almost like a proper mince. That's where all the flavour comes from.
  • Make it ahead: Henry always makes the two sauces the night before when he's got people coming over. Just store them separately in the fridge and assemble when you're ready. It actually tastes even better the next day.
  • Go heavy on the nooch: If you're a nooch fan, don't be shy. We often add an extra tablespoon or two to the white sauce and it just gets better and better.

Why This Works

The trick is really taking your time with the mushrooms. Blitzing them and then frying them low and slow until the moisture is almost completely gone transforms them into something genuinely meaty and intense, not watery or sad. And the nooch in the white sauce isn't just a flavour boost, it adds this incredible umami depth that makes the whole dish taste like it's been bubbling away for hours.