Vegetarian leek and mushroom lasagna

ServeS 8

Ingredients:

½ cup olive oil

4 leeks, cut into ¼in (5mm) slices

1¼lb (550g) cremini mushrooms, sliced and 9oz (250g) cremini mushrooms, grated

2–3 red chiles, seeded and finely chopped

6 garlic cloves, chopped

2/3 cup dry white wine

small handful of fresh thyme leaves

2 tbsp all-purpose flour

3 cups milk

12oz (350g) medium-sharp Cheddar cheese, grated

6 tomatoes, coarsely chopped

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1lb (450g) oven-ready lasagna noodles

2 tomatoes, sliced

Method:

1 Heat the oil in a large heavy-based saucepan, add the leeks, and sauté over low heat, for 5 minutes or until starting to soften. Stir in the mushrooms and cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes or until they release their juices. Add the chiles and garlic and cook for 1 minute. Pour in the wine, raise the heat, and allow

to bubble for 3 minutes while the alcohol evaporates.

2 Stir in the thyme, then add the flour and mix well. Add a little ofthe milk, mix well, then add the rest of the milk and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add almost all the cheese (reserve some for the topping), remove from heat, and combine well. Add the coarsely chopped tomatoes and season with sea salt and ground black pepper.

3 Put a ½in (1cm) layer of the mixture in the bottom of a large freezer-proof baking pan, then cover evenly with a layer of the lasagna noodles. Pour in another layer of sauce and cover with lasagna noodles. Repeat the process until all the sauce is used up you need to finish with a layer of sauce. Top with the remaining cheese and the sliced tomatoes.

4 Let cool completely, then doublewrap the dish in plastic wrap and freeze for up to 3 months. To serve, remove the plastic wrap and place the dish straight from the freezer to an oven preheated to 350°F (180°C) for 30–40 minutes or until browned on top and piping hot inside.

Vegetarian leek and mushroom lasagna