BEST Veggie Lasagne
Few years ago, I was back in Paris for holiday and stepped in this little restaurant for dinner. I ordered the veggie lasagne and seriously after one bite, I knew this was the best lasagne I’ve ever had in my entire life. I took a picture of the menu and over the years, I’d take notes and try out different ingredients or methods before recently I finally mastered it. After one bite, I was transported back to Paris on that cold, Dec. evening enjoying this amazing dish.
I truly hope you all add this to your own recipe book and make it this fall because it truly is a keeper! You will have your friends and family begging for you to make it. I love making extra and bringing them to neighbors or as I did in this video, had a few friends over so we could all enjoy together.
With cooking, you have much more flexibility so if there are other seasonings you’d like to swap out, or add – by all means, make it your own! This is just a foundation to what I believe is the best lasagne I’ve ever had but you may want a different cheese or different spice – go crazy! If you change anything up, please comment below because I love hearing how people make recipes their own. ENJOY! (And you know I served one of my fave summer desserts afterwards – not a clean bowl in site! Click here for my Strawberry Lemon Possets.
Recipe
Start by grating 3 cups of mozzarella cheese, 2 cups of gouda – mix only these two cheeses together. Buy or freshly shave 1 1/2 cups of parmesan. Set aside. This will be your cheese mixture.
Chop:
- 3 large carrots
- 1 zucchini
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 russet potato
- 3 celery stalks
- 1 eggplant
- Set aside
Chop:
- 1 1/2 cups of white mushrooms
- Saute in pot with 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- Once golden, remove and set aside.
Add 2 more tablespoons of olive oil, add in a full chopped white onion. Cook until translucent. Then add 3 chopped garlic gloves and 1 tsp of sugar. Stir around briefly. Then add the veggies back in.
After you mix all the veggies together, add in 2 cans of 14 oz. chopped tomatoes, 1 cup of water, and 1 tablespoon of tomato paste. Stir and add in your seasoning mixture. (1 tsp thyme, 1 1/2 tsp oregano, 1 tsp rosemary, 1 tsp Italian seasoning and salt/pepper to taste. Simmer on low while you cook the pasta and béchamel sauce.
Béchamel sauce recipe:
- Melt 4 tablespoons unsalted butter.
- Add 1/3 cup all-purpose flour. Stir.
- Add 3 cups of whole milk and immediately stir to try and dissolve clumps.
- Add 1/2 tsp of nutmeg and a sprinkle of salt/pepper.
- Continue to stir. You’ll know it’s done when you can dip a spoon and the liquid sticks to the back.
Now you’re ready to layer. I start by adding a layer of the béchamel sauce to the bottom of the lasagne dish. Then layer pasta, veggies, béchamel, cheese mixture with parmesan going on top. Repeat 2 more times.
Cook for 35 minutes on 375° F.
BEST KEPT SECRET TIP WITH LASAGNE: Cook the day before. Let set in fridge overnight so it will firm up. Twenty minutes before you need it served, slice and put in oven for 18 minutes on 350°F. I like to add a thin layer of leftover béchamel sauce and cheese on top. It’s pure perfection when it comes out of the oven.
