Slow-baked vegetable ‘lasagne’
By:
Tristan Welch
-
Published: 6 Feb 20
-
Updated: 18 Mar 24
“This is the time of year to take advantage of the variety of root vegetables available. They bake wonderfully and are great in slow-cooked dishes. This crumble-topped ‘lasagne’ works well as a side but could be a main course in itself.” – Tristan Welch
Not quite the right recipe you’re after? We’ve got classic lasagne, vegetarian versions and recipes with a twist in our lasagne recipe collection.
-
Serves 6
-
Hands-on time 45 min, oven time 60-65 simmering time 10 min
Ingredients
- 2 large carrots, very finely sliced lengthways
- 1 medium onion, finely sliced
- 2 turnips, finely sliced
- 2 beetroot, finely sliced
- 2 medium potatoes, finely sliced
- 350g roasted red peppers (from a jar), drained
For the white sauce
- 700ml whole milk
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 fresh thyme sprigs
- 30g butter
- 30g plain flour
For the crumble topping
- 50g butter
- 1 shallot, finely diced
- 4 stale bread slices (or toasted fresh bread), broken into chunks
- 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh flatleaf parsley leaves
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh lemon thyme leaves
- 1 tbsp blanched hazelnuts
You’ll also need…
- Large baking dish, greased with butter; food processor
Good to have…
- Mandoline or food processor slicing attachment (see tip)
Method
- For the white sauce, put the milk in a medium saucepan, add the bay leaves and thyme, bring to a simmer, then set aside to infuse for 10-15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, melt the 30g butter in a medium saucepan over a low-medium heat. Once foaming, quickly stir in the flour, then cook, whisking, for 2-3 minutes. Gradually add the infused milk, whisking all the time. Once all the milk has been incorporated, simmer gently for 10 minutes. Season to taste, then discard the herbs and keep the sauce warm until needed.
- Heat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/gas 4. Layer the vegetables in the prepared baking dish, alternating the different kinds of vegetable evenly, making sure they get right into the corners of the dish and seasoning with salt and pepper as you go. Pour over the white sauce to fully cover the vegetables, transfer to the oven and bake for 40-45 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.
- Meanwhile, make the crumble topping. Melt half the 50g butter in a small pan over a low-medium heat until bubbling, then stir in the shallot and cook for 5 minutes or until softened and lightly golden. Transfer to the bowl of a food processor with the remaining butter, the bread, herbs and nuts. Season with salt and pepper, then whizz to a rough crumble.
- Sprinkle the crumble mixture over the baked vegetables, then return to the oven for 20 minutes or until the crumble topping is golden brown.
Recipe from January 2020 Issue
Nutrition
Nutrition: per serving
- Calories
- 423kcals
- Fat
- 19.2g (10.4g saturated)
- Protein
- 11.5g
- Carbohydrates
- 46.8g (18g sugars)
- Fibre
- 8.7g
- Salt
- 1.2g
delicious. tips
A mandoline/slicing attachment will save a lot of time when slicing the root vegetables thinly and evenly.
Tristan makes a delicious vegetable stock from veg peelings. Just wash them, put them in a pan, pour over water to cover, then add a bay leaf and some thyme and simmer gently for 45 minutes.
A dry but fairly rich, ripe white wine is the best partner. Make it a white burgundy, and preferably a southern example, such as a mâcon-villages, for extra softness and a buttery note. Mâcon is good value too.
If you’re after a soft drink, a high-quality bottled cloudy apple juice will suits this dish.