Is there anything in the world better than lasagne? It's rich, it's creamy, it's pasta... you can't go wrong. If you think you're bored of veggie lasagne, think again. This isn't the standard vegetable + tomato sauce lasagne that is so often served up as the only vegetarian dish on a menu. This puy lentil lasagne is something special!
Imagine your standard white sauce... now imagine it with soft goat's cheese melted through. Now imagine that creamy goat's cheese sauce slathered on top of a rich, autumnal mixture of puy lentils, mushrooms and thyme... it's enough to make you swoon!
As an added bonus, this veggie lasagne is also pretty straightforward to make, as far as lasagnes go - especially if you use those trusty sachets of cooked puy lentils like I did (I looove puy lentils!).
The lentil and mushroom mixture only takes a few minutes to make. As soon as your mushrooms, onion and garlic are cooked off, you're basically there. The goat's cheese sauce takes just a few minutes as well, and can be made alongside the lentils... basically, this is one speedy lasagne.
Not to blow my own trumpet or anything, but that is what I call some good layering.
To make this lasagne extra (extra extra) special, top it with a bit of mozzarella. None of this pre-shredded yellow stuff, I'm talking proper, fresh mozzarella that comes in a ball and can be torn into amazing, flaky chunks. Just throw it on top, and you'll end up with a beautifully crispy layer that's so satisfying to break through with a knife.
I love the way the sauce bubbles up in between the dots of crispy cheese... ugh, can you tell I want to be eating this again right now?
I have a feeling there will be several more lasagnes making appearances in my life this winter. They're the perfect winter warmer (especially with a slice or two of garlic bread!). Any favourite flavours you can recommend?
Puy lentil lasagne with creamy goat's cheese sauce
If you've cooked this recipe, don't forget to leave a star rating!
Print Pin CommentIngredients
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 red onion, finely diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 6 medium mushrooms, diced
- Salt
- Black pepper
- 250 g cooked puy lentils (~ 1 ⅔ cups)
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 30 g butter (~ 2 tbsp)
- 2 tablespoon plain flour
- 350 ml milk (~ 1 ½ cups)
- Pinch of ground nutmeg
- 100 g soft goat’s cheese, diced (~ ¾ cup when diced)
- ~6 sheets of no-boil lasagne
- 75 g fresh mozzarella, torn into chunks (~ ½ a small ball)
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large frying pan, and add the onion, garlic and mushrooms, along with a good pinch of salt and pepper. Cook over a medium heat for around 8 minutes, until the vegetables are very soft. Add the cooked lentils and dried thyme, and mix to combine.
- Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, melt the butter over a low heat, and add the flour. Mix well to form a roux, and cook for a minute or two, stirring constantly. Next add the milk a little at a time, stirring until smooth each time before adding more. When you’ve added all of the milk and the sauce is smooth, add a pinch of nutmeg, a good pinch of salt and pepper, and the diced goat’s cheese. Turn the heat up a touch, and cook for a few more minutes, stirring regularly, until the cheese has melted. If your goat’s cheese had a rind, the sauce will probably not be entirely smooth, but that’s okay.
- When the cheese has melted into the sauce, it’s time to assemble the lasagne in a baking dish (mine measured around 8 x 6 inches). At this point, begin to heat the oven to 190°C (Gas Mark 5 / 375°F).
- The exact order you layer things up doesn’t matter, but this is the order I used: 1tbsp sauce (spread around, to prevent the lasagne from sticking); a layer of lasagne sheets; ⅓ of the lentil mixture; ¼ of the remaining sauce; a layer of lasagne sheets; another ⅓ of the lentil mixture; another ¼ of the sauce; a layer of lasagne sheets; the remaining ⅓ of the lentil mixture; another ¼ of the sauce; a layer of lasagne sheets; the remaining ¼ of the sauce.
- Once you’ve assembled your lasagne and used up all of your ingredients, top it with the fresh mozzarella and a little more black pepper if desired. Place the dish in the oven, and bake for around 40 minutes, or until the pasta is fully cooked, and the cheese on top is golden brown. If you notice that the cheese is browning too quickly, just cover the dish with foil and return it to the oven.
Nutritional information is approximate, and will depend on your exact ingredients. Please calculate your own nutritional values if you require accuracy for health reasons.
Note: Nutritional information is approximate, and will depend on exactly what ingredients you choose.
Élodie says
This is such a good idea! I really like your lentil recipes because I find them pretty original. This dish is delicious and very creamy, plus easy and quick to make, perfect!
Becca @ Easy Cheesy Vegetarian says
Thank you so much Elodie! :)
Amy Lif says
I've had this recipe open in a tab on my phone for weeks now, I'm going to make it tonight I hope. I'm going to use oat milk (if it hasn't gone off). Do you reckon the lasagne will be okay to freeze?
Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche says
Haha I'm glad you've finally got around to cooking it :) I've not tried freezing it but I don't see why it wouldn't work well!
Henry P says
I made this last night, it was excellent. I'm not a vegetarian but I cook veggie a lot because my wife is.
Can't recommend this one highly enough. Amazing. Serve with a bit of salad, it's very rich!
Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche says
Yay thanks Henry! Yes it is quite rich - but delicious all the same :D
Cathi Lamoreux says
I made this last Tuesday and it was in the oven as a devastating wind storm hit in the NW. The power went off with 20 min on the timer (I was cooking it for 50 min because I had made a larger casserole). I left it in the oven for another hour and then we ate it. It was delicious! I made some changes due to food restrictions at our house. I used hemp milk in the sauce and on the top of portion of it I used more soft goat cheese as my husband cannot tolerate cow dairy.) I also used GF lasagne noodles due to celiac issues for a couple of us in the house. We have renamed it Stormy Casserole (my brother objected to using the word lasagne except for "traditional" lasagne!) It is a keeper and was even better (like most lasagnes) heated up last night. Yes, our power is back on. We are fortunate as many people are still in the dark and it is very cold here now.
Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche says
So glad you liked it and made it work for all your requirements (even if you gave it a new name, haha!). I hope you're all safe in the storm! Sounds nasty.
Bec says
I made this last night for dinner!
Definitely going into the "lets make this again and again" pile. I think I'll make extra white sauce next time though - it all seemed to get soaked up by the lentils heh. The boy didn't believe me that I'd put layers of the stuff in there.
Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche says
Yay glad you enjoyed it! And a saucier lasagne can never be a bad thing ;)
Tracy says
I don't like mushrooms so I'd have to switch them out (maybe tomatoes?) but otherwise this sounds delicious. Oh, and the crispy bit at the top - my favourite. Luckily my boyfriend is not a fan of the especially crispy bits so I get them all - yum!
Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche says
Tomatoes could work! And what?! The crispy bits are the best by far!! ;)