Vegetarian Bolognese Lasagna

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Author: Delphine Fortin
Prep Time: 1 hour
Cook Time: 30 mins
Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Yield: 8 servings 1x
Category: Savory
Diet: Vegetarian

Vegetarian bolognese lasagna feature layers of slow-cooked lentil ragù, pasta sheets and creamy bechamel sauce, all baked to a golden-brown perfection. You could hardly tell these bolognese lasagna are vegetarian!

Ingredients

Scale

For the vegetarian bolognese:

3 Tablespoons olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped roughly
2 sticks celery, chopped roughly
2 small carrots, chopped roughly
1 cup (80g) mushrooms, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
½ cup (65g) walnuts, crushed
1 Tablespoon dried oregano
1 bay leaf, fresh or dry
½ cup (120 ml) red wine or balsamic vinegar
1 cup (200g) uncooked beluga or Puys lentils, rinsed*
1 ½ cup (360 ml) vegetable stock, or more as needed
1 28-ounces can (800g) crushed tomatoes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
9 oven-ready (no boil) lasagna noodles**
5.3 ounces (150g) grated cheese

For the bechamel:

1 cup (140g) all-purpose flour
½ cup (140g) unsalted butter, diced
4 cups (1L) milk, warmed
1 pinch ground nutmeg
Salt and freshly ground pepper

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Instructions

For the filling:

For the vegetarian bolognese, place the onions, carrots and celery in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade; pulse until finely minced but not puréed.
In a smaller food processor, pulse walnuts until crushed.
Heat olive oil in a large pot placed over medium heat, and add the minced vegetables. Cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Add crushed walnuts, oregano, garlic and cook a couple more minutes. Season with salt and pepper and give it a good stir.
Pour the red wine and cook until the alcohol evaporates. Add bay leaf, lentils, vegetable stock, crushed tomatoes, and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and let simmer for about 30 minutes, or until the lentils are cooked, stirring from time to time as not to burn the base of the sauce. Add more stock or water as needed, little by little, to loosen the sauce whenever it is looking dry. Taste and adjust seasoning to your preference.
For the bechamel, melt butter in a saucepan. Add the flour, all at once, and whisk well. While still whisking, slowly pour the warm (not cold!) milk, until the bechamel sauce thickens and becomes creamy, about 10 minutes (it should coat the back of a spoon). Add nutmeg, salt and pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.

For assembling the lasagna:

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and grease the bottom and sides of a 13×9″ baking dish (33×23 cm) with olive oil.
For assembling the lasagna, spread a thin layer of bechamel sauce at the bottom of the dish. Layer the lasagna noodles, the vegetarian bolognese, the bechamel sauce, the grated cheese, and repeat (noodles, bolognese, bechamel, grated cheese). Finish up with a layer of lasagna noodles and cover generously with bechamel and grated cheese. You should have 3 generous layers of noodles in your lasagna.
Bake for about 30-35 minutes, until lasagna are fully baked. Broil on high for a few extra minutes, monitoring the oven closely to ensure the top is browned but not burned. Sprinkle with fresh basil leaves, and enjoy!

Notes

* Beluga lentils are large, plump black lentils that are available in specialty gourmet stores. They have a delicate flavor and a slightly firmer texture than small, green French Puys lentils. I prefer using the beluga for this bolognese lasagna recipe, but Puys lentils can work too ; just make sure the ragù is saucy enough, or loosen it up with a little bit of water or stock if necessary.

** Sometimes called oven-ready lasagna noodles or no-boil lasagna noodles, these noodles do not require you cook them prior using in the oven. This will spare you some precious time to make this lasagna recipe.