Celeriac lasagne? We know a lasagne mainly with minced meat and with lasagne leaves made of wheat and eggs. This time we go for the vegan version: we swap the minced meat for red lentils - we are grateful to the Instagram community for this tasty tip. And for the lasagne leaves, we use a celeriac. Yes, you read correctly: you can slice this beautiful seasonal vegetable and then you have delicious, healthy lasagne leaves! Give it a try!
Celeriac lasagne
The celeriac was a forgotten vegetable, but in recent years we have been seeing more and more of it. In soups, as chips, as mashed potatoes or fried in cubes. Remarkably, this vegetable has a slightly sweet taste. Very special, so it can be used in many ways. I also see it more and more often on the plates of luxury restaurants. Will it get an uplift from ‘forgotten‘ to a ’delicacy‘? Who knows, I hope not. On the contrary, I am very happy that you can get it for a euro in winter. The celeriac is a wonderful winter vegetable that grows in the full soil of the Netherlands. Another sustainable choice!
To complete the list of ideas: the firm celeriac can also be sliced and used as a lasagne sheet. By doing so, you give a classic Italian dish a vegan and Dutch twist. And it doesn't miss the lasagne. Delicious!
Get reacquainted with celeriac
‘Celeriac is the tuber of the celery plant. So you can eat the plant from head to toe. Celeriac is not only a sustainable, but also a healthy choice. The vegetable is high in fibre and is a source of vitamin C, vitamin K and calcium: minerals you need to build and maintain bones and teeth. Moreover, celeriac is relatively low in calories, so you can eat a lot of it.’
Source: Allanctions
Vegan bolognese sauce to go with that lasagne with celeriac
That vegan bolognese sauce is also a story of its own. I find it unfortunate that many meat substitutes, including vegan minced meat, are often so salty. Can that be changed? The followers on Instagram were ahead of me, as quite a few tipped to use dried red lentils in bolognese sauce instead of (vegan) minced meat. I thought that was a fun and original idea. Besides, red lentils are healthy. They are packed with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, fibre and plant proteins. So lentils are very nutritious and their high protein content makes them an excellent meat substitute. Besides, they are cheap and quick to prepare. So reason enough to grab this tip with both hands. At home, I always have a big jar of dried red lentils, so I could get started right away.
The bolognese sauce is now used for a lasagne, but of course it is also very tasty with a pasta dish. In the picture, the slices are still a bit thick; try to cut them thinner than in the picture!
Celeriac lasagne with a vegan red lentil bolognese sauce
Kitchenware
- frying pan
- (saucepan)
- baking dish
- cutting board
- sharp vegetable knife
- peeler or cheese slicerto make thin slices of the tuber
Ingredients
For the lasagne sheets
- 1 celeriac
- 1 rusk
- 1 bag grated cheese or vegan grater
For the vegan bolognese sauce
- 1 cup dried red lentils
- 1 onion shredded
- 4 toes garlic chopped
- 4 large tomatoes diced
- 2 purple carrots very thinly sliced replace with ordinary carrots
- 2 tin peeled tomatoes
- 1 el Italian herbs
For the béchamel sauce
- 50 gr vegetable butter
- 50 gr flower
- 500 ml whole milk or vegetable milk
- 1 pinch of nutmeg
Instructions
Preparing lasagne sheets
- Halve the celeriac so that it lies firmly on your cutting board.
- Now peel the celeriac with a sharp knife.
- Then cut the celeriac into thin slices of max 2 mm.
- Blanch the slices until they start to soften.
- Drain and set aside.
Making vegan bolognese sauce
- Heat oil in a tall (frying) pan.
- Fry the onion and carrot for 3 minutes on medium heat.
- Add the garlic and fry for another minute.
- Add the lentils and fry for 5 minutes.
- Add the cans of peeled tomato, diced tomatoes and the Italian herbs and stir the sauce well.
- Simmer gently for at least 30 minutes (longer is also possible).
Making béchamel sauce
- Melt the butter in a pan.
- Using a whisk, stir the flour into the butter.
- Continue to cook and stir gently until the mixture takes on a sandy texture.
- While stirring constantly, add the (vegetable) milk little by little.
- Keep heating and stirring until the sauce reaches the right thickness, then immediately remove from the heat.
- Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.
Making lasagne leaves
- Grease a baking dish with some olive oil.
- Put a layer of lasagne sheets (slices of tuber) on the bottom, pour a layer of bolognese sauce on top and a layer of béchamel sauce.
- Repeat the previous until the lasagne has a total of three or four of these layers.
- Crumble a rusk and spread a layer of crumbs on top of the lasagne.
- Cover the entire lasagne with the grated cheese or vegan grater.
Baking lasagne
- Preheat the oven to 200°C.
- Put the casserole in the oven for 20 minutes.
- Serve the celeriac lasagne with a nice glass of red wine and enjoy!
More recipes from thegreenlist.nl
- Also see: stuffed peppers with spinach, a weekday topper with kids!
- Also see: vegan pea soup with spice, also a classic!
- Also see: fennel dish, a delicious seasonal dish for the summer season!
Photo credits: thegreenlist.nl.
