Mushroom & Silverbeet Vegetable Lasagna
An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott
Preparation time: 35 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Serves: 8-10
- Oil for frying
- 2 large onions, peeled and sliced
- 6 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
- 700g/25oz bunch silverbeet or chopped spinach
- 250g/8.8ozs. mushrooms
- 2 sprigs thyme
- 250g dried lasagne sheets (8 sheets to make 4 layers)
- 200g/7ozs mozzarella
- 1 cup/120g/4ozs. grated parmesan
Bechamel sauce
- 100g/3.5ozs butter
- 100g/3.5ozs flour
- 4 cups/1 litre milk, hot
- 1 cup/120g/4ozs grated parmesan
- 1.5 teaspoons salt
- Pinch of nutmeg
Step 1 - Separate the stalks from the greens in the silverbeet. Finely chop the stems and roughly chop the greens and keep separate. Also finely chop the mushrooms. Add oil to a large pot and fry the onions on medium heat until softened (around 5 minutes). Add the garlic and fry for a minute. Add the chopped silverbeet stems and cook until soft. Then add the mushrooms, thyme and silverbeet greens and sauté for 6-8 minutes until the water is released from the mushrooms and the filling is cooked through. Season with salt and pepper to taste and set aside.
Step 2 - Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. In another pot make the bechamel sauce. Melt the butter on medium heat and then stir in the flour and cook for around 1 minute using a spatula. Switch to a whisk and gradually add in the hot milk using the whisk to get rid of any lumps. Add the parmesan cheese, salt and nutmeg and allow to thicken further and taste for seasoning adding more salt and pepper if needed.
Step 3 - Spread a third of the bechamel on the base of a baking dish and layer with two sheets of lasagna. Top with half of the silverbeet mixture, then layer with lasagne sheets and another third of the bechamel, then lasagne sheets and then the rest of the vegetable mixture. Finish off with a layer of lasagne sheets (you should have 4 layers of lasagne sheets in total) and then bechamel. Top with mozzarella and parmesan and bake for 30-35 minutes turning halfway to ensure even browning. Allow to cool for an hour which makes it easier to cut.
Thermomix Directions
Step 1 - Place the onions in the Thermomix and set to Speed #5, 20 seconds scraping down halfway. Remove and then add garlic and set to Speed #5, 10 seconds and set aside both separately. Separate the stalks from the greens in the silverbeet. Place the stems in the thermomix bowl and set to Speed #5, 15 seconds and keep separate in a bowl. Add the leafy greens and set to Speed #5, 10 seconds and place in another bowl. Add the mushrooms to the Thermomix and set to Speed #5, 10 seconds. Add oil to a large pot and fry the onions first on medium heat until softened (around 5 minutes). Add the garlic and fry for a minute. Add the finely chopped silverbeet stems and cook until soft. Then add the mushrooms, thyme and silverbeet greens and sauté for 6-8 minutes until the water is released from the mushrooms and the filling is cooked through. Season with salt and pepper to taste and set aside.
Step 2 - Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Make the bechamel sauce. Add the butter, flour, milk, parmesan, salt and nutmeg into the Thermomix bowl and set to 10 minutes, Speed #4, 90C. Taste for seasoning adding more salt and pepper if needed.
Step 3 - Spread a third of the bechamel on the base of a baking dish and layer with two sheets of lasagna. Top with half of the silverbeet mixture, then layer with lasagne sheets and another third of the bechamel, then lasagne sheets and then the rest of the vegetable mixture. Finish off with a layer of lasagne sheets (you should have 4 layers of lasagne sheets in total) and then bechamel. Top with mozzarella and parmesan and bake for 30-35 minutes turning halfway to ensure even browning. Allow to cool for an hour which makes it easier to cut.