Lasagne - but make it pink; beetroot, chilli & goats’ cheese
This recipe is a furiously tasty riff on our all time favourite speedy pasta - and the most popular recipe on this site - our Faster-than-your-fusilli-beetroot pasta. It’s equally straitforward to prepare and infinitely easier than a traditional lasagne, a monstrous labour of love, let’s be honest.
While low in fat, the blended beetroot sauce has the smoothest, glossiest texture imaginable (thank you Vitamix!); it’s pure velvet and feels very rich, much like a Primitivo. You can read more on this food & wine pairing here. And the soft, natural sweetness of beetroot is cut with the lactic tang of creamy goats’ cheese; puy lentils keep things earthy and grounded, and red chilli adds a wickedly warming dimension to the overall flavour. This one is far more complex than its short ingredients’ list would have you believe.
Prep time: overnight soaking of lentils, plus 30 minutes simmering.
Cooking time: 35 minutes in the oven once prepped.
This recipe generously serves 2.
Ingredients :
¾ cup (150 g ) puy lentils, soaked overnight
125 g goats cheese
6 sheets wholegrain spelt lasagne
1 tsp chilli flakes
For the beetroot sauce:
500 g cooked beetroot (2 vac-packed packets; not pickled)
1 red chilli
2 tsp flakey sea salt
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
4 tbsp cider vinegar
1 small clove raw garlic, minced
16 tbsp water
Method:
Soak the lentils in a generous amount of cold water overnight. After 8 hours, drain and rinse well until the water runs clear.
Cover the lentils generously with salted water and bring to a very gentle simmer over a low heat with the lid on. Simmer gently for 25-30 minutes until cooked through though holding their shape. You can cook your lentils well in advance if you wish.
While the lentils are cooking whizz up the beetroot sauce in your blender until smooth and glossy, and preheat the oven to 190 degrees.
Drain the lentils and allow these to steam dry for 5-10 minutes to avoid any excess water creeping into your lasagne.
Layer up the lasagne in your chosen dish or individual dishes. Start with a spoonful of sauce, followed by a spoonful of lentils, some dots of goats cheese, a sheet of lasagne, and a second spoonful of sauce. Repeat this process 3 times, then pour any leftover sauce over the final layer. The lasagne will dehydrate and concentrate in the oven so don’t shy away from giving the top layer that extra sauce.
Top with a twist of pepper and some chilli flakes (optional), and bake in the preheated oven for 35 minutes.
Serve with a punchy green salad, we recommend a simple dressing of balsamic vinegar and olive oil.
