BORED OF LUNCH – THE HEALTHY SLOW COOKER BOOK

By Darina Allen In Saturday Letter February 26, 2023 8 Min read

I aim for one Vegetarian day every week and when I’m craving pasta or something warming, this doesn’t disappoint. I love lasagne and this veggie version is packed full of flavour after a long, slow cook. I never say no to lasagne.

This is a perfect midweek meal with garlic bread, salad and light coleslaw.

Serves 6

120g (scant 4 ½oz) pine nuts or other nuts

3 x 400g (14oz) tins of chopped tomatoes

1 tablespoon red pesto

5 garlic cloves, crushed

2 teaspoons vegetable bouillon powder

1 tablespoon dried oregano

1 tablespoon dried thyme

1 tablespoon tomato purée

1 courgette, finely chopped

1 red pepper, finely chopped

1 onion, finely chopped

100g (3 ½oz) mushrooms, finely chopped

handful of fresh basil, chopped

1 aubergine, sliced

8 sheets of dried lasagne

1-2 tablespoons basil pesto

100g (3 ½oz) ricotta cheese (or extra Mozzarella)

100g (3 ½oz) Mozzarella, shredded

1 large tomato, sliced

salt and pepper, to taste

Place the pine nuts, tinned tomatoes, red pesto, garlic, vegetable bouillon, herbs and tomato purée in a food processor and blitz for 15-20 seconds until the pine nuts are in small pieces but still have some texture. Place the mixture in a mixing bowl, season to taste and add the courgette, red pepper, onion, mushrooms and fresh basil.

Place one-third or the vegetable mixture in the slow cooker and top with one-third of the aubergine slices and one-third of the lasagne, breaking up the sheets to fit the pot. Dot with one-third of the basil pesto, one-third of the ricotta and one-quarter of the Mozzarella. Repeat the layers until the ingredients are used up, finishing with the remaining Mozzarella and the sliced tomato on top of the final layer of lasagne sheets.

Cook on high for 4 hours. If you have an ovenproof slow cooker pot, place it without the lid under a preheated grill for 10 minutes to create a golden crust on top.