Meatfree Monday - Mushroom & Silverbeet Lasagne

I love a good, hearty lasagne. And to get that heartiness in a vegetarian dish - always add mushrooms! I found this recipe and thought it was a good basic idea. A great starting point for an easy lasagne. Also, as I try to budget more and more (it's amazing how much those boys can eat!!) I switched up a bit of the original ingredients for more of a budget conscious mind.

This is what you need...



Mushroom & Silverbeet Lasagne

Ingredients : 

• 1 cup mushrooms, roughly chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 400 g whole peeled tomatoes in tomato juice
• 1/2 tbsp dried thyme
• 1/2 tbsp dried oregano
• 5-6 large silverbeet leaves, stems removed and chopped
• 250 g cottage cheese
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 1/2 cup grated cheese
• 8-10 lasagne noodles (oven ready or instant is fine)
• a little olive oil
• salt & pepper

The Method : 

1. Pop the mushrooms with a little olive oil into a small skillet and salt. The mushrooms will start to release their moisture, when this happens, add the onions and cook for another 5 minutes or so.
2. Add the garlic a cook a little bit more.
3. Next, add the tomatoes to the mushroom mix along with the thyme and oregano. Simmer on a low heat for at least 15 minutes. The whole tomatoes will began to break down as it cooks.
4. Meanwhile, blanch the silverbeet quickly in boiling water and drain. Let it cool a bit before you squeeze out as much water as you can.
5. While you're doing all of this with your eight arms, mix together the cottage cheese, 1 cup of the grated cheese, the egg, a little salt and pepper and the silverbeet once it has cooled and been drained.
6. Preheat your oven to the usual 180C.
7. So, now you should have these things... A red sauce with heaps of mushrooms, garlic and onions. A cheesy mix with silverbeet. And your noodles.
8. Take a bit of sauce and smooth it around the bottom of your lasagne baking tray. Put down your first noodles and start layering!
9. Everyone has their own method of layering preferences, but starting from the very bottom - cheese, noodles, red sauce, noodles, cheese, noodles, red sauce, noodles, and topped with a little extra sauce and finally the remaining 1/2 cup of grated cheese.
10. Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes, then remove the foil and bake another 25 minutes.
11. Take it out of the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes before cutting and serving up.

The boys loved this on the first go. So did I! It lasts in the fridge for about a week, so it was perfect to have for lunches. 

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