I love this lasagna and have been making it for over 10 years. It packs in heaps of vegetables and health promoting lentils for protein, layered up with a creamy dairy free white sauce. For me lasagna needs to be easy so I can throw it together while trying to wrangle my two young children.

Serves 6-8

1 1/2 packets of lasagna pasta sheets (250g a pack)

2 1/2 cups frozen spinach

1 can lentils drained and rinsed *

2 cans tomato pasta sauce *

White sauce

1/2 cup flour

1/3 cup vegan margarine or olive oil

1/3 cup nutritional yeast

2 teaspoons vegetable stock

1 tablespoon miso paste (optional)

1 L plant milk (soy, oat or rice work well)

A large handful of fresh herbs (parsley, basil or thyme works well)

Mash

7 cups diced root vegetables (I like to use 2 large potatoes, 1 large kumara and 1/2 a pumpkin)

1/2 cup plant milk

1 tablespoon vegan margarine or olive oil

1 tablespoon onion powder

Crumble

1 cup cashew nuts

1 cup breadcrumbs

1 spring of rosemary

*Or I like to use pre frozen Lentil Spaghetti Bolognese sauce here

Vegetables

Peel root vegetables and chop into 3cm cubes, cover with water and cook in microwave or over the stove until soft. Drain well. Add the rest of mash ingredients (1/2 cup milk, margarine and onion powder) and mash well.

For the spinach place in a bowl (or pot if using stove) and cook for 10 minutes, drain and chop finely.

White sauce

You can make the white sauce while your root vegetables and spinach is cooking. For the white sauce combine flour and margarine and cook on a low-moderate heat for 5 minutes stirring often then slowly add milk while stirring vigorously to avoid lumps. Once all the milk is added add the rest of the white sauce ingredients (nutritional yeast, miso, stock and herbs). Continue to cook on a low heat, stirring often until thickens (about 5-8 minutes).

Crumble

Blitz cashews, breadcrumbs and rosemary together in a bullet or grinder.

Pre heat oven to 180 degrees.

To assemble: In a large baking dish add a layer of lasagna sheets. Spread all of mashed root vegetables on top. Add 1/4 of the white sauce over this. Add a new layer of lasagna sheets, then spread tomato pasta sauce and drained lentils as a layer, add another 1/4 of the white sauce. Add a new layer of the pasta sheets top with cooked chopped spinach and 1/4 white sauce. Add the last layer of pasta sheets top with the rest of the white sauce and spread the crumble on top.

Bake in the oven for 30 minutes, cover with tin foil or a baking tray and cook for another 15 minutes.