Jem’s Gluten Free Eats

Italians – I apologise in advance for this one… Is it a crime against lasagne? Maybe. But how can something so wrong, taste so good?

Even if you’re a lover of a traditional lasagne, you have to give this a try. It’s succulent, it’s smokey and so moreish – and this substitute for the classic beef mince makes it so much lighter.

SERVES 4-6

Ingredients:

• 12 gluten free lasagne sheets
• Cheddar cheese/mozzarella, grated (for topping) (optional)

For the meat sauce:

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 sweet potato, cubed
• 1 courgette, sliced
• 2 red peppers, chopped
• 1 red onion, chopped
• A large handful of mushrooms, sliced
• 12 gluten free pork sausages, sliced
• 2 tsp smoked paprika
• 400g passata
• 1 tsp sugar
• 3 garlic cloves, finely sliced or crushed
• 2 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp dried rosemary

For the white sauce:

• 1 large tbsp butter
• 2 heaped tablespoon gluten free plain flour
• 600ml semi-skimmed milk
• 50g cheddar cheese, grated

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees fan. Put your chopped vegetables in a large roasting tin and add your olive oil and paprika. Stir until the vegetables are coated in the oil and add you sausages. Roast in the oven for approximately 40 minutes until the vegetables have softened and the sausages are cooked through.

On a medium heat, bring your passata to boil in a large pan. Add your garlic, sugar (to take the bitterness away from the tomatoes), rosemary and basil. Proceed to add your roasted vegetables and sausages, season well with salt and pepper and reduce to a low heat.

Meanwhile, start to prepare your white sauce by melting your butter on a high heat. Proceed to add your flour and whisk until it forms a paste. Slowly add your milk, continuously whisking to avoid any lumps. Once the sauce has thickened (if it gets too thick, add a splash more milk), reduce to a medium heat and add your grated cheese. Continue to whisk until the cheese has melted and the sauce is smooth.

In a large oven-proof dish (approximately 20cm by 30cm), start to assemble your lasagne. Pour a third of your meat sauce to into the dish and distribute evenly over the base of the dish. Then top with four sheets of lasagne and then pour over a third of your white sauce. Repeat this step two more times (so there will be three layers of goodness in total).

Sprinkle over some more grated cheese and bake in a preheated oven (180 degrees) for 40 minutes until the pasta is soft and the top is golden brown. I would recommend covering with tin foil for the first 30 minutes and removing it for the last 10 so the top crisps up.