Get saucy – vegan lasagna sauce

 

Lasagna is just such a classic meal.  I used to cook it all the time before going vegan, but was never sure how to transfer it over using plant based ingredients.

I should never have worried – the amount of plant based milks and cheeses around means lasagna will never go off the menu.  Plus you only need to substitute for some soy mince or lentils, or just make it all from veggies.  Most lasagna pasta sheets should be vegan (I use Biona Organic), so there’s no excuse!

This sauce can be used in any recipe you’d need a bechamel or white sauce.  Lasagna is just one – give it a go on pasta, potato gratin or as a base for a mustard sauce or macaroni cheese.  It shouldn’t be a prominent flavour in the food that you are adding it to, so don’t go crazy on the flavourings.

Ingredients

4 Tbsp vegan butter

1/2 small white onion, minced

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1/4 cup cornstarch

2 cups plant based milk (I use hemp milk but you can use soy or a milk that’s not too sweet)

juice of half a lemon

1 Tbsp nutritional yeast

1 tsp dried thyme (or one Tbsp of chopped fresh thyme if you have it to hand)

rock salt & cracked black pepper to taste

Instructions

Add the butter, onion and garlic to a medium sized saucepan and heat on medium heat until the onions are translucent and the butter has melted (around 2-3 minutes).

Add the cornstarch and stir until combined (it will be clumpy!).

While stirring, add the remaining ingredients apart from the thyme.  Reduce heat and whisk until the sauce is at the required thickness.

Remove from the heat and stir in thyme.

Serve as lasagna sauce, over cauliflower/broccoli or in potato gratin.

 

Time to make: 5 minutes prep, 5 minutes on the hob = 10 minutes

On a scale of easy (1) to pull your hair out difficult (5) =  2 – have to keep an eye on the sauce while it’s on the hob.

#nowplaying Yak – Use Somebody