Meat-Free Mince Lasagne With Balsamic Salad

Preheat the oven to 220°C/ 200°C (fan)/ gas 7

Peel and finely chop your brown onion[s]

Top, tail, and finely dice your carrot[s]

Heat a large, wide-based pan (preferably non-stick) with a drizzle of olive oil over a medium heat

Once hot, add the chopped onion and diced carrot with a pinch of salt and cook for 4 min or until softened

Peel and finely chop (or grate) your garlic

Boil a kettle

Once the onion and carrot have softened, add your meat-free mince (remove the paper if required!) to the pan and increase the heat to medium-high

Cook for 4-5 min or until beginning to brown, breaking it up with a wooden spoon as you go

(Doubled your protein? Use 2 pans!)

Meanwhile, add 250ml [375ml] [500ml] milk to a measuring jug with your bay leaf[ves] and leave to infuse for 4-5 min

Dissolve your vegetable stock mix, tomato paste, Henderson's Relish, dried oregano and 1 tsp [1 1/2 tsp] [2 tsp] of sugar in 350ml [450ml] [600ml] boiled water – this is your tomato stock

Grate your Italian hard cheese

Once the mince is browned, add the chopped garlic and cook for 30 secs

Add the tomato stock and chopped tomatoes with a generous grind of black pepper and cook for 5-7 min or until thickened to a ragù-like consistency and the mince is cooked through – this is your ragù

Meanwhile, add 2 tbsp [3 tbsp] [4 tbsp] olive oil to a pot over a medium heat

Once hot, add 20g [30g] [40g] flour and stir with a wooden spoon for 1 min or until a sandy paste forms – this is your roux

Add the infused milk gradually and whisk for 5 min or until a smooth, thick sauce remains

Remove from the heat and season with a generous pinch of salt and pepper, remove the bay leaf[ves] and discard – this is your béchamel

Layer some of the ragù over the bottom of an oven-proof dish, then top with some of your lasagne sheets, repeat this process until you end up with a final layer of lasagne sheets

Tip: You may need to layer differently depending on the size of your dish

Cover with the béchamel, top with the grated Italian hard cheese and cover the dish[es] with tin foil, put the dish[es] in the oven and cook for 20-22 min or until the pasta is tender

Once the lasagne has had 20 min, remove the dish[es] from the oven and discard the tin foil, return the dish[es] to oven for a final 15 min or until the cheese is golden – this is your lasagne