Vegetable lasagne

This rounded off a day of playing in tents (artfully constructed from a couple of blankets and some living room chairs), and a trip to the Winter Gardens in Sunderland. I think I prefer the bolognese version, but there were a whole load of veggies in the fridge desperate to be eaten.

You'll need:

2 onions, finely sliced
a pepper, sliced
a few mushrooms, quartered
a really large courgette (or a couple of smaller ones), sliced into rings
a carrot or two, sliced thinly lengthways
tin of chopped tomatoes
tomato puree
dried thyme, mixed herbs and black pepper
lots of grated cheese
sheets of lasagne (dried, not fresh)
1/4 pint of milk
a tablespoon of flour
a large knob of butter
grated nutmeg

Stick your oven on at about 180 degrees C.

First of all, you need to make your tomato/vegetable sauce. It takes a while to simmer, so I did this at lunchtime, because I knew I wouldn't have time later on.

Fry the onions in a little olive oil until they're soft and translucent. Add the peppers and carrot, and fry until they soften, chucking in the mushrooms after a few minutes (you may need to add some extra olive oil).

Tip in the tin of tomatoes, a squirt of tomato puree, and the thyme, mixed herbs and black pepper. Bring to the boil, then leave to simmer for ages - at least half an hour. It'll cope quite happily with up to 1.5 hours, but you'll probably need to add some extra water at some point.

Take your oven-proof dish, and cover the bottom with a layer of courgette slices. Top with half the tomato sauce, and a layer of lasagne sheets. Repeat - you'll end up with the pasta on the top.

You'll then need to make your white/bechamel sauce. Chuck the butter in a non-stick pan and let it melt. Add the flour, and mix to a smooth paste. Gently and gradually add the milk in small stages, beating any lumps in the paste out with a wooden spoon. Once all the milk's incorporated, grate a little nutmeg into the sauce, and leave on a very low heat to thicken (be careful it doesn't start to boil). If you haven't got time for all this shenanigans, you could always just use some creme fraiche.

Pour the sauce over the top of the lasagne sheets - ideally you want enough that it runs down the sides and into the lower layers. Season with lots of black pepper, sprinkle with lots of grated cheese, and put in the oven for 35-45 minutes, until the cheese is bubbling and starting to brown.

Eat while piping hot - it goes well with a crisp green salad.