A Cauliflower, Leek, and Kale Vegetable Lasagne is a perfect winter vegetable lasagne, full of nutrients, filling, and budget-friendly. A white cheese sauce goes perfectly with these vegetables (think cauliflower cheese) which are sandwiched between lasagne sheets and topped with cheddar cheese to add extra flavour.
Vegetable lasagnas are a great way to enjoy easy one-pot meat-free meals. If you're looking for more vegetarian lasagne dishes, you might also like my Quorn Lasagne or Vegetarian Lasagne with Mediterranean Veg or Spinach and Ricotta. For another cauliflower pasta recipe, try my Cauliflower Cheese Pasta Bake with Spinach.
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Instructions
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4. Put the cauliflower into a pan of cold water, bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the kale and simmer for a further 1 minute. Remove from the heat and drain.
In a separate pan, fry the leeks in the olive oil for around 5 minutes and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add the garlic to the pan and fry for a further 2 minutes. Add the leek and garlic to the drained cauliflower and kale.
To Make the Cheese Sauce
To make the cheese sauce, add the butter, flour, milk, hot vegetable stock, and mustard to a pan, and bring to a boil stirring all the time. Once it is bubbling, stir in half the cheese. Taste the sauce to see if you need more cheese as the amount depends very much on how mature the cheese is. Let the sauce simmer for a couple of minutes, stirring occasionally.
Pour one-third of the sauce in with the vegetables and stir. This is to stop the bottom layer of vegetables from sticking to the lasagne dish.
Assemble the lasagne as follows. A layer of vegetables, a layer of lasagne sheets, and half the remaining cheese sauce. The rest of the vegetables, a layer of lasagne sheets. Pour the remainder of the sauce over the top, spreading it out to the edges. and sprinkle the rest of the cheese over the top. add more cheese if necessary.
Sprinkle the rest of the cheese over the top. add more cheese if necessary.
Hint: Sprinkle some bread crumbs over the top to create a delicious crispy topping. Bread crusts that often go to waste or are slightly stale bread can easily be made into bread crumbs and used up in this way rather than thrown away.
Variations
This cauliflower lasagne recipe uses kale and leeks as they are also in season over the winter months.
- Vegetables - You could also add in other vegetables such as broccoli or mushrooms or cabbage. Root vegetables won't work as well as they will need a longer cooking time.
- Cheese - I've used a mature cheddar cheese as it has a nice strong flavour. You could use other hard cheeses such as mozarella which is milder if you prefer.
Sustainability
Buiding in some meat-free days can help to lower your carbon footprint. Eating more plants and less meat is good for our health and our wallet. Leeks, cauliflower, and kale are all in season in autumn and winter and this is when they are at their best. As always, try to buy them from local sources and free from plastic packaging. This dish is also a good opportunity to use up any leftover bread and therefore reduce your food waste. Breadcrumbs sprinkled over the top make a lovely crunchy crust. Don't forget, you can also store breadcrumbs in the freezer. Just pop them in an airtight container and they will freeze well for at least 6 months.
Equipment
You will need a square or rectangular ovenproof dish. I use a lasagne dish that is 26cm x 18cm (internal measurement) as I can fit 3 lasagna sheets across without having to break them. This is big enough for 4 people. You can of course use dishes that are other sizes. You should try not to have lasagne sheets overlapping as they won't cook as well. If you do need to break them, score them with a sharp knife first. Don't worry if it looks a bit messy, once the sauce is poured over them, they won't be seen.
Storage
This Leek Cauliflower and Kale Lasagne can be assembled ahead of time and kept in the fridge for 24 hours. Once cooked, it will keep in the fridge for 3 - 4 days. It can also be stored in the freezer for 2 - 3 months.
Reheating
Ideally, you want to defrost your lasagne before reheating. If you're not able to do this, you can defrost it in the microwave on the defrost setting for about 5 minutes. Once defrosted, cover it with foil to stop the top from burning or browning further. Place it on an ovenproof dish and reheat in the oven at 190°C / 375°F/ gas mark 5 for 20 - 30 minutes. The lasagne should be piping hot before serving. To check this, place a fork in the middle of the lasagne for a few seconds. If the fork is hot, the lasagne is also hot in the middle. The middle will be the last bit to reheat.
📖 Recipe
Cauliflower Leek and Kale Vegetarian Lasagne
Ingredients
- 575 g cauliflower organic, ( 1 head = 575g) cut into bite sized florets
- 180 g kale organic, chopped
- 1 tablespoon olive oil organic, fairtrade
- 500 g leeks organic, trimmed and thinly sliced
- 1 cloves garlic organic, peeled and crushed
- 12 lasagne sheets organic, (uncooked)
White Cheese sauce
- 40 g butter organic
- 40 g plain flour organic
- 300 ml milk organic
- 300 ml vegetable stock organic
- ½ teaspoon English mustard
- 120 g mature cheddar cheese organic
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4. Put the cauliflower into a pan of cold water, bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the kale and simmer for a further 1 minute. Remove from the heat and drain.575 g cauliflower, 180 g kale
- In a separate pan, fry the leeks in the olive oil for around 5 minutes and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add the garlic to the pan and fry for a further 2 minutes. Add the leek and garlic to the drained cauliflower and kale.1 tablespoon olive oil, 500 g leeks, 1 cloves garlic
To make the White Cheese Sauce
- To make the white sauce, add the butter, flour, milk, hot vegetable stock and mustard to a pan, bring to a boil stirring all the time. Once it is bubbling, stir in half the cheese. Taste the sauce to see if you need more cheese as the amount depends very much on how mature the cheese is. Let the sauce simmer for a couple of minutes, stirring occasionally.40 g butter, 40 g plain flour, 300 ml milk, 300 ml vegetable stock, ½ teaspoon English mustard, 120 g mature cheddar cheese
- Pour one third of the sauce in with the vegetables and stir.
- Assemble the lasagne as follows. Spread half the vegetables in the oven proof dish, cover with a layer of lasagne sheets, and half the remaining cheese sauce. Spread the rest of the vegetables in an even layer, cover with another layer of lasagne sheets Pour the remainder of the sauce over the top, spreading it out to the edges and sprinkle the rest of the cheese over the top. add more cheese if necessary.12 lasagne sheets
- Bake in the oven for 35 minutes. Use a fork to check that the lasagna sheets are soft and serve.
Nutrition per serving
The Nutritional Values are computer generated estimates based on industry standards and are provided as a helpful guide only.
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