Lasagna with Spicy Red Kidney Beans

Serves 6

VegeHero tip: The tomato and bean sauce in this recipe is delicious served with pasta of any kind. Next time, try it served on top of spaghetti that has been tossed with olive oil, crushed garlic and salt.

Ingredients

150g 'instant' Lasagna sheets

1/2 cup cheddar cheese, grated

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Tomato Sauce

4 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

1 carrot, grated

1 red pepper, chopped

1 cup mushrooms, sliced

400g tomatoes (canned or fresh), chopped

2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 teaspoons brown sugar

1/2 cup vegetable stock

1/2 cup red wine

1/2 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped

Spicy Bean Mixture

400g can cooked red kidney beans

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 teaspoon ground cumin seed

1/4 teaspoon chilli powder

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Bechamel sauce

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons flour

1.5 cups milk

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Make the Tomato Sauce: Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a frying pan. Add onion and gently fry for 5 minutes to soften. Add grated carrot, red pepper and mushrooms and fry gently for a further 5 minutes.

Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, brown sugar, vegetable stock and red wine. Bring to the boil and then simmer uncovered for about 30 minutes or until the sauce has reduced and thickened slightly.

Make the Spicy Bean Mixture: Open the can of cooked red kidney beans and wash under cold running water then leave to drain for a moment. Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a frying pan and briefly fry the garlic, cumin and chilli powder. Mix in the drained red kidney beans and fry quickly for about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and season generously with salt and pepper.

Combine the Spicy Bean Mixture and the Tomato Sauce. Add the chopped parsley and stir.

Make the Bechamel Sauce: Melt butter in a saucepan. Stir in flour and cook for 2 minutes, stirring mixture constantly. Remove from heat. Using a wooden spoon, blend in milk gradually. When all the milk has been added and the sauce is smooth, return to heat. Cook slowly, stirring continuously, until the sauce thickens. Add half the Cheddar and half the Parmesan cheese to the sauce. Season with salt and pepper.

Oil a large baking dish. Fill the dish with alternate layers of lasagna, Tomato Sauce and Bechamel Sauce then sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top. Bake for 30 minutes at 180 C, or until top is browned and pasta cooked.

Serve with a green salad.