brinjal mushroom & mozzarella lasagne
A Vegetarian Feast for Cheese Lovers!
It’s that time of year where being a little more indulgent than usual is acceptable, even expected. I’d say it’s compulsory! Why not add a little more cheese – sprinkle a little extra mozzarella and white cheddar here and there – live on the wild side with this brinjal mushroom & mozzarella lasagne!
There’s always a balance though, which is why when I was thinking about what to make for Friday night dinner, I chose to make a vegetable lasagne and keep the ingredients very minimal – trying out a new combo for me….mushrooms and brinjal. And MY goodness was I glad I did.
The cheesy goodness of the white sauce, paired with the golden brown cheesy topping added to the delicious strong flavour of the mushrooms and the delicate yet distinctive baby brinjals = I need another helping please!!
This dish is right up my alley. So simple to prepare – once you have the lasagne layered and in the oven you can get on with other things. I used just one thin layer of pasta, but if you prefer more you can add another layer or two.
This brinjal mushroom & mozzarella lasagne is comfort food at its best, and I’m a little sad there aren’t any leftovers nestled in the fridge for me to snack on later. But that means that everyone loved it which is what I like to see. For more comfort food recipes take a look at the best super quick chicken curry with sweet potatoes, my healthy homemade tomato basil & mozzarella pizza and my baked baby potato & caramelised onion omelette.
I strongly encourage you to try out this dish in the next month….It’s SO full of FLAVOUR and yumminess, I’d hate to see you miss out! If you make this, as always, let me know what you think!
- 420 g baby brinjals or large brinjals
- 250 g button mushrooms
- 250 g brown mushrooms
- 2 tbsp butter
- 4 tbsp plain flour
- 600 ml milk
- 40 g grated mozzarella
- 40 g grated white cheddar
- large handful fresh parsley chopped
- Salt & pepper
- 2 cups pasta of your choice
-
Preheat oven to 200°C.
-
Slice the brinjals & mushrooms into 3mm slices. Fry the brinjals in a little olive oil in a large frying pan for about 5 minutes until cooked. Place them on a plate and do the same with the mushrooms. Set aside.
-
Place your noodles on to cook now. Once they’re done, strain and set aside.
-
Melt butter in a sauce pan over medium heat. Stir in the flour with a wooden spoon and cook, stirring continuously for 1 minute. Take off the heat and add a little milk and whisk in, then add a little more milk and whisk in, continue to do this until the mixture is smooth, then add all the milk, (keeping 200ml aside) and stir until smooth.
-
Put back on the heat, whisking continuously and adding the saved 200ml milk each time it starts to thicken until the milk is all in the sauce and it has thickened but is still pourable.
-
Add half the grated cheese and chopped parsley now and stir until the cheese melts. Season with salt & pepper to taste.
-
Spoon a thin layer of the white sauce onto the bottom of your baking dish, adding a layer of brinjal on top, then a layer of mushrooms followed by another layer of white sauce, now add your one layer of pasta. Do another layer of brinjals, mushrooms & white sauce. The white sauce should be the top layer.
-
Place the remaining cheese on top and bake for about 30 minutes until the cheese is golden and bubbly.
I used gluten free pasta but you can use any pasta you like. This recipe is designed to have one thin layer of pasta, if you prefer more just cook extra pasta and add another layer or two.
