Cauliflower Lasagna

Difficulty: **
for 2-3 people.

The calcium packed Lasagna

I love Cauliflower cheese, but is always like a side dish more than whole meal, so I made it a bit more substantial and add it more veggies, so just follow the instructions, it is very simple.

For gluten free option use gluten free lasagna sheets and use corn flour for the sauce. 

Ingredients:

• one cauliflower
• grated cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup of milk 
• 2 tbsp of flour
• salt and pepper
• frozen or already drained corn
• mushrooms
• lasagna sheets
• vegetable stock cube

Instructions:

• Fill up a large pot of water, add vegetable stock cube, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. 
• Prep the cauliflower, by cutting them in bite size.

• when the water is boiling blanch the cauliflower for a few seconds, drain the cauliflower keeping the water. (this water or stock will be used to make the Bechamel sauce.

• Prepare your mould with the first layer of lasagna, I always like to oil spray it, so it's not so hard to wash the dish after. 

Keeping the stock will add flavour and nutritional value to the sauce. 

Use all purpose flour, to replace for a gluten free option add a tblsp of corn flour, potato starch or gluten free rice flour. 

• In a small pan, melt 65 g of butter, add the flour and stir until looks like a paste, add the milk and 1 cup of the cauliflower stock.

It is important to cook the flour properly so you can't taste it after, you will know when it's cooked when the butter develops a lovely golden colour and you will smell the nuttiness from the brown butter. 

• Cook until is thicken, add a hand full of grated cheese, salt and pepper. 

• Start the layers, add the cauliflower, the sauce and some cheese

You can also use yellow cheese, goat cheese, feta cheese... it is up you. 

• For the second layer, I am going to add some mushrooms and corn, so slice all the mushrooms and sauté them with a touch of butter, and season them with salt and pepper.

Using butter will give a nice brown glaze, and nuttier flavour.

I love the flavour of mushrooms, they are so earthy and juice, they are a very good source of calcium and vitamin D. Great combo!!

• Add another layer of lasagna, cauliflower, corn, mushrooms, cheese and sauce. When you finish all the layers, add a touch of salt and pepper, at this point you want to check if you have enough sauce to cook the pasta sheets, if it looks dry add a couple of table spoons of your cauliflower stock. Cover it with foil paper and let it rest over night. If you want to cook it straight away that is fine too, just add extra liquid to make sure the pasta gets cooked.
• Pre heat the oven around 180°C, bake the lasagna for 30 minutes. Remove the foil paper and insert a knife to make sure the pasta is cooked through. You know it's cooked when you don't feel any resistance. Finish to bake with no foil, to get the cheese on top all yummy and crusty. 

You can make this lasagna with so many other vegetables or even add some bacon or chicken!

To make it extra healthy, do just 2 layers of pasta, in between pack it with as much vegetables you can, use olive oil, use just the cauliflower stock to make the sauce instead of the milk. 

Hope you enjoy it!