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Think you don’t have time to cook? This delicious Mediterranean vegetable lasagne is really simply to make and is ready for the oven in just 3 minutes.
I’m really excited to be back with another post for Iceland (if you didn’t see my salmon and sweet potato fishcakes then I’d really recommend you give those a try too).
This time their challenge was to create a recipe showing how using frozen foods can help to save time in the kitchen. I’ve talked before about how I’m always on the lookout for ways to cut how much time I spend cooking, so this challenge was one I was definitely excited about giving a try.
Don’t get me wrong, I love pottering around in the kitchen as much as I can, but with two young children there are days when as much as I’d love to have 2 hours to lovingly prepare something delicious to eat – it’s simply not practical.
This quick vegetable lasagne recipe uses Iceland frozen Mediterranean Vegetables in a Basil Seasoning as the main filling. We were all seriously surprised at how delicious these are – I’m pretty sure I won’t be bothering to chop up Mediterranean vegetables when I want to serve them with some grilled chicken in future (one of my go-to healthy dinners!) – the basil seasoning really adds a lot of flavour.
Using vegetables as the main filling for this lasagne also makes it really healthy – 4 of your 5-a-day fruit and vegetables. Finish it off with a piece of fruit and you’ll have reached your target in just one meal! It also comes in at under 500 calories a serving so great if you’re trying not to eat too much but still want a delicious, filling dinner.
Other ways I saved time making this dish was by substituting in low fat soft cheese for béchamel sauce, and using ready sliced or grated cheese on the top (all available from Iceland).
The only thing I’d suggest doing that adds a little extra time (OK, only about 20 seconds of actual effort) is if you’re using dried lasagne sheets then soak them in boiling water for 5 minutes before putting them into the lasagne. The packs I’ve used always say that they’re fine to use straight from the packet, but I tend to find they’re still a touch too much on the crunchy side for my liking. Soaking them in boiling water just softens them ever so slightly, which makes a huge difference to the texture of the final cooked lasagne. However, if you’ve got fresh lasagne sheets then this step isn’t necessary.
I served my lasagne with a quick salad and some Iceland frozen ciabatta which is just heated through in the oven.
Some of my other favourite bloggers have also been involved in creating time-saving recipes for Iceland and if you’re looking for more inspiration then take a look at some of these…
- 15 Minute Thai Red Prawn Curry from Recipes From a Pantry
- 10 Minute Honey & Chilli Prawn Zoodles from Celery & Cupcakes
- 5 Minute Zesty Bean Quinoa & Poached Sea Bass from Free From Fairy
- Quick Vegetable Lasagne from The Veg Space which uses a filling of cauliflower, broccoli and kale.
- BBQ Sardines with Wild Garlic Salsa Verde and Couscous salad from Foodie Quine
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3-Minute Mediterranean Vegetable Lasagne
INGREDIENTS
- 2 500g packs Iceland Mediterranean Vegetables in a Basil Seasoning
- 400 ml passata
- 6 dried lasagne sheets - or 4 fresh lasagne sheets
- 100 g soft cheese - I used the low-fat version
- 100 g sliced/grated cheddar cheese
INSTRUCTIONS
- Pre-heat your over to 200ºC/180ºC fan.
- Put you Mediterranean vegetables into a large baking tray and cook according to the pack instructions.
- While the vegetables are cooking, if you're using dried pasta, fill a large shallow dish with boiling water and place your 6 lasagne sheets into it to soak for 5 minutes.
- Once your vegetables have cooked and lasagne sheet softened, turn your oven up to 220ºC/200ºC fan
- Spread your soft cheese (100g) onto the lasagne sheets.
- Spoon half of your vegetables into a large, rectangular baking dish. Pour over half of the passata (200ml). Lay 3 lasagne sheets on top (soft cheese side up). Spoon over the remaining vegetables and pour in over the remaining pasta (200ml). Lay three more lasagne sheets on top (soft cheese side up again), and then finish everything off by laying the sliced cheese over the top.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes until the cheese is golden.
- Remove from the oven and serve.
NOTES
NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION
Any nutritional information provided is the estimated nutritional information per serving. Please refer to my guide to Charlotte’s Lively Kitchen nutritional information if you would like to learn more about how this is calculated.
Free From/Suitable For…
- Suitable for Vegetarians
- Corn-Free
- Egg-Free (only if using dried lasagne sheets)
- Nut-Free
- Soy-Free
Can be made gluten-free by using gluten-free lasagne sheets.
The ingredients for this recipe are commonly available free from all these allergens. However, please ensure you double-check allergen information for all ingredients.
Vicki Montague says
I saw those vegetables and nearly used them in my recipe…then I thought there was some reason ingredients wise why I didn’t buy them? I’ll have to check because this looks fab.
Charlotte Oates says
I just had a look, there’s sugar and glucose syrup listed in the ingredients which I’d take a guess was what put you off. You could make something similar by roasting your own vegetables and using the herbs and spices listed to create a seasoning, I’m sure it would still taste good it would just take longer to prepare.
Petra / Be Healthy Now says
This is the simplest lasagne recipe I ever came across, love the idea! I made veggie lasagne once but lasagne sheets came out a little bit too hard. I didn’t realise it’s better to boil them first, but I will remember it for next time!
#TastyTuesdays
Charlotte Oates says
Thanks Petra, I’ve always had the same problem, it seems as though the people that have commented that manage to get them soft have cooked their lasagnes for about twice as long as me and covered them in foil (at least for part of the cooking time) to create a bit of steam and get them cooking.
Mandy says
I need to make this – I find weeknight teatime so tricky so a quick healthy meal like this sounds fantastic! #CookBlogShare
Charlotte Oates says
Thanks Mandy, when I created it I threw in all the shortcuts I could think of fully expecting to have to go back and fix some that weren’t successful but I was surprised at just how well they all came together. It seriously made me wonder about all the effort I usually put into my lasagnes!
Clare says
OOO Charlotte – i’m loving the speed and it looks so good! I shall be trying this one night after work – Thanks Clare
Charlotte Oates says
Thanks Clare, I hope you enjoy it.
jenny paulin says
such a great idea for a quick, tasty and healthy dinner for a busy family. such a clever idea and it looks lovely x
Charlotte Oates says
Thanks Jenny x
Sadiyya maryam says
I will definitely be trying this recipe. Thanks for sharing.
Charlotte Oates says
Brilliant, I hope you enjoy it!
Honest Mum says
Oh wow that is amazing and to make it so quickly too-got to try this, love your sunny photos too x
Charlotte Oates says
Thanks Vicki, I actually retook the photos as I wasn’t happy with the first batch. Glad to know it was worth the extra effort.
[email protected] says
Oh wow this looks delicious! I wonder would it work in the slow cooker, I think I will have a try! Thank you for the inspiration x
Charlotte Oates says
I don’t have a slow cooker so I’ve not tried it. Let me know how it goes if you do.
Eb Gargano says
Wow, Charlotte – I love this! I’m a huge fan of lasagne, but it’s normally a quick and easy kind of a meal, so it doesn’t happen very often – I just love all your shortcuts in this…it had me going ‘Now, why didn’t I think of that?’ several times!! I, like Angela, don’t normally soak my lasagne sheets – but I normally cook my lasagnes for about 35 to 40 minutes and cover it with foil for the first 20 minutes or so – I think the trapped steam helps cook the lasagne sheets properly and the foil stops the top browning too quickly before the pasta is cooked. I did recently try soaking my lasagne sheets, when I was reviewing Mary Berry’s Absolute Favourites, and I got into a horrible mess – all my lasagne sheets stuck to each other and I had to start again – not sure what I did wrong! Any tips? Eb x
Charlotte Oates says
I put mine in a large flat tin to try and not overlap them too much. They did stick together a little but I was able to pop a knife in between and separate them quite easily. As I only soak them for 5 minutes and the water isn’t continuing to boil, they stay quite firm so are quite easily to get apart. I’d imagine it would be tricky if they’ve been soaked for longer and are therefore much softer.
Hayley @ Snap Happy Bakes says
Any dish that is super quick to make and packed full of veggies gets my vote 🙂 Thanks for linking to #CookBlogShare
Charlotte Oates says
You’ll definitely enjoy this one then! xx
Kirsty Hijacked by Twins says
This looks delicious Iceland really do make it easier to prepare lovely meals. Thank you for mentioning my beef and bean cabbage parcels x
Charlotte Oates says
I know, I’ve really enjoyed being part of the campaign and discovering what they’ve got to offer. Your parcels sound delicious, and a really clever idea x
Angela / Only Crumbs Remain says
Charlotte your lasagne looks absolutely delicious…can I have a portion or tea please 🙂 Your short cut on the bechimel is inspired making that hands on time realistic for busy households. I must admit that when we have lasagne I tend not to par cook the pasta but use it straight from the packet and cook until it’s ready. The only problem I have doing that is that our individual dishes are a little smaller than the lasagne sheets and so I end up spending what seems like an age trying to snap them to the right size…I guess if I par boil them first I can cut them with a knife to fit! 😉
Angela x
Charlotte Oates says
I ate half of it after taking the photos, it’s really moreish!
The lasagne sheets still quite firm as the water has already boiled, they just sit in with the heat off so I’m not sure if you’d have much more luck cutting them to size. How long do you cook your lasagnes for, as I’ve always struggles to get dried lasagne sheets to soften.
Angela / Only Crumbs Remain says
Our go-to lasagne fairly loose tomato sauce surrounding the lasagne sheets which thickens as it cooks (the lasagne sheets having been sandwiched with a goat’s cheese & spinach mixture.) I tend to cook them covered with a strip of tinfoil for about 40-45 minutes (so quite a lot longer than yours) to make sure the dried lasagne sheets have cooked through. If I fancy some colour to the mozzarella topping I just flash it under the grill.
Angela x
Charlotte Oates says
That lasagne filling sounds delicious, I’ll have to give it a try sometime. It sounds as though a much longer cooking time and covering with foil are the way to go to get dried sheets cooking without pre-soaking.