Karen Wright: Try my delicious vegan lasagne served with a big bowl of salad

I had such a hectic, but fun, time recently.
Vegan lasagne made with plant-based minceVegan lasagne made with plant-based mince
Vegan lasagne made with plant-based mince

My eldest daughter and her family travelled up from Brighton for a much-anticipated visit. We’ve had all lockdown to spruce up our home but I always put it off until another day. And, of course, that day never came. So, action stations to get the place ship-shape.

My Bake Off friend Terry and I did some filming before lockdown for a Channel 5 programme about – wait for it – yes, cake! It was shown on a recent Sunday at 6.30pm so it will still be there on catch-up TV if you missed it. It was a light-hearted look at the nation’s favourite cakes.

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Last week I promised a vegetarian recipe, I have gone one better and here is a vegan recipe. My daughter is vegan so, while she was staying with us, I had my thinking cap on. How to adapt a classic dish that we could all enjoy? I settled on lasagne. It was really great. Even my carnivorous husband cleared his plate.

The ragu sauce was made in the usual way but I used a pack of Meatless Farm plant-based mince. I perked it up with lots of oregano, salt, pepper, chilli flakes, red wine and a splash of balsamic vinegar. The test was the cheese sauce for the topping. I started with a knob of vegan spread, instead of butter, and melted it in a pan. I added a heaped tablespoon of plain flour to make a roux and then gradually added about 300ml of unsweetened soya milk.

I increased the heat to bring it to a boil, stirring all the time. When it was good and thick, I removed it from the heat and stirred through a teaspoon of Dijon mustard and a handful of grated vegan cheese, using Sainsbury’s own brand. I assembled it in the usual way by layering the ragu, cheese sauce and lasagne sheets. I cooked it for about 45 minutes until it was golden and bubbling before serving it with a big bowl of salad – scrumptious!

Next week will be a barbecue recipe as I’ll be on a campsite.

For more tips and recipes go to http://www.karenwrightbakes.co.uk