This halloumi lasagne is the ultimate vegetarian comfort food

Layered with roast veg, creamy béchamel and golden halloumi, this hearty, freezer-friendly lasagne from Yasmin Khan’s ‘Sabzi’ is perfect for cosy nights and meat-free dinners

With golden halloumi on top and layers of roast veg and béchamel beneath, this lasagne is comfort food with a Middle Eastern twist (Jonathan Gregson)

“Lasagne is one of my ultimate comfort foods, and in the case of this particular lasagne, it’s not hard to understand why,” says Yasmin Khan.

“Soft layers of pasta and béchamel are interspersed with a rich tomato sauce laden with hearty Mediterranean vegetables such as squash, courgette, pepper, and aubergine, and then topped with thin slices of halloumi cheese for an irresistible appeal.

“I serve it with a crisp salad and some garlic bread. This freezes well, so it’s great for batch-cooking.”

Halloumi lasagne

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients:

550g peeled and deseeded butternut squash, cut into small pieces

450g courgettes, cut into small pieces

1 red pepper, cut into small pieces

2 medium aubergines, cut into small pieces

Olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

4 fat garlic cloves, finely grated

500ml passata

1 tsp balsamic vinegar

2 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp sweet paprika

½ tsp Aleppo pepper or other mild chilli flakes

¼ tsp ground cinnamon

120ml water

12 lasagne sheets

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the béchamel sauce:

75g butter

80g plain flour

700ml milk

¼ tsp ground white pepper

Pinch ground nutmeg

50g finely grated Parmesan cheese

Salt

Toppings:

200g block halloumi, very thinly sliced

25g finely grated Parmesan cheese

Method:

In ‘Sabzi’, Yasmin Khan reimagines everyday vegetarian cooking through the vibrant, flavour-packed lens of her Iranian and Pakistani roots (Bloomsbury)

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas mark 4. Combine the squash, courgettes, red pepper, and aubergines on a large baking sheet (use two sheets if needed), drizzle with 3 tablespoons olive oil, season with a generous pinch of salt, and mix well with your hands. Roast for 30 minutes, or until soft.

2. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, for 12 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. stir in the passata, vinegar, oregano, paprika, chilli flakes, and cinnamon and cook for 5 minutes, stirring often.

3. Add the roasted vegetables and season with ¾ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon black pepper. Add the water to loosen the mixture and mix well.

4. To make the béchamel, combine the butter and flour in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring to form a paste. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring often. Add the milk, white pepper, and nutmeg and whisk for 1 to 2 minutes, until the sauce is thick and smooth. Stir in the 50g Parmesan and ¼ teaspoon salt.

5. Now begin layering. Spoon one-third of the vegetable mixture into a 2.6 litre glass baking dish and cover with one-third of the lasagne sheets in a single layer. Top with one-third of the béchamel. Repeat with two more layers each of vegetables, pasta, and béchamel. Top the lasagne with the halloumi and the 25g Parmesan.

6. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 25 minutes, or until the topping is golden brown. Let stand for 10 minutes to allow the filling to settle before cutting the lasagne.

Recipe from ‘Sabzi: Fresh Vegetarian Recipes for Every Day’ by Yasmin Khan (Bloomsbury Publishing, £26)