You heard me right. Lasagne devoid of garlic, onion, gluten and low in lactose that actually still tastes decent. I have run this recipe past some of my nearest and dearest who can be quite fussy eaters, and it’s received a huge tick of approval. Lasagne was one of my long-standing childhood favourite dishes. I would ask mum to make her lasagne for me when I got back from a week at school camp, for my birthday… or for anyone’s birthday really.
I don’t know if it’s traditional or not, but my mum always taught me that the basis to a good lasagne is a good bolognese sauce, which means packed full of veggies, rich in flavour and wet enough that your lasagne doesn’t stay together very well. I went for the basic carrot, zucchini and capsicum combo.
For herbs and spices, we’re looking at Italian herbs like rosemary, thyme, basil and parsley. Paprika gives it a bit of zing, and a good hit of salt and pepper. To add some richness I always add Worcestershire sauce, another piece of classic wisdom bestowed upon me by my mum.
The difficult part is the white sauce. Getting one of these made without using a FODMAP made me a little nervous. Thankfully some of the staples are safe (but are not to be consumed in excess): butter, cheddar cheese. I substituted in low FODMAP flour and almond milk, and it turned out as silky smooth as I remember it should be.
I always incorporate some nutmeg as while. Don’t ask me why… it tastes yummy.
Construct, cook and voila! A lasagne the whole family can enjoy, and that you can eat without dying of abdominal pain afterwards.
LoFo Lasagne
Ingredients
- 2 carrots
- 2 zucchinis
- 1 capsicum
- 750 g beef mince
- 1 bottle passata sauce
- 1 dash Worcestershire sauce
- 1 can diced tomatoes
- 4 tbsp mixed Italian herbs
- 80 g butter
- 6 tbsp low FODMAP plain flour
- 3 cups almond milk
- 100 g shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 tbsp nutmeg
- 1 box gluten free lasagne sheets
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 180 degrees fan forced.
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Chop all vegetables and cook in a pan until tender.
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Add beef mince and cook until browned.
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Add passata, diced tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, herbs and spices and let simmer on the stove until the white sauce is ready.
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In a separate saucepan, melt the butter and then remove the pan from the heat.
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Stir the flour into the butter and continue until the mixture is no longer lumpy. Put back on the heat and stir until just bubbling.
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Remove pan from the heat and add the milk to the mixture very slowly until all is incorporated.
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Put the pan back on the heat and continuously stir until the mixture is silky and thickened. This will take 5-10 minutes.
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Remove the pan from the heat again and add cheddar cheese and nutmeg and stir until the sauce is smooth.
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To construct your lasagne, first place a layer of the meat sauce on the bottom of a large dish. Then add a layer of pasta, followed by meat sauce. Continue until all the meat sauce has been used and is the uppermost layer.
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Top the lasagne with the white sauce.
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Place in the oven for 30-40 minutes until a knife can be inserted easily and the top is golden brown.
