Lentil & Sausage Lasagne

Total Time: 1 hr 25 mins Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 55 mins

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 8 links thin lamb sausage or 8 links thin beef sausages
• 2 red onions, thinly sliced
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 red pepper, chopped
• 400 g brown lentils, drained
• 4 cups fresh spinach, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 cups vegetable broth or 2 cups water or 2 cups wine
• salt, to taste
• fresh ground black pepper, to taste
• 250 g light sour cream
• 3/4 cup parmesan cheese, finely grated
• 250 g instant lasagna sheets
• 1 cup tasty cheese, grated
• fresh parsley leaves, to garnish

Recipe

• 1 lightly grease a 10-cup capacity ovenproof – and if you are planning to freeze this dish, then freezer-proof – dish and place to one side.
• 2 heat oil in a large non-stick pan, add sausages and cook, turning occasionally, until the sausages have cooked through and are browned all over.
• 3 drain the sausages on absorbent paper, and slice thinly.
• 4 add the onions, garlic & bell red pepper to the same pan, cook, stirring occasionally, until soft.
• 5 add the sausages, lentils, spinach, cumin, vegetable broth, water or wine; bring to the boil and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste; remove from the heat.
• 6 combine the sour cream and parmesan in a medium bowl, and stir well.
• 7 arrange a quarter of the lasagne sheets over the base of the ovenproof, freezer-proof dish – or dishes.
• 8 spread a quarter of the sour cream mixture over the lasagne sheets.
• 9 spread a third of the sausage mixture over the sour cream.
• 10 repeat layering with the remaining lasagne sheets, sour cream and sausage mixtures, finishing with the sour cream mixture.
• 11 sprinkle with tasty cheese.
• 12 cover the dish tightly with foil, place on an oven tray and cook in a hot oven (200°c) for 40 minutes, or until the lasagne sheets are tender.
• 13 remove the foil.
• 14 cook the dish for a further 15 minutes or until the cheese has browned; stand for 5 minutes and serve, garnished with fresh parsley leaves.
• 15 to freeze: make the recipe to the end of step 11. cover the dish tightly with plastic wrap, label and date, and freeze for up to 2 months.
• 16 to serve: thaw the pasta in its dish in the refrigerator, remove the plastic wrap, place on an oven tray, cook in a hot oven (200°c) for about one hour (or for a shorter period if the quantity is smaller) or until hot; remove the foil; cook uncovered for a further 15 minutes, or until the cheese has browned; stand for 5 minutes before serving, and serve, garnished with fresh parsley leaves.