This is a really good Lasagna recipe I found in an old BBC Good Food magazine, which doesn’t use any dairy at all. Fantastic if you are cooking for anyone with dairy intolerance, but also equally delicious so just as nice for dinner regardless! You can also use the dairy-free bechamel from this recipe for other recipes or vegan lasagnas.

More in pasta: Rachel Roddy’s Penne all’arrabbiata | Super easy tomato pasta bake | Prawn and ‘Nduja Linguine

Dairy-Free Lasagna

Serves 6 | Prep 25 mins | Cook 1hr 40 mins
Easy | Dairy-free

Dairy-Free-Lasagne-1

You’ll need

For the Ragu

  • 1 tbsp olive oil;
  • 1 onion, finely chopped;
  • 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped;
  • 2 celery sticks, finely chopped;
  • 500g steak mince;
  • 400g can chopped tomatoes;
  • 1 tbsp tomato puree;
  • 125ml red wine.

For the Bechamel sauce and pasta:

  • 500ml almond milk;
  • 1 small onion, finely chopped;
  • 1 bay leaf;
  • 6 black peppercorns;
  • 2 cloves;
  • 50g dairy-free sunflower spread;
  • 50g plain flour;
  • 1 tbsp mustard powder;
  • 175ml oat cream;
  • 9 lasagne sheets (make sure they don’t require pre-cooking);
  • freshly grated nutmeg;
  • 2 tbsp panko breadcrumbs.

For the ragu, heat the oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pan over a medium heat. Cook the onion for 5-10 mins until softened. Stir in the garlic and celery, and cook for a further 3 mins. Add the steak mince and cook, stirring, for about 4 mins until browned. Turn up the heat to medium-high and stir in the chopped tomatoes, tomato puree, wine and parsley. Season and simmer over a low heat, uncovered, for 1hr.

Meanwhile, make the bechamel. Pour the almond milk into a saucepan and stir in the onion, bay leaf, peppercorns and cloves. Season with a little salt and bring to the boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 10 mins (don’t worry if the sauce splits a little at this stage) before removing from the heat and leaving to infuse until needed. Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/ gas 6.

When the ragu is almost ready, melt the dairy-free spread in a separate saucepan over a low-medium heat, then add the flour, stirring until you have a smooth roux. Strain the bechamel, discarding the onion, bay leaf and spices. Start adding it slowly to the roux, whisking until the milk is incorporated and continuing to add a little at a time until all the milk has finished, and the bechamel is fully incorporated. Stir in the mustard powder and simmer for 2 mins. Add the oat cream, simmer for a further 2-3 mins, then remove from the heat.

Grease a deep baking dish, about 28 x 22 cm. Spread about one-third of the ragu over the bottom of the dish and arrange a layer of the lasagne sheets on top, and then a quarter of the bechamel. Repeat until you have 3 layers of pasta and a thicker layer of bechamel on top.

Sprinkle the nutmeg and panko breadcrumbs over the top and bake for around 30 minutes until the top is bubbling and the panko crumbs are golden. Serve with salad.

Original recipe from BBC Good Food, not available online.