(Vegetarian) Pasta isn’t normally my go-to. As much as I enjoy it, I usually prefer to eat carbs that will give me more fuel and energy. This week, however, I was packing to move house and had some lasagne noodles that needed to be used from my cupboard-cleaning process. The only trick was that I had definitely already packed my casserole dishes that would normally house a lasagne. But, I hadn’t packed my cast iron skillet yet…so, skillet lasagne it is!

This recipe is really about throwing things in and seeing how it goes, so don’t be afraid to experiment and substitute based on what’s in your fridge! Mine turned out delicious, and I only used what I had from my Kent Veg Box, freezer and pantry.

Note: No, you don’t need to make your own sauce, but I didn’t have any in my bare pantry and DID have some fresh tomatoes from my Veg Box. I used quite a lot of tomato paste because I didn’t have enough fresh tomatoes, but if you do, just decrease the amount of tomato paste and add more tomatoes. Just be sure to taste it along the way to make sure you’re loving the flavours!

Sauce Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• ¼ large red onion, chopped
• 1 small container cherry tomatoes
• 4-5 Tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp fresh ground black pepper
• 1 Tbsp honey
• 1 handful of fresh basil, cut/torn into pieces

Sauce directions

1. Heat olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and onion until soft but not brown.
2. Add the tomatoes, paste, seasoning and honey. As the tomatoes soften, mash them with a fork. Cook for 5-10 minutes until the sauce has reached the consistency you want.
3. Mix in fresh basil.

Lasagne Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• ¾ large red onion, chopped
• 5-6 green onions, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 small courgette (zucchini), chopped
• 1 green (or red) pepper, chopped
• 1 small marrow squash, chopped
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 handfuls fresh, chopped spinach leaves
• About 10 lasagne noodles
• 200 g (1.5-2 cups) mix of crumbled feta, shredded mozzarella and grated parmesan
• Fresh spinach and basil to top with

Lasagne Directions

1. Pre-heat oven to 180C (350F).
2. Heat olive oil and add onions until they’re soft. Add the garlic and sauté for another minute. Add all veg, salt and pepper. Sauté for 3-5 minutes until the veg are tender.
3. Pour tomato sauce over veg and add spinach. Cook for an additional few minutes. Try sauce/veg mix and season as necessary.
4. Remove sauce/veg mix from heat. Transfer 2/3 of mix from skillet into bowl for layering later.
5. Spread 1/3 layer of sauce/veg mix evenly onto bottom of skillet. Sprinkle with 1/3 of cheese mixture. Cover with layer of noodles.
6. Repeat with 1/3 sauce, 1/3 cheese and noodle layer.
7. Repeat with remaining sauce and top with remaining cheese.
8. Add additional Parmesan and chopped spinach on top.
9. Place skillet in oven and bake for about 30 minutes until cheese is melted and pasta is cooked through (since I was a bit low on sauce, I had to add ½ cup of water to lasagne whilst it was baking because top noodle layer wasn’t saturated enough to cook).
10. Pull out of oven. Serve topped with fresh spinach and basil.
11. ENJOY the yumminess!