Main dish

Jamie Oliver's 30 Minute Meals: Summer Veg Lasagne recipe

Name: Jamie Oliver's 30 Minute Meals: Summer Veg Lasagne
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: ½ a 30g tin anchovies in oil; 1 bunch spring onions; 700g asparagus; salt and pepper; 6 cloves garlic; 500g frozen peas; 300g frozen broad beans; large bunch fresh mint; 300ml single cream; zest from ½ a lemon; 300ml vegetable or chicken stock; 500g cottage cheese; Parmesan cheese; 2 packs fresh lasagne sheets (500g total); few sprigs fresh thyme (or a pinch of dried thyme); ½ ciabatta loaf; olive oil; 1 tsp fennel seeds; few sprigs oregano or rosemary; pinch of salt; 1 tbsp small capers; ½ a 30g tin anchovies in oil; small bunch fresh basil; 6 jarred red peppers; 1 clove garlic; 4 vines cherry tomatoes (mixed colours if possible); 3 large tomatoes; red wine vinegar; extra virgin olive oil; Parmesan cheese (to serve)

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A lighter lasagne made with asparagus, peas and broad beans. Served with a Tuscan bread salad and mango dessert.

Prep25m
Cook15m
Total40m

30-min-meals anchovies italian jamie-oliver pasta salad vegetarian

Summer veg lasagne with asparagus, peas and broad beans

Tuscan salad with ciabatta, tomatoes and peppers

I knew I was going to love this dish when I saw anchovies in the ingredients but if you don’t share my enthusiasm, don’t be alarmed. They give the vegetables a boost but you won’t taste a strong fishy flavour.

The lasagne feeds six to eight people and if you follow the recipe exactly, make sure that you have a large pan to cook the filling in. I thought that my biggest saucepan (20cm) would be okay but it could only take half the filling so I ended up using two pans.

The combination of vegetables is lovely but we mainly shop at Tesco where 700g of asparagus would've cost around £8.00. I used 375g of asparagus and a medium head of broccoli cut into small florets, which was more cost effective.

As with all of the 30 minute meals I’ve attempted, this one took longer because I don’t have a 30cm x 35cm deep roasting tin that can be placed directly on a hob to speed up the cooking time. Instead, I cook the lasagne in the traditional way, by baking it in the oven.

Recipe credit

30 Minute Meals (affiliate link) by Jamie Oliver.

Recipe

Jamie Oliver's 30 Minute Meals: Summer Veg Lasagne

Prep25m
Cook15m
Total40m

Serves: 6

Ingredients

Lasagne

½ a 30g tin anchovies in oil
1 bunch spring onions
700g asparagus
salt and pepper
6 cloves garlic
500g frozen peas
300g frozen broad beans
large bunch fresh mint
300ml single cream
zest from ½ a lemon
300ml vegetable or chicken stock
500g cottage cheese
Parmesan cheese
2 packs fresh lasagne sheets (500g total)
few sprigs fresh thyme (or a pinch of dried thyme)

Tuscan salad

½ ciabatta loaf
olive oil
1 tsp fennel seeds
few sprigs oregano or rosemary
pinch of salt
1 tbsp small capers
½ a 30g tin anchovies in oil
small bunch fresh basil
6 jarred red peppers
1 clove garlic
4 vines cherry tomatoes (mixed colours if possible)
3 large tomatoes
red wine vinegar
extra virgin olive oil
Parmesan cheese (to serve)

Mango dessert

500g frozen mango chunks
2 tbsp runny honey
1 lime
250g natural yoghurt
few sprigs fresh mint
6-8 small ice cream cones
70% dark chocolate (for grating)

Method

Half fill and boil the kettle.
Lasagne: Pour the oil from a 30g tin of anchovies into a large saucepan and place over a medium heat. Finely slice 1 bunch of spring onions and add to the saucepan along with half the anchovies (15g).
Trim the pointed tips off 700g of asparagus and put to one side, then trim the woody ends from the other side and discard. Finely slice the stems into 1½cm pieces before adding to the saucepan with a splash of water from the kettle and a pinch of salt and pepper. After a few minutes crush 6 cloves of garlic into the saucepan.
Tuscan salad: Tear ½ a ciabatta loaf into 2cm chunks, place onto a roasting tray, drizzle with olive oil and toss with 1 teaspoon of fennel seeds, a few sprigs of oregano or rosemary and a pinch of salt. Mix well then place under a grill on a medium shelf for about 10 minutes, checking once in a while to make sure the bread doesn’t burn.
Lasagne: Add 500g of peas and 300g of broad beans to the saucepan and stir well.
Slice the leaves from a large bunch of mint then add to the saucepan along with 300ml of single cream. Grate in the zest from ½ a lemon.
Tuscan salad: Check on the bread and remove from the grill once golden.
Lasagne: Use a potato masher to mash some of the vegetable filling then cover with 300ml of vegetable or chicken stock and bring to a boil before adding 250g of cottage cheese (500g total). Give everything a good stir and cook for a few more minutes.
Put a deep roasting tray (approximately 35cm x 30cm) over a hob set to a medium heat.
Spoon around one quarter of the mixture into the tray then top with fresh lasagne sheets (2 packs in total) and a generous grating of Parmesan cheese. Repeat the layers of vegetable and lasagne sheets until you have used all of the filling and then top with a final layer of pasta sheets.
Mix the remaining 250g of cottage cheese with a splash of boiled water and then spread over the lasagne.
Drizzle olive oil over the asparagus tips, season with salt and pepper, then scatter the tips over the lasagne. Sprinkle over a few sprigs of thyme leaves along with another good grating of Parmesan and a final drizzle of olive oil.
Turn the heat up under the tray until the lasagne bubbles then transfer to the grill on the middle shelf and cook for 8 minutes until the topping has browned.
Tuscan salad: Put 1 tablespoon of capers, the remaining 15g of anchovies, most of a small bunch of fresh basil and 4 of the 6 red peppers onto a board and roughly chop. Crush over 1 clove of garlic, add 4 vines of cherry tomatoes and 3 large tomatoes and chop again.
Transfer to a large bowl and add a drizzle of red wine vinegar and extra virgin olive oil then season. Add the ciabatta croutons and tear in the remaining 2 peppers then mix and squeeze everything together with your hands. Taste and add more seasoning or red wine vinegar if needed then finish with the remaining basil leaves and grate over some Parmesan.
Mango dessert: Put 500g of frozen mango chunks, 2 tablespoons of honey, the juice from 1 lime, 250g of natural yoghurt and a few sprigs of mint leaves into a food processor and blend until smooth. Place into the freezer until you’re ready to serve.
Lasagne: Take to the table and grate over some Parmesan before serving.
Mango dessert: Divide between 6-8 small ice cream cones and grate over some 70% dark chocolate.