Ultimate Hidden Vegetable Lasagne

4.52 from 293 votes

A veggie-packed lasagna with a rich beef and lentil sauce, blended spinach and passata, and a creamy cauliflower cheese béchamel. Perfect for a family dinner with a few leftovers!

Prep Time40

Cook Time40

Total Time1 20

Course: Family Dinner Ideas

Cuisine: Asian Inspired, Family Friendly, Italian Inspired

Keyword: hidden veggie lasagna, lasagna for kids, beef and veggie lasgana, lasagne

Servings: serves

Calories: 544kcal

Author: Stacey

Ingredients

Beef and Veggie Sauce

2 tablespoon olive oil
½ brown onion (finely diced) 85 grams
2 small carrot (finely diced or grated) 50 grams
1 small zucchini (finely diced or grated) 100 grams
1 clove garlic (crushed, smashed or minced)
½ pound ground beef 250 grams
3 cups Passata 750 mLs Tomato Purée
1 cup spinach leaves 30 grams, a very good handful or 2.
1 cup Mushrooms 100 grams / 3.5 oz
½ cup red lentils 90 grams, rinsed
1 Tablespoon Italian seasoning mixed dried herbs
¾ cups water/stock ¾-1 ½ cups as needed
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar or red wine vinegar

Cauliflower Bechamel Sauce

¼ head cauliflower 300 grams
3 Tablespoons olive oil (or butter)
¼ cup flour
2 cups Milk (warmed)
1 cup grated cheese increase depending on how rich and cheesy you want it

Other

8-9 oven ready lasagne sheets 9 oz, 250 grams

Instructions

Beef and Veggie Sauce

Add oil to a large heavy based pan, heat
Add the onion, carrot, and zucchini (grated or diced), sauté until soft.
Add garlic, sauté for a further 2 minutes. I just smash the whole cloves of garlic with the blade of my knife, and add them pretty much whole.
Add the ground beef, breaking up the clumps, cooking until browned. Once browned, add the grated mushrooms.
While the mince is cooking move on to making a smoothie.
Blend the tomato puree with the spinach until smooth (and the mushrooms if you prefer to blend rather than grate them).
Add the tomato/spinach smoothie to the pan.
Rinse the lentils, add to the pan.
Add the dried herbs
Simmer uncovered for 20 minutes. Watch the sauce, you may need to add ¾ to 1 ½ cups of water or stock to allow the lentils to soften. The lentils absorb liquid as they cook. I find it better to add the water as needed, so that you don't end up with a really sloppy mixture at the end.
Finish off the meat sauce by seasoning with salt and pepper as desired and a dash of vinegar. The vinegar brings back the freshness.

Cauliflower Bechamel Sauce

While the meat sauce is simmering, roughly chop the cauliflower, steam until tender then purée, I usually use a stick blender for the cauliflower.
Now to make the bechamel sauce, start by warming the milk, you can do this in the microwave if you wish.
In a saucepan heat the oil. Add the flour and cook for 2 mins.
Gradually add the warm milk mixing continuously, you will end up with a smooth thick sauce, add the grated cheese. Once melted through, stir in the cauliflower purée

Assemble the Lasagna

Start with a single layer of meat sauce, (this stops the pasta sticking to the dish). Top with pasta, then a single layer of white sauce, top with pasta again, and repeat, (Meat, pasta, white sauce, pasta). Keep going until everything is used up. You can finish on a meat sauce or white sauce layer as the top, it's up to you!
Sprinkle the top layer with a little extra cheese
Bake for 35 mins in the oven at 180 degrees Celsius, or 360 Fahrenheit
Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before you slice and serve, it holds together a little better once it has all stopped bubbling

Notes

This Hidden Vegetable Lasagne recipe has been refreshed — but don’t worry, it hasn’t changed! The original version made a HUGE lasagne (perfect for my family of six and plenty of leftovers), but it was a bit too big for many families. The recipe below is now a half batch — ideal for a standard family meal. If you loved the big version, simply double the recipe to make one large lasagne or two smaller ones — one for now and one for later.

Ground Beef: Can be swapped for lamb, chicken, turkey, or a plant-based mince for vegetarian.
Red lentils: Cook quickly and break down into the sauce — you can use brown lentils, but cook them first.
Passata (tomato purée): Smooth and perfect for blending with veggies. Crushed tomatoes also work.
Spinach, zucchini & mushrooms: Disappear completely when blended or grated — ideal for picky eaters.
Cauliflower: Puréed into the white sauce for extra veg. Pumpkin or sweet potato also work.
Balsamic Vinegar: This can be substituted for red wine vinegar, it brings brightness to the final meat and veggie sauce.
Lasagne sheets: Use gluten-free sheets if needed.
Flour: Substitute for cornstarch (corn flour) as a gluten-free alternative.
Milk & cheese: For dairy-free, use plant-based alternatives.
Blend your veggies: A small blender makes super-smooth sauces that hide everything. In this recipe I have blended spinach into my canned tomatoes. You can get inventive with this, though; most soft vegetables will blend in well!
Simmer uncovered: This keeps the sauce rich and lets the lentils soften — just add water gradually if needed.
Layer properly: Always start with sauce at the bottom so the pasta doesn’t stick.
Rest before serving: Letting it cool for 5–10 minutes makes slicing much easier.

Nutrition