Slow-cooker vegetable lasagne

 Make this low-calorie veggie lasagne as a lighter alternative to the traditional bake. It's layered with pasta, ratatouille, and sliced aubergine, and packs in all of your five-a-day

Ingredients

1 tbsp rapeseed oil

• 2 onions, sliced
• 2 large garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 large courgettes, diced (400g)
• 1 red and 1 yellow pepper, deseeded and roughly sliced
• 400g can chopped tomatoes
• 2 tbsp tomato purée
• 2 tsp vegetable bouillon
• 15g fresh basil, chopped plus a few leaves
• 1 large aubergine, sliced across length or width for maximum surface area
• 6 wholewheat lasagne sheets (105g)
• 125g vegetarian buffalo mozzarella, chopped

• Method

  • STEP 1

  • Heat 1 tbsp rapeseed oil in a large non-stick pan and fry 2 sliced onions and 2 chopped large garlic cloves for 5 mins, stirring frequently until softened.

  • STEP 2

  • Tip in 2 diced large courgettes, 1 red, and 1 yellow pepper, both roughly sliced, and 400g chopped tomatoes with 2 tbsp tomato purée, 2 tsp vegetable bouillon, and 15g chopped basil.

  • STEP 3

  • Stir well, cover, and cook for 5 mins. Don't be tempted to add more liquid as plenty of moisture will come from the vegetables once they start cooking.

  • STEP 4

  • Slice 1 large aubergine. Lay half the slices of aubergine in the base of the slow cooker and top with 3 sheets of lasagne.

  • STEP 5

  • Add a third of the ratatouille mixture, then the remaining aubergine slices, 3 more lasagne sheets, then the remaining ratatouille mixture.

  • STEP 6

  • Cover and cook on High for 2½ - 3 hours until the pasta and vegetables are tender. Turn off the machine.

  • STEP 7

  • Scatter 125g vegetarian buffalo mozzarella over the vegetables then cover and leave for 10 mins to settle and melt the cheese.

  • STEP 8

  • Scatter with extra basil and serve with a handful of rocket.

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