More Vegies?

I think that because my kids eat pretty much anything and everything I serve up, I tend to have fairly high expectations. I know that I have blogged about vegie-heavy dishes in the past and had people comment that there is no way their kids would eat something with that many vegies (Hi Kazza!) but the kids eat it so I keep making stuff like it. This time however their adventurous little tastebuds let me down. I figured: vegies, lasagna, cheese sauce. What could go wrong? Ummm... roasted vegies is what went wrong. They both dug in happily, took one mouthful and spat it out. Being the fabulous kidlets they are they tried again. And spat it out again. At that point #2 just threw hers off the high-chair tray while #1 attempted to be more tactful and asked, "Mum? What is this stuff? I don't think you cooked it right." (Yeah, he is so my kid - tact not being a strong part of my personality either LOL) They ate sandwiches and yoghurt for dinner while Hubby and I thoroughly enjoyed our Roasted Vegetable Lasagna. Want to know the ironic bit? I got the recipe from a kids cookbook!

Roasted Vegetable Lasagna
adapted from DK Children's Cookbook by Katharine Ibbs




2 cloves garlic, crushed (I forgot the garlic, but it still tasted great)
1 onion
2 large carrots, peeled
1 large zucchini
1 red capsicum (pepper)
1 green capsicum (pepper)
1 medium eggplant (aubergine)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon tomato paste
400g can diced tomatoes
fresh lasagna sheets
salt and pepper
olive oil


for the sauce
500ml warm milk
60g butter
30g plain flour
1 cup cheddar cheese, grated

Preheat oven ot 220˚C. Cut the onion into wedges and then chop the other vegetables into chunks.

In a roasting tin, mix the oil, rosemary and garlic with the vegetables to season. Add salt and pepper, if desired. Roast for 35 minutes, shaking the tin occasionally.

Gently warm the tomatoes and tomato paste in a large saucepan. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the roasted vegetables. Over a low heat melt butter in a small saucepan. Stir in the flour and then whisk in the milk. Stir until thickened. Add half the cheese.

Lower the oven to 190˚C. Spoon a third of the vegetables into thebase of the lasagna dish and top with a third of the sauce then lay lasagna sheets over the top. Add another third of the vegetables and sauce and top with lasagna sheets and finish with the remaining vegetables and sauce. Sprinkle the rest of the cheese over the top and bake for 35 minutes or until golden and bubbling.

As I said, Hubby and I thought this was delicous. It wasn't difficult to make, in fact I made it earlier in the afternoon and then cooked it in time for dinner. I really prefer lasagnas that have been prepared the night before and left to sit for 24hours so the flavours go through everything but I wasn't quite organised enough for that.