Roasted Mediterranean Vegetable Lasagna

We have some friends staying this weekend, so I really want to cook something for a low key dinner - eating out all the time can get a bit much and it's nice to have the opportunity to stay in and relax. Especially as I don't want to drink too much again....

This is based on Delia Smiths vegetable lasagna. The trick is to get the vegetables cut up to roughly all of the same size for even cooking. To be honest, I have now dispensed with salting aubergines and courgettes - today's veggies have had most of the bitterness that once plagued them bred out. When adding your pasta sheets you may have to break up some of the sheets to fit the dish - you need to cover the entire thing. It always freezes like a dream, so if we are tempted by the city lights, I can always keep it for an emergency comfort food dinner.

All this needs is a lemony-dressed green salad so you can be healthy and opt for a big portion of the salad and a small of the lasagna if you fancy, though once you see it out of the oven with bubbling cheese edges with a crispy top and wafting it's roasted vegetable smell, this option is doubtful.

Roasted Mediterranean Vegetable Lasagna

The filling:

8-10 spinach (green) lasagna sheets

1 small aubergine, cut into chunks
2 medium courgettes, cut into rounds
450g cherry tomatoes (skinned - place in just boiled water for a few mins and the skins will fall off)
1 large red onion, cut into squares
2 yellow or red peppers, cut into squares
2 fat cloves are garlic, crushed
2 big sprigs of basil, torn roughly
1 ball of mozzarella, chopped finely

The sauce:

35 g plain flour
40 g butter
1 pint (570 ml) milk
1 bay leaf
grating of fresh nutmeg
3 level tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan
salt and freshly milled black pepper

The Topping:

2 level tablespoons of freshly grated Parmesan

Pre-heat the oven 240°C. You will need a large roasting tin and a heatproof baking dish measuring about 23 x 23 x 5 cm.

Arrange the tomatoes, aubergine, courgettes, peppers and onion in the roasting tin, sprinkle with the chopped garlic, basil and olive oil, toss everything around in the oil to get a good coating, and season with salt and pepper. Now place the tin on the highest shelf of the oven for 30-40 minutes or until the vegetables are toasted brown at the edges.

Meanwhile make the sauce by placing all the ingredients (except the cheese) in a small saucepan and whisking continuously over a medium heat until the sauce boils and thickens. Then turn the heat down to its lowest and let the sauce cook for 2 minutes. Now add the grated Parmesan.

When the vegetables are done, remove them from the oven and turn the oven down to 180°C.

Now in the baking dish, line the bottom with layer of lasagna sheets, then pour one quarter of the sauce, followed by one third of the vegetable mixture. Then sprinkle in a third of the Mozzarella and follow this with a single layer of lasagna sheets. Repeat this process, ending up with a final layer of sauce over a top layer of lasagna sheets and top with the grated Parmesan. Now place the dish in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes or until the top is crusty and golden.