Courgette Lasagne

Before You Start

Salt and griddle. Skipping either gives you a soup with cheese on top.

Cook the ragù drier than you would for pasta.

The full hour of resting is what lets you lift out a slice rather than a spoonful.

Cooking Courgette Lasagne

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1. Lay the courgette planks on a rack in a single layer, salt both sides, and leave 20 minutes. Beads of water will form.

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2. Pat every plank thoroughly dry with kitchen paper.

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3. Brush a griddle pan with oil and cook the planks in batches over a high heat, 2 minutes a side, until marked and pliable. Set aside on the rack.

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4. For the ragù, heat the oil and cook the onion and celery 8 minutes, then the garlic for 1 minute.

   Mark done Start 1 min timer

5. Add the mince, break it up, and brown it hard for 10 minutes, letting it catch a little.

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6. Stir in the tomato purée and cook 2 minutes, then the tomatoes, oregano, salt and chilli flakes.

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7. Simmer uncovered 20 minutes, until thick enough to hold a channel when you drag a spoon through it. Drier than a pasta ragù.

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8. For the béchamel, melt the butter, whisk in the cornflour and cook 1 minute, then add the milk a third at a time, whisking smooth. Simmer 3 minutes until it coats a spoon, then season with the nutmeg and salt.

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9. Layer in a 23 x 33 cm dish: a little béchamel, then courgette planks, ragù, béchamel and mozzarella. Repeat twice, finishing with béchamel, mozzarella and the Parmigiano.

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10. Bake at 190°C / 375°F for 40 minutes, then uncover if needed for 10 minutes more, until bubbling and browned. Rest 1 hour before cutting — this is not optional in a dish with no pasta to hold it together.

    Mark done Start 40 min timer

Related guides: Prep, cook and total time · Pan and tin size.

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Why It Works

A courgette is over ninety per cent water and a lasagne made with raw planks releases all of it into the dish. Salting draws a large part of it out by osmosis in twenty minutes, and griddling drives off more while adding the browning that raw courgette lacks entirely. Between them they turn a watery idea into a dish that holds a slice. The ragù is also cooked drier than usual, because there is no pasta here to absorb liquid.

Storage and Reheating

Refrigerated for 4 days and better on day two. Reheat covered at 180°C / 356°F for 30 minutes.

Swaps and Variations

• An eighth of a teaspoon of garlic powder per clove is the stand-in usually given when you are out of fresh garlic; it will not brown the same way, and it burns easily, so add it with the liquid.
• Fresh herbs work in place of the dried oregano at roughly three times the quantity — a teaspoon of dried is about a tablespoon of fresh, chopped.

What to Serve Alongside

• A sharp green salad
• A glass of Chianti
• Garlic bread, if carbohydrate is not the point

Sides from the same cuisine on this site: Ciabatta, Citrus Fennel Salad, Garlic Confit Focaccia.

Still Wondering?

What's in a Serving

Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list with USDA FoodData Central figures (SR Legacy). A calculation, not a laboratory analysis: brands, cuts and how you measure change the real numbers. How the figures are worked out.

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