Veg and Lentil Lasagne with Cottage Cheese

This veg and lentil lasagne recipe is a new vegetarian favourite of mine. It's simple, easy, and wholesome. It's also ideal for stress-free hosting.

Servings 4

2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 medium red onion if you're using a small red onion that comes in a netted bag with usually around 5 onions, make sure to go for a full onion
2 tsp pre-chopped garlic I'm in my pre-chopped garlic season for convenience but if you prefer fresh garlic, you'll need 2 cloves
2 large carrots you'll need 4 if you have medium-sized carrots
1 1/2 small courgettes you'll need 1 if you have a larger courgette
100 grams red lentils 1/2 cup
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tbsp tomato puree
2 cans chopped tomatoes
1/2 - 1 tsp red chilli flakes
salt and pepper to taste
300 grams cottage cheese 1 1/3 cup
12 lasagne sheets I use the dried kind, the amount of sheets you'll need might differ depending on the size of your oven dish
grated cheddar cheese

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius.
Finely chop the red onion (and garlic if you're using fresh garlic). Fry the onion and garlic with olive oil in a deep frying pan until the onion softens. This will take around 3 minutes on a medium heat.
While the onion softens cut the courgettes and carrots in 1 cm cubes. Add the courgette and carrot to the frying pan when the 3 minutes are up. Continue to fry on medium heat until the courgettes and carrots are softened slightly.
Put the heat on low and add the red lentils, dried thyme, tomato puree, chopped tomatoes, and red chilli flakes to the frying pan. Cook this for another 10 minutes. After, add salt and pepper to taste.

Now it's time to assemble the lasagne. Start with the sauce. Put lasagne sheets on top. Then add sauce and some of the cottage cheese. You should be able to repeat this two more times (so: lasagne sheets, sauce, lasagne sheets, sauce & cottage cheese, lasagne sheets, sauce, lasagne sheets, sauce & cottage cheese).
I don't spread the cottage cheese all over the sauce. I make sure to put 4/5 tablespoons per layer (the layers where I add both sauce and cottage cheese that is). Check the video for visual explanation. Please be aware that you'll start to run low on cottage cheese by the last layer. Here I add a little bit of water (2-3 tablespoons) to thin the cottage cheese and to make it easier to spread.
Spread the grated cheddar cheese on top of the cottage cheese.

Put the dish in the oven on a shelf in the middle. Bake for around 30-40 minutes. Keep an eye on the dish and take out when the cheese on top is nice and golden brown.
OR cool the lasagne for 30-60 minutes. Then wrap tightly with cling film or silver foil. Store in the fridge for up to 3 days or put in the freezer for up to 3 months. Please keep in mind that this will affect the length of baking time.