The extra warm weather we have been enjoying (or not!) is due to change over the weekend, so this week, I thought I'd show some of the lasagna on Thrifty Lesley.
I came up with the recipe, then just swapped out the ragu layer for other tasty mixes. Works really well!
I explored swapping out the ragu layer of a lasagna for many other different things. The first was made using a really good lentil ragu which I thought would work well as a lasagna. It was very successful and inspired me to think of lots of other variations, vegetable based, haven’t even started on meaty variations yet, and they all make a great budget recipe, none of them work out expensive.
Green Pea Hummus Lasagna
Filling, creamy and very flavoursome. Absolutely delicious! Serve with a bit of salad, garlic bread, chips or cooked vegetables. When I first made this, I asked my husband what he thought and he said that he had been a bit dubious, but that it was actually pretty tasty. If you knew him, you would know what high praise this is!
Beetroot Ragu Lasagna
Absolutely delicious! Serve with a bit of salad, garlic bread or cooked vegetables. I asked my husband if he could identify the mystery ingredient (the orange) and he couldn’t. If you know it’s there, you can taste it, but it really acts like a seasoning and adds another layer of flavour.
Mushroom Ragu Lasagna
Now this one is my favourite I think, using a 300g pack of mushrooms to make the ragu for lasagna for two.
The ragu can be used on its own on toast, a jacket potato or over pasta too.
Lentil Ragu Lasagna
This is where it all started, a gorgeous red lentil ragu is the flavour base for this version of lasagna. The ragu can be used in all kinds of different ways too.
What's been happening
As Mike won't be eating the tomatoes this year, he can't tolerate them, I planted my usual 9 plants in the greenhouse, and then had to think about what to do with the water trough containers that I previously used for tomatoes as well.
Turns out you can get a lot of plants in them!
I started off with some lovely lettuce, then thought I could put something else around the lettuce. I used to grow sweetcorn in our previous house, but don't have the room here, so I got some sweetcorn plants (bit too late for seeds) and put those in as well.
Then in the second planter, I put a couple of courgette, interplanted with the bottom section of spring onions, to regrow, some more (different ) lettuce, rather scorched little plants, but they'll recover, and a sprinkle of radish.
There are some courgette buds all ready to go, won't be long now!
In the big grey planter, I sowed some bulb fennel, and sprinkled radish in to grow up and be harvested before the fennel get going.
In the smaller green pot, I sowed two different small variety pumpkins. I usually sow a small pumpkin in that pot and it works really well. I set up a lattice type thing of canes for the vine to grow up on the wall behind.
We're off to my daughter's tomorrow so Mike can supervise our son-in-law putting up a greenhouse! So I'll pick the first of the lettuce leaves and take it with me. I pick round the outside and it regrows in no time.
I'm really pleased with my little vegetable patch! I might even shuffle things about and get a third water trough next year.
That's it for now, have a great week and I'll see you soon!
Do come and say hello on the Fantastically Frugal Food Facebook group, or the Sensational Slimming Sustenance group. I'd love to see you. Lots of useful tips, recipes and ideas. The nearly 19,000 membership are brilliant, brimming with talent.
And don't forget Thrifty Lesley, where there are 800+ recipes of fantastically frugal food and many weekly meal plans. And Cheap Family Recipes where you can find all kinds of delicious things that don't cost much, with two family monthly meal plans.
With all best wishes, until next time
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