This is the meal prep we make in our house every single month: it’s a massive batch of bolognese with loads of veggies blended into the sauce, making it the perfect sauce base for this Veggie Packed Lasagna with Kale Pesto. It’s one of these recipes that you can mix and match what veggies you use, depending on what’s in your fridge needing to be used up, and the sauce goes great in lasagna, on pasta, nachos, or loaded potatoes. We use this to make 2 nights’ worth of lasagna and 4 nights of pasta sauce as a family of 2 adults and one child – which is so handy to have ready in the freezer when you don’t want to have to think about what to make.

Looking for more easy plant-based baby-led weaning recipes like this vegan feta one? Check out our ebook with over 35 unreleased recipes here.

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Hidden Veggie Bolognese Sauce

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 25

Total Time 30

Servings 8

Suitable For 6m+

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil
2 onions
6 cloves garlic
3 capsicum
2 carrots
1 zucchini
200 g textured vegetable protein (TVP)
500 ml vegetable stock (low salt)
80 ml tomato paste
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp paprika
3 tbsp Italian herbs
1 x 800g can of diced tomatoes
1 x 400g can of brown lentils (drained & rinsed)
Pinch salt and pepper (omit salt for under 12 months)

Instructions

Prep the veggies by roughly chopping them (they’ll be blended later so no need to finely dice).
In a large pot add the olive oil and onion and cook over med-high for 5 minutes until translucent. Then add the garlic and peppers and cook for 2-3 minutes until soft, stirring occasionally so they don’t burn.
Then add the carrot and zucchini, reduce the heat to low, cover and cook for 10 minutes until the veggies are softened.
While the veggies cook, make the pesto recipe below.
Add the veggies to a blender along with the tinned tomatoes and blend until smooth.
To the pot add the TVP and veggie stock and heat over medium until the liquid is absorbed (~3 mins), then add all of the remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and allow to simmer for 10-15 minutes while you make the white sauce (recipe below).

Storage

Store leftovers in the fridge for 5 days, or freeze in portions for 2 months.

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White Sauce

Cook Time 10

Total Time 10

Servings 8

Suitable For 6m+

Ingredients

3 tbsp olive oil (or vegan butter)
3 tbsp wholemeal flour (we used wholemeal spelt but plain also works)
3 tbsp nutritional yeast (optional, adds a cheesy flavour)
1.25 litres soy milk
Pinch sea salt (omit for under 12 months)

Instructions

In a pot add the olive oil and warm over low-medium heat. Add the flour and nutritional yeast and whisk for 1-2 minutes to cook off the raw flour taste.
Slowly pour in the plant milk (~ one cup at a time) while whisking continuously so the sauce stays smooth. Start with about 1 litre and add more if you prefer a thinner sauce.
Cook for around 5-8 mins, whisking often, until the sauce thickens to your liking.
Season with salt and pepper to taste (skip the salt if serving to babies under 12 months).

Storage

Store in the fridge for 3 days or freeze in portions for 2 months

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Kale Pesto

Prep Time 5

Total Time 5

Servings 8

Suitable For 6m+

Equipment

food processor/chopper

Ingredients

75 g pumpkin seeds (can sub with sunflower seeds or cashews for a creamier texture)
2 handfuls kale leaves (stalks removed)
1 clove garlic
15 g nutritional yeast
1 lemon (juice)
125 ml olive oil
1/2 tsp sea salt (omit for under 12 months)

Instructions

Add all of the ingredients to a small food processor and blend until smooth/desired texture.

Storage

Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days. Freeze in portions for up to 2 months.

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Veggie Packed Lasagna with Kale Pesto

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 45

Servings 6

Suitable For 9m+

Ingredients

500 ml hidden veggie bolognese sauce (see recipes)
125 ml kale pesto (see recipes)
500 ml white sauce (see recipes)

To Layer

250 g lasagna sheets (we used a mix of gluten free and regular as we made these in individual portions )
50 g vegan cheese (grated)

Instructions

Layer the lasagnas starting with the red bolognese sauce at the bottom to avoid the lasagna sheets sticking. Then layer with lasagna sheets, another layer of red sauce, lasagna sheets, white sauce, lasagna sheets, red sauce, lasagna sheets, and finished with white sauce.
Optional: if using the kale pesto, add a layer between the red and white sauce in the middle.
Once finished either top with cheese and bake straight away at 180c/350f for 40-45 minutes.
Or freeze without cheese, and bake directly from frozen (add cheese before placing in the oven) for 50-55 minutes until the cheese is golden and the lasagna sheets soft when pierced with a knife.

Storage

Store in the fridge for 3 days or freezer for 2 months

Notes

We used individual seed and sprout moulds for this meal prep dish. You can then easily pop an individual lasagna out when needed, put them in a glass dish along with other lasagna squares (depending on how many people you're feeding) and bake easily this way. Or feel free to bake or freeze as one large lasagna.

Make sure to allow the lasagna to cool to a safe temperature and chop into age appropriate pieces.