Free-form vegetable lasagne with pesto

Recipes / Vegetarian

Haloumi cheese is a traditional cheese from Cyprus. Its salty flavour makes it the perfect ingredient for this elegant free form lasagne.

Recipe «Free-form vegetable lasagne with pesto» presented in category Recipes / Vegetarian, to prepare this dish you will need no more 40 minutes. To make this dish at home by prescription from the author Gomer would need: 300g haloumi, 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, 1 garlic clove, crushed, 2 red capsicums, 2 medium eggplants, cut into 1cm-thick slices , 4 vine-ripened tomatoes, 4 fresh lasagne sheets, cut into 12 x 10cm squares, 1 cup basil pesto , 100g mixed salad leaves.

Ingredients:

  • 300g haloumi 
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 
  • 1 garlic clove, crushed 
  • 2 red capsicums 
  • 2 medium eggplants, cut into 1cm-thick slices 
  • 4 vine-ripened tomatoes 
  • 4 fresh lasagne sheets, cut into 12 x 10cm squares 
  • 1 cup basil pesto 
  • 100g mixed salad leaves 

Instructions

  1. Slice the haloumi cheese into 1/2cm-thick slices. Combine half the olive oil with the garlic, brush over the haloumi slices, cover and set aside to marinate.
  2. Brush the vegetables with the remaining olive oil. Heat a chargrill plate and chargrill the capsicums until the skins are black and charred. Place them in a sealed plastic bag and set aside to sweat for 10 minutes (this helps to lift the skin) then peel and discard the skin.
  3. Chargrill eggplant in batches and stack in a pile to help them cook through. Chargrill the tomatoes quickly on both sides. (All the vegetables can be cooked in advance and reheated later.)
  4. Bring a pan of salted water to the boil, add the lasagne sheets in 3 batches and cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent them sticking together. Drain and place in a bowl of cold water to cool.
  5. Preheat the oven to 170C.
  6. Grill the haloumi cheese for 1 minute each side until crisp on the outside and molten inside.
  7. Layer the vegetables, haloumi and pasta sheets in 4 piles, brushing each layer with a little pesto. Carefully transfer to a greased baking tray, cover with aluminium foil and heat for 5 minutes (they are served warm not hot). Just before serving, tuck a few salad leaves between the layers and top with any remaining pesto.