Cauliflower lasagna: the recipe for a vegetarian and gourmet Sunday starter

There cauliflower lasagna it’s a first tasty and delicate, ideal to prepare during the winter season when this precious vegetable, rich in nutrients, is in all its seasonality. A white version, also suitable for vegetarian guests, excellent to bring to the table as an alternative to the classic recipe with meat sauce, for lunch on Sunday or cena special in the company of friends.

To make it, you’ll need a few simple ingredients: a packet of fresh egg pastahomemade bechamel sauce, cubed provola and grated parmesan, to be alternated in layers in a baking dish, and baked until golden brown for an enveloping and super delicious result.

Here, to make the dish tastier, after blanching the cauliflower florets in a pan, we have put back in the pan with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a clove of garlic: thus the pronounced taste of the vegetable will be reduced by cooking over the fire and, once covered with the béchamel and the stringy cheese, it conquers everyone as soon as the first taste (including small ones). If you have time, you can make the dough with very fresh eggs, flour and a pinch of salt, or you can try your hand at colored variant add the spinach purée to the batter.

Discover how to prepare cauliflower lasagna by following the step by step and the advice. If you liked this recipe, try other irresistible vegetarian lasagna.

How to make cauliflower lasagna

Wash the cauliflower, pat it dry with a clean kitchen towel and place it on a cutting board 1.

Divide it into bouquets 2.

Blanch for about 5 minutes in boiling water 3.

After the cooking time, drain it and collect it in a bowl 4.

Brown the garlic in a non-stick pan with a drizzle of oil 5.

Then add the cauliflower florets 6 and let them flavor for a few minutes.

Once ready, crumble them lightly with a wooden spoon. 7remove from heat, salt and let cool.

Flavor with a handful of chopped parsley 8 and keep aside.

Cut the provolone into cubes 9.

Prepare the béchamel: melt the butter in a thick-bottomed saucepan ten.

Add the flour all at once and mix well with a whisk 11until a smooth and homogeneous mixture is obtained.

Then pour in the hot milk, continuing to stir 12 to avoid the formation of lumps, and continue cooking until it reaches the right density.

Season with salt and pepper, flavor with a pinch of nutmeg 13 and stir some of the crumbled cauliflower into the béchamel sauce.

Spread a generous layer of béchamel on the bottom of a baking dish 14.

Lay the egg noodles on top 15.

Add sautéed cauliflower 16.

Add a few cubes of provolone 17.

Cover with the béchamel and a handful of grated parmesan 18and keep building the layers until you run out of ingredients.

Finish with plenty of béchamel and grated parmesan, add a few tufts of butter 19 and put in the oven at 180°C for about 30 minutes.

When a delicious golden crust has formed on the surface, remove the lasagna from the oven 20 and let stand for ten minutes.

Cut the cauliflower lasagne into slices, arrange on individual plates 21bring to the table and serve.

Advice

Instead of provola you can use mozzarella, asiago or scamorza while, to give more creaminess to the dish, you can opt for ricotta or other creamy cheeses, such as robiola or mild gorgonzola, to be sprinkled in small ribbons between one layer and the other.

If the guests do not follow a vegetarian diet, you can enrich the lasagna with 1 sausagepeeled and browned, strips of bacon and speck, or crispy bacon.

For a more dramatic result, you can use purple or yellow cauliflower or, for a more intense flavor, you can replace the white with Roman broccoli.

storage

Cauliflower lasagna will keep in the refrigerator, in an airtight container, for 2 days massive.