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Try this truffled celeriac and cavolo nero lasagne, then check out more lasagne recipes, our best celeriac recipes and more ways with cavolo nero.

Rosie says: "November is a lovely time to set the table and have people over for a cosy supper. While I might feel slightly preemptively exhausted by the prospect of Christmas and all the cooking that entails looming on the horizon, the pressure is off right now and things feel much more informal, so I love to ask people over and make something simple but special that can happily feed a table of friends. Lasagne is always a good one because it’s the ultimate crowd-pleasing make-ahead, and with so many gorgeous seasonal vegetables in abundance at this time of year (and so much meat to come), a winter vegetable take on this warming pasta classic feels fitting.

Celeriac is a root vegetable I come back to every winter, and I’m always looking for fun new ways to use it because it’s incredibly flavourful and super versatile. I’ve made celeriac ‘pappardelle’ before by cutting celeriac with a mandoline and blanching it to serve with ragu or brown butter and sage/hazelnuts, but recently I’ve been playing around with incorporating a very smooth purée into my béchamel in lasagne, and the resulting sauce is extra delicious.


Truffled celeriac and cavolo nero lasagne recipe

Ingredients

  • 450g celeriac, peeled and cut into 1-2cm cubes
  • 5g dried mushrooms
  • ½ shallot, sliced
  • 850ml whole milk
  • 200g cavolo nero or kale, stalks removed
  • 3 tbsp toasted pine nuts
  • 40g parmesan (or vegetarian alternative), plus a grating
  • ½ lemon, juiced
  • 1 garlic clove, peeled
  • leaves from ½ sprig of rosemary
  • 7 tbsp olive oil, plus a drizzle
  • 15 dried, no pre-cook lasagne sheets
  • 40g butter
  • nutmeg, a grating
  • 30g plain flour
  • 2 tsp truffle oil (or up to 3 tsp)
  • 250g mozzarella ball, drained and sliced
  • bitter leaf salad, to serve

Method

  • STEP 1

    First, cook the celeriac. Put it in a deep lidded pan with the mushrooms and shallot, and cover with 450ml of the milk. Season with salt and bring up to the boil, then turn down to a simmer. Cover and cook for 20-25 mins or until the celeriac is fork-tender and can be puréed. Set aside to cool.

  • STEP 2

    Meanwhile, make the pesto. Bring a pan of salted water to the boil and blanch the cavolo nero until wilted. Drain and squeeze out the excess moisture, then put into a food processor with the pine nuts, parmesan, lemon juice, garlic, rosemary, olive oil and 4 tbsp of water. Blitz until you have a spoonable pesto.

  • STEP 3

    Now it’s cool, purée the celeriac until very smooth and creamy using a blender or stick blender. To make the béchamel, melt the butter in a large pan with a good grating of nutmeg, and scatter over the flour, working it in with a wooden spoon to form a roux. Slowly pour in the rest of the milk, whisking to emulsify into the roux, and gradually adding until it’s all combined. Cook the sauce, stirring, for 6-8 mins or until smooth and creamy, then pour in the puréed celeriac and whisk to combine. Taste for seasoning and adjust with a little more salt and pepper, then add the truffle oil to your taste.

  • STEP 4

    Heat the oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Grab an ovenproof lasagne dish (about 25cm x 20cm) and cover the bottom with the dry lasagne sheets. Ladle over enough béchamel to cover the bottom and smooth it out, then add a couple of spoonfuls of the pesto and swirl through. Top with a layer of sliced mozzarella and repeat with the lasagne sheets, béchamel, pesto and mozzarella until it’s all used up, finishing with a layer of béchamel. Grate over a layer of extra parmesan and drizzle with olive oil, then bake in the oven for 40 mins until the pasta is cooked through and tender.

  • STEP 5

    Remove from the oven and allow to settle for at least 10 mins before serving in slices. I like it served with a sharply dressed bitter leaf salad.

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