Mess tin lentil lasagne

A lasagne, the perfect meal for a nice day. It is filled with flavour and you can even customise it for whatever you like. Whilst vegan cheese and dairy alternatives exist, I’ve not found one I like that much, and so in this meal rather than try and create a substitute for the béchamel or cheese, I’ve just ignored them and done without!

In place of beef, I used Merchant Gourmet French Tomatoey Puy & Green Lentils. Essentially, some pre-cooked lentils with a rich tomato sauce. To help the lasagne sheets cook, I added plenty of water and tomato puree to create a better sauce for cooking.

This is a good hiking meal - none of the ingredients need special care or refrigeration. And, the mess tin is great for lasagne. The lasagne sheets I had fitted perfectly for width, and only needed the very ends snapping off to fit into the tin. When your cooking equipment is rectangular, you might as well cook the tastiest rectangular food - and that is of course, lasagne.

Ingredients

Method

  • Pour some of the lentils into the mess tin, to roughly cover the bottom of the tin by about 1cm
  • Add a squeeze of tomato puree
  • Sprinkle Italian herbs to taste
  • Add a splash of water and mix until they fully cover the base of the mess tin
  • Place a lasagne sheet on top of the lentil mixture
  • Repeat layers of lentil, puree, water and lasagne until the mess tin is full
  • Heat for about 20 minutes, until the sauce has thickened and the pasta sheets are cooked. If using a Trangia, use the simmer ring to control the heat, you don’t want it on full power

Suggested variations

  • If you’re less put off by either real or pretend cheese, sprinkle some on top at the end
  • Fresh pasta sheets would probably cook quicker if you’re able to keep them at the correct temperature before you use them
  • Sun dried tomatoes, finely chopped and added into the lentil mix gives this dish an even richer flavour