Chestnut Lasagne with Chestnut Mushroom Ragù and Porcini Cream Sauce

This lasagne combines a chestnut mushroom ragù, silky porcini cream, and handmade wholemeal chestnut pasta. It’s a quiet showstopper — earthy, elegant, and layered with depth rather than height. Wilted kale in an elderflower-verjus dressing finishes it with brightness and bite.

Open-style layers of vegan chestnut lasagne with rich porcini ragu and porcini sauce on a stone colour plate placed on grass. Crispy kale dressed with pine nuts on the side.

Print Recipe

Prep Time 45

Cook Time 15

Resting time 1

Total Time 2

Course Dinner

Cuisine Italian

Servings servings

Calories 468

Ingredients

Ingredients for dried Porcini mushrooms

10 g dried porcini mushrooms
160 ml boiling water

Ingredients for chestnut lasagne sheets

40 g 00 pasta flour
20 g chestnut flour
1 pinch salt
½ tbsp olive oil
½ tbsp aquafaba
1 tbsp cold water

Ingredients for chestnut mushroom ragù

½ tbsp olive oil
100 g red onion | unpeeled weight; finely diced
60 g carrot | unpeeled weight; finely diced
70 g celery | finely diced
70 g chestnut mushrooms | finely chopped; use/include stalks
1 tbsp red wine
1 tbsp porcini soaking liquor
¼ tsp lemon juice
1 tbsp tomato purée
2 cloves fresh garlic | finely grated
½ tsp miso paste
80 g passata
¼ tsp cocoa powder
salt and pepper | to taste

Ingredients for porcini sauce

1 tbsp vegan butter
1 small shallot | finely chopped
1 fresh garlic clove | finely grated
1 tsp white miso paste
10 g porcini mushrooms | dried weight; these are what you soaked in step 1.
all reserved porcini soaking liquor | see The Cook's Mind notes about how to strain the liquor and prepare the porcini to avoid grit.
1 tbsp water | blend the sauce, taste, and add this water if the blender needs a little help to purée
¾ tsp lemon juice
¼ tsp lemon zest
3 tbsp Oatly Greek-style Oatgurt
salt | to taste

Ingredients for wilted greens with elderflower and verjus dressing

80 g kale | or spring cabbage
1 tbsp olive oil
½ tsp elderflower cordial
½ tsp verjus

Other ingredients

½ tsp pine nuts | toasted
1 pinch Maldon sea salt | for texture
¾ tsp smoked rapeseed oil | a few drops

Instructions

Instructions for the Porcini mushrooms

Boil the kettle. On a weighing scale, weigh in the mushrooms, and then pour boiling water over. Leave the mushrooms soaking for at least 30 minutes. See the Notes at the end for how to strain the mushrooms to ensure 'no grit in sauce.'
10 g dried porcini mushrooms, 160 ml boiling water

Instructions for the chestnut lasagne sheets

Mix the flours and salt together.
40 g 00 pasta flour, 1 pinch salt, 20 g chestnut flour
In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, aquafaba and water.
½ tbsp olive oil, ½ tbsp aquafaba, 1 tbsp cold water
Gradually add the wet mix to the flour, stirring to form a dough.
Knead for 5-8 minutes until smooth, wrap, and rest for at least 30 minutes.
Roll into thin lasagne sheets, dusting with flour as needed to prevent sticking.

Instructions for the chestnut mushroom ragù

Heat the olive oil in a saucepan and when it's warm gently cook the onion, carrot, and celery until soft and beginning to catch — a light fond is welcome.
½ tbsp olive oil, 100 g red onion, 60 g carrot, 70 g celery
Turn up the heat fractionally, then when the pan is hot, add the chopped chestnut mushrooms to the pan, spread across the pan to maximise the area for water evaporation and cook for a few minutes, allowing the mushrooms to brown and reduce. Stir once and cook again for another few minutes. Avoid moving the mushrooms too much, you'll hinder the browning.
70 g chestnut mushrooms
Deglaze with the red wine and 1 tbsp of the porcini soaking liquor.
1 tbsp red wine, 1 tbsp porcini soaking liquor, ¾ tsp lemon juice
Turn the heat back to low, add the grated garlic and tomato purée and cook for 2 more minutes so that the tomato purée darkens in colour.
2 cloves fresh garlic, 1 tbsp tomato purée
Add the miso paste, passata and cocoa. Cook for a few minutes to bring the flavours together. It will be quite dry but add a little water if you feel it's gone too dry. It should be nice and glossy.
½ tsp miso paste, 80 g passata, ¼ tsp cocoa powder
Season with salt and pepper to taste.
salt and pepper

Instructions for the Porcini sauce

Heat the vegan butter in a small pan and gently sauté the shallot until soft and translucent.
1 small shallot, 1 tbsp vegan butter
Add the garlic and cook for another minute.
1 fresh garlic clove
Stir in the miso paste and gently scrape it through the softened aromatics.
1 tsp white miso paste
Add the porcini mushrooms, the strained porcini soaking liquor and the hot water. Stir to mix and heat the mushrooms. Add the lemon juice and zest.
¼ tsp lemon juice, all reserved porcini soaking liquor, ¼ tsp lemon zest
Remove from the heat and stir in the oatgurt.
3 tbsp Oatly Greek-style Oatgurt
Purée using a high-speed blender until completely smooth. Add the water if you need to thin slightly the sauce.
1 tbsp water
Taste and adjust with salt.
salt

Make the wilted greens and dressing

Steam the kale. At the same time, mix the dressing ingredients together. Turn the kale with the dressing.
80 g kale, 1 tbsp olive oil, ½ tsp elderflower cordial, ½ tsp verjus

Suggested open-style finishing

Layer sauce, ragù and pasta in an open and relaxed way. Top with dressed wilted greens. Top with the pine nut, malden salt and a few drops of the smoked oil.
½ tsp pine nuts, 1 pinch Maldon sea salt, ¾ tsp smoked rapeseed oil

Notes

No Grit Porcini Prep Method

Soak the dried porcini in a bowl of water for at least 30 minutes. When ready, lift them out gently, taking care not to disturb any grit that has settled at the bottom. Squeeze the soaking liquor from the mushrooms back into the bowl, then place the porcini in a sieve.

Rinse the soaked porcini under cold running water, opening up the pieces as needed to wash away any hidden grit. Squeeze again to remove excess water.

Strain the soaking liquor through a piece of muslin, a clean J-cloth, or a chinois to remove any remaining sediment.

Nutrition

Calories: 468kcalCarbohydrates: 57gProtein: 11gFat: 24gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gMonounsaturated Fat: 14gTrans Fat: 0.03gCholesterol: 4mgSodium: 407mgPotassium: 1162mgFiber: 9gSugar: 15gVitamin A: 9807IUVitamin C: 61mgCalcium: 223mgIron: 3mg

Nutritional values are estimates only and will vary depending on specific ingredients used. Nutrition is per serving. Information is for the main recipe, not optional accompaniments.