One-pot chicken, leek & spinach lasagne with bean bechamel

This super convenient one-pot dish is a satisfying and healthy midweek meal option. The humble canned haricot bean makes a velvety and nutritious alternative to a traditional bechamel sauce and doesn’t require any pre-cooking, making it perfect for this speedy one-pot dish. The beans, sweet leeks and earthy spinach increase the fibre content and plant count.

Method

1. Heat the butter in a shallow 26cm cast iron casserole dish and fry the leek and thyme for 8 minutes or until soft and sweet. Add the garlic and fry for 2 minutes, then add the mince and fry for 5 minutes or until it starts to colour.
2.  Pour in the stock and bring to a simmer, then add the spinach in batches, allowing it to wilt down into the sauce each time. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Mix the cornflour with 1 tbsp cold water, then stir it into the sauce.
3. Reserve 3-4 lasagne sheets for the top, trimming to size with scissors. Tear the rest in half, then slip each one into the same pan, moving them around with a spoon in between, to make sure they don’t stick together. Lay the reserved sheets on top, pushing them down briefly to flood the top with stock, then simmer gently for 5 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, preheat the grill. Tip the beans into a blender and add 100ml of the bean liquor, the nutmeg and Parmesan. Blend until smooth, then taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper.
5. When the lasagne sheets are cooked al dente, spread the bean bechamel evenly over the surface of the lasagne. Tear the mozzarella into small pieces and scatter over the top with a little more grated Parmesan.
6. Transfer the dish to the grill and cook for 5 minutes, or until the topping is golden brown and bubbling. Transfer to a heatproof surface and leave to settle while you prepare the salad.
7. Cut the top and bottom off the oranges, then slice away the peel. Cut out the orange segments into a salad bowl, then squeeze over any remaining juice from the membrane that’s left behind. Add the garlic and sherry vinegar to the bowl with a pinch of salt and whisk with a fork to combine, then incorporate the olive oil. Toss with the chicory leaves and hazelnuts and serve with the lasagne.

Cooking tip

You can use any canned or jarred white beans to make the bechamel, including cannellini and butterbeans. These bigger bean varieties can be slightly softer, so reduce the amount of bean liquor to 50ml.