Veggie Lasagna
This four-step recipe uses a store-bought jar of sauce and does not require precooking the noodles. Inspired by the Gantts of Asheville, North Carolina My friend Carrie gave me her mother’s recipe for spinach lasagna in 2014. It became a regular favorite, but back then, I was still eating dairy. It’s taken a few tries, but I have mastered a plant-based dish that is just as delicious.
Step 1: “Ricotta”
1 cup raw cashews
1 Tablespoon lemon juice (about half a lemon)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried basil
Dash of garlic powder
1/3 cup soy milk
2 Tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 Tablespoon of flaxseed meal
Cover cashews with water and soak 2 to 12 hours; drain. In a food processor, combine cashews, lemon juice, salt, basil, garlic powder, milk, nutritional yeast and flax seed meal. Heat oven to 350 degrees
Step 2: “Mozzarella”
14 oz tofu
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon oregano
Cut tofu into very thin slices and dry sandwiched between paper towels. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and oregano.
Step 3: Veggies
1 Tablespoon olive oil
2 cups button mushrooms, trimmed and sliced
1 large red onion, diced
5 cups fresh spinach
2 cloves garlic, minced
Heat oil in a large skillet. Sauté onion and mushrooms for 2 minutes. Add garlic and spinach and cook until spinach is wilted.
Step 4: Assemble and Bake
24 oz jar of spaghetti sauce
8 oz 100% whole wheat lasagna noodles (1/2 box)
1 cup of vegetable stock (I use homemade)
2 Tablespoons nutritional yeast
Spray a 9x12 pan with cooking spray. Pour 1/3 jar of spaghetti sauce in the bottom. Lay half lasagna noodles in a single layer. Spread with 25% of ricotta mixture. Lay all tofu out in a single layer. Layer in the veggies. Add another layer of noodles. Cover with the rest of ricotta and pour on the rest of the sauce. Sprinkle nutritional yeast on top. Pour vegetable stock around the sides. Bake at 350 covered with foil for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Let rest before serving.
