Hearty Vegan Vegetable Lasagna
By the Gracious Vegan
You don’t have to tell people there’s tofu in this lasagna unless they insist on knowing. My guess is that they will not care what’s in it. They’ll only want to know if there’s more. Multiply the recipe by 1.5 if you want to use a 9” x 13” pan. This freezes well.
Makes 8 servings
Pre-heat the oven to 375°.
Soak cashews in cold water at least 2 hours, or pour boiling water over them, cover, and let them soak 20 minutes. (I recommend this even if you have a high-speed blender.)
1 cup raw cashews (whole or pieces)
Thaw the package of spinach by leaving it out for a few hours or by microwaving it for a few minutes. Let it cool a bit then squeeze out the water well.
One 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach
Noodles. Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions.
9 whole wheat lasagna noodles
Vegetables. Microwave or water-sauté the following vegetables until they are fully cooked. (What is water-sauté?) Drain away any excess moisture.
2 cups chopped white mushrooms
3 cups chopped vegetables of your choice (e.g., zucchini, bell peppers, asparagus, broccoli)
Tomato sauce. Use Gracious Vegan Marinara Sauce or your favorite (you’ll need about 4 cups).
“Ricotta.” In a blender or food processor, process the following ingredients until smooth. The cashews may not get 100% smooth, but that’s okay.
The soaked cashews
1 pound extra firm tofu, drained
2 Tablespoons nutritional yeast (What is Nutritional Yeast?)
1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1.5 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
Stir the thawed, squeezed spinach into the ricotta mixture separately.
Assembly. In a baking dish (9” x 9” or 7” x 10”), pour in about a cup of sauce to cover the bottom. Layer 3 lasagna noodles (fold or tear them if necessary). Top with a third of the ricotta mixture. Top with a third of the mushroom-vegetable mixture. Repeat 1 cup sauce – 3 noodles – 1/3 ricotta – 1/3 vegetables two more times. End with the final cup of sauce. Top with breadcrumb mixture.
1/4 cup dried breadcrumbs (Italian or plain) mixed with ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
Bake uncovered for 50 minutes. Let sit about 5 minutes before serving.
The lasagna can be made ahead and kept in the refrigerator either before or after baking. (If you bake it after chilling it, increase the baking time.) Individual pieces (or the whole pan) can also be frozen for up to two or three months after baking.
Timing: hands-on time 45 minutes, total time 1.5 hours
Nutritional information per serving: 339 calories, 11g fat, 2g sat. fat, 45g carbs, 230mg sodium, 9mg fiber, 17g protein
Gluten-free if gluten-free lasagna noodles used