What's a lasagna without noodles & cheese...

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I was talking to a friend about some recipes I was trying out the other day, and she stopped me mid-sentence and asked, "But what's a lasagna without noodles & cheese? I mean, that's the basic definition of a lasagna, right?"

While Merriam-Webster defines lasagna as "a baked dish containing layers of boiled lasagna(wide noodles), and usually cheese, a seasoned sauce of tomatoes, and meat or vegetables", I wanted to try to make this dish WITHOUT 2 of the main ingredients. Truth and honesty here: it does not taste EXACTLY like a traditional lasagna, but I think it came pretty close (without the noodles and cheese, of course😉). 
One of the most important parts of any REAL lasagna is the ricotta - it elevates it away from a simple pasta bake and into something more luxurious. The first step in making this recipe is making a vegan "ricotta". I looked at several different recipes, and put together something that I thought made the most sense to me. 

Next was to find a substitute for the regular noodles. While they do make Gluten Free lasagna noodles, I wanted to find something that added a little bit more nutrition to the recipe. I chose zucchini & eggplant and cut them into thin, long slices. I used a mandolin, but you can use a regular knife to cut as well.


Finally, I layered my dish together, set it to bake in the oven for an hour, and waited patiently for my dinner to be ready. I have to say - I was not disappointed:)

 

While my 8 year old couldn't be convince to give it a try (I made her a traditional lasagna, which she tried for the first time and liked!), I did get a thumbs up from the hubby.

VEGAN RICOTTA CHEESE


Ingredients (choose organic and locally sourced when available)

8 ounces raw cashews (either soaked overnight or in warm water for 2 hours)
3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon chopped garlic (3 cloves)
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 cup water

Directions

1. Soak cashews overnight or in warm water for 2 hours.
2. Place all ingredients in a blender.
3. Blend until smooth, add additional water as needed.
                       

VEGETABLE LASAGNA

Ingredients(choose organic and locally sourced when available)

2 zucchini
1 eggplant
1 jar marinara sauce
2 cups frozen chopped spinach, thawed and water removed
1 cup vegan mozzarella cheese (I used Trader Joes, but there are many other options, including Daiya)
Vegan Ricotta Cheese (see recipe above)


 Directions

  1. Slice zucchini & eggplant into thin, long slices.
  2. Defrost frozen spinach. Squeeze out the excess water by wrapping it in a towel and ringing the water out or pushing it through a colander with a paper towel.
  3. Mix spinach with Vegan Ricotta.
  4. Start layering your lasagna in a casserole dish. Follow this order: Marinara sauce. Zucchini. Spinach-ricotta mixture. Marinara sauce. Eggplant. Spinach-ricotta mixture. Marinara. Continue with this until you've used up your ingredients.
  5. On the last layer, simply put the zucchini or eggplant & the tomato sauce (no Spinach-ricotta mixture). Cover with foil, and place in the oven for 50 minutes, or until the vegetables are fork tender. (Hint - the longer you cook the lasagna, the softer the zucchini & eggplant become and therefor feel less like vegetables).
  6. OPTIONAL: Uncover, sprinkle shredded (vegan) mozzarella cheese on top, and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes, or until the cheese is completely melted. 
  7. Allow to cool before slicing & serving.
  8. Makes 6 servings. 


Nutrition Facts
Servings 6.0
Amount Per Serving
calories 280
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 16 g24 %
Saturated Fat 3 g14 %
Monounsaturated Fat 6 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 3 g
Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 0 mg0 %
Sodium 550 mg23 %
Potassium 999 mg29 %
Total Carbohydrate 27 g9 %
Dietary Fiber 8 g31 %
Sugars 11 g
Protein 9 g18 %
Vitamin A66 %
Vitamin C25 %
Calcium9 %
Iron19 %

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