What's a lasagna without noodles & cheese...
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.
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VEGETABLE LASAGNA |
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
- Slice zucchini & eggplant into thin, long slices.
- 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.
- Mix spinach with Vegan Ricotta.
- 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.
- 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).
- OPTIONAL: Uncover, sprinkle shredded (vegan) mozzarella cheese on top, and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes, or until the cheese is completely melted.
- Allow to cool before slicing & serving.
- Makes 6 servings.
| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Servings 6.0 | |
| Amount Per Serving | |
| calories 280 | |
| % Daily Value * | |
| Total Fat 16 g | 24 % |
| Saturated Fat 3 g | 14 % |
| Monounsaturated Fat 6 g | |
| Polyunsaturated Fat 3 g | |
| Trans Fat 0 g | |
| Cholesterol 0 mg | 0 % |
| Sodium 550 mg | 23 % |
| Potassium 999 mg | 29 % |
| Total Carbohydrate 27 g | 9 % |
| Dietary Fiber 8 g | 31 % |
| Sugars 11 g | |
| Protein 9 g | 18 % |
| Vitamin A | 66 % |
| Vitamin C | 25 % |
| Calcium | 9 % |
| Iron | 19 % |
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