Cheesy Lasagna
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
8 ounces carrots, sliced and steamed
1/4 cup canned low-sodium vegetable broth
16 ounces herbed tofu
8 ounces vegan cream cheese
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 cup nutritional yeast, optional
12 lasagna noodles, cooked
2 to 3 (15 ounce) cans tomato sauce
1 (16 ounce) bag spinach leaves
2 to 3 (14 ounce) jars spaghetti sauce
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Add olive oil to a large skillet, place over medium-high heat until hot. Add parsley and garlic, saute for 1 minute. Add carrots and veggie broth; simmer uncovered for 5 minutes.
2. Add herbed tofu, vegan cream cheese, and lemon juice; stir well. Cook over medium heat stirring constantly until the vegan cream cheese starts to melt. Stir in nutmeg. Add nutritional yeast if you'd like it a little bit more cheesy! Remove from heat; keep warm.
3. Place 3 lasagna noodles in bottom of an 11" x 7" baking dish. Spread tofu mixture over top, place 3 noodles on top of that, and spread tomato sauce and spinach on top of those. Repeat process until all noodles are used up. Top with spaghetti sauce.
4. Cover and bake for 15 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 20 to 30 minutes until it is thoroughly heated. Usually a lasagna takes about 45 minutes to cook thoroughly.
This is the best lasagna I have ever made or had, or non-vegan... it is superb... your non-vegan friends will be wowed!
SO HOW'D IT GO?
We're eating it right now and it's delicious! I cut down on the sauce, pureed the spinach and added crumbled tempeh for a great nutty, meaty texture. I'm not vegan and used regular cream cheese instead of vegan cheese that I didn't have. The tofu absorbs all the flavors and I'd say is hands down better than the ricotta cheese it substitutes! Bravo.
willwolf's photo make this lasagna look awesome!!! Does anyone that made this knows the calories per serving? I'm currently dieting and looking to make my meals ahead of time to freeze but need to make sure they're not too high in calories.
I made this a couple of years ago and actually forgot how good it was. I made this for Christmas dinner, and it was again, fantastic! I swear it tastes so UNvegan.....not that I want things to taste UNvegan, but even my MIL who was worried about the nutritional yeast she saw on the counter gobbled it up. She was all, "THAT'S not going in the recipe, is it?!" I added zucchini, squash, and onion, and it was devine!!!!MMMMMMMMMMMMM
The filling was so good!! I think next time I will sub the filling in for another lasagna recipe, regarding sauce and proportions, but man oh man, that cream cheese filling is awesome!!
This is AMAZING! I don't even like Italian food (yes, true), but this was so good! Added some mushrooms; otherwise, I followed the recipe. Will make again and again! :D
seriously, if you like eggplant, try making the lasagna with eggplant in place of the carrots
As everyone else has said, this was EXCELLENT! I was a vegetarian for about 5 years and switched to vegan the beginning of this year. I thought I had to give up italian foods (all of the cheeses). I had never cooked with tofu before -- never really knew what to do with it. And my vegetarian years were spent with veggies, pasta, beans, and 'fake meat' products.
This was the first time I cooked with tofu and the first time I tried a real italian dish since turning vegan. WOW. I always loved lasagna and had my doubts about the tofu replacing ricotta cheese. But it DOES! I added some shredded Follow Your Heart Mozzeralla cheese to the mix and dropped the carrots -- not a big fan of veggies in my lasagna. It turned out wonderful. My whole family (meat and dairy eaters all) loved it too. My daughter ate it but didn't rave about it -- she saw me making it with tofu. So for her, she had already made up her mind it wasn't going to be very good. ::)
I've now been reduced to kicking everyone out of the kitchen while I cook. I never tell them what's in the food till after they've eaten; and then only when they ask. The things a mom has to go through sometimes! ;)
I am so glad to hear that people like this recipe so much. I made it up when I was in college (over 10 years ago) based on a lasagna recipe that I saw in a magazine that called for cream cheese. I just logged in to retrieve the recipe and saw so many comments from people who have enjoyed it over the years. In response to the one query about "herbed tofu" there is one tofu brand available in Madison, WI, bountiful bean (i believe) that makes herbed tofu. I was thinking of just adding fresh oregano, thyme, and basil to "cheese" mixture as in Georgia (where I now live) I am unable to find herbed tofu.
I always use Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese. I believe they make two kinds, one with hydrogenated oils and one without. The one I use is in a yellow and white tub and is sold at Whole Foods (I know that WF and Wild Oats don't sell anything with trans fats).
Thanks so much! i'll special order it from the local co-op :)
what brand of vegan cream cheese did you use? i'd love to try this recipe but i can't find any non-hydrogenated ones over here... :-\
I always use Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese. I believe they make two kinds, one with hydrogenated oils and one without. The one I use is in a yellow and white tub and is sold at Whole Foods (I know that WF and Wild Oats don't sell anything with trans fats).
Pages