They Won't Know It's Vegan Lasagna
Lasagna:
1 (12 ounce) box lasagna noodles
12 ounces vegan hamburger crumbles
3 cups cooked veggies (I like spinach, zucchini, and mushrooms)
2 (20 ounce) jars spaghetti sauce
6-8 ounces vegan mozzarella cheese, shredded (I use Follow Your Heart, Teese, or VeganRella) Tofu Ricotta Mix:
1 (16 ounce) tub firm tofu (not silken), pressed and drained
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
3 cloves garlic
3 tablespoons nutritional yeast, optional
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon basil
1/2-1 teaspoon salt, to taste
6-8 ounces vegan cream cheese (either Tofutti or Vegan Gourmet brand are best)
1. Boil the lasagna noodles in water, lightly salted with a bit of oil to prevent sticking. Drain when al dente (firm but cooked) and let cool.
2. Meanwhile, cook the veggies if raw. I cook them in vegetable broth and a pinch of salt until lightly cooked, then drain. Microwave the crumbles according to box directions.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Put the tofu ricotta ingredients (except vegan cream cheese) into a food processor. Use the pulse function to keep the coarse texture of the tofu.
4. Microwave cream cheese for 30 seconds to soften. Use a wooden spoon to mix lightly into the blended ricotta mixture. Layer the ingredients in two or three layers, starting with noodles, then sauce, then tofu ricotta, then crumbles, then veggies. Repeat.
5. Top it with a layer noodles, sauce and cheese. Bake for 40 minutes. Cool slightly, eat and enjoy alone or with garlic bread.
Source of recipe: I wrote this recipe from scratch.
SO HOW'D IT GO?
Make this all the thyyyyme! thanks brah. it's expensive though with all those vegan substitutes. worth it
It was awesome.
I just made this for the second time last night. I excluded the meat this time because I didn't love it last time and thought the veggies were sufficient. I also excluded the mozzarella, only because I didn't have any. Instead I used some 'parmesan' on top, just for the sake of it. Also, I folded the veggies into the riccotta after the cream cheese (I used spinach, mushrooms and broccoli.) I also made it in a 9x9 pan instead of the 9x13 I used last time and made the layers a little thicker and only wound up with three layers. Also, I used a rice noodle this time. I had used whole grain the first, which I prefer taste-wise, but was really difficult to keep the noodles from sticking together during and after cooking. Really, really good. It's a great meal to have on-hand. Last time I made it, I ate it almost every day for a week and plan on doing the same again. I reheat it in my toaster oven wrapped in foil and it's as good as the first bake.
I LOVE the ricotta portion of this recipe!! It's not only tasty but very easy to make. I've also used it as a filling for homemade ravioli, which was great, and next I plan to use it for manicotti!
EDIT: A year later, and I still make the ricotta frequently, only I've stopped using the cream cheese and olive oil to keep the calories lower, and it still tastes great baked into lasagna. To make up for it, I tend to use a lot more nutritional yeast than is mentioned in this recipe - though I don't measure, I just add it to taste. I even eat the ricotta straight sometimes with a little rosemary bread. You can use it for all sorts of things, including scrambled tofu.
Excellent!! I used baby 'bellas, red chard, & zuchini, sauteed with earth balance, garlic, oregano, & a little salt... for the crumbles i used 3 'italian sausage' style tofurky links, coarsely chopped then pulsed in the blender to make crumbles. I mixed the tofurky crumbles with the veggies, & it was the perfect amount for 3-layer lasagna in an 8X10 pan (veggie-crumble layer, 'ricotta' layer, veggie crumble layer)... I also used a whole bag of Daiya mozzarella & 2 jars of sauce... then sprinkled fresh basil & parsley on top: pretty and delicious!
THAT RICOTTA IS TO DIE FOR! O my goodness: new pasta staple! I used a little more garlic, & stirred in some chopped fresh basil... wow!!! so good! :)>>>
I ended up basically stirring all the ricotta ingredients with a fork, 'cause my blender sucks & was only blending the bottom layer... fork worked fine.
Love this! Will very definitely make again-- thank you for sharing this delicious recipe!
I'm soooo excited! I have a HUGE pan in the oven. I used Italian "sausage" and ground "beef" and mixed it in the sauce instead of making it's own layer and used zucchini, spinach, mushrooms, onions and marinated red peppers.
I will take pictures and try to figure out how to post them, as I only have a phone camera! :P
Thank you for this wonderful recipe! I know it will be delicious and I can't wait for my omni-boyfriend to eat some!
I made this, and it was divine!!!!! SOOOOOOO good :)>>>
Thank you! Thank you!!! This was absolutely wonderful!! :)
I'm not vegan, but my son is allergic to dairy & eggs, so I'm constantly scouring the web for recipes that the whole family will eat and enjoy, so I don't have to cook 2-3 different dishes for one meal! This one is a keeper!!! My son had never had lasagna before I made this for him and it's now his favorite food! Thank you for helping me to introduce delicious foods to my son!!!
I didn't use any of the cheese alternatives for health reasons and I made my own ground meat alternative, but i shredded potato on top for the cheesy look and the crispy taste and still did the ricotta tofu mixture without the cream cheese. it's about to come out of the oven. I really enjoyed this. Thanks.
This is the BEST lasagna! I didn't have nutritional yeast so I omitted that. My boyfriend loves it; it's a weekly meal in our house. And I just convinced an omni co-worker to try it.....he couldn't tell it was vegan!!
The name is very appropriate!
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