Recipe Makeover-Vegan Lasagna

Submitted by Kozmic Blues

"I am taking a "Healthy" Cooking class, sponsored by the university where I work. One assignment was to make-over a recipe to be more health conscious. Because I am a vegan, and unfortunately can't eat many of the dishes prepared in the class each week, I decided to make over the recipe VEGAN. The original recipe was a lasagna with a meat and cheese layer. I have substituted the full fat ricotta cheese layer with my Tofu Basil Ricotta and the "meat" layer with a vegan version of my grandmother's homemade ravioli filling (traditionally a mixture of ground beef, pork sautéed with onions, garlic, spinach and spices) This was also the first time I used the "no-bake" lasagna noodles! : >"

 

• Ready In: 1hr 30mins
• Ingredients: 21
• Serves: 12

ingredients

• 1 (9 ounce) box no-boil lasagna noodles
• 5 cups marinara sauce, homemade (or your favorite)

• For the ricotta layer

• 1 lb firm tofu, drained and pressed
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄4 cup nutritional yeast flakes
• 10 fresh basil leaves, chopped fine
• fresh black pepper, to taste

• for the meat

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1⁄2 onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons italian seasoning (to taste)
• crushed red pepper flakes, to taste (optional)
• 1 cup textured vegetable protein (TVP)
• 1 cup hot vegetable stock
• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 2 tablespoons tamari or 2 tablespoons Braggs liquid aminos
• 1 (10 ounce) package frozen spinach, thawed and drained
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste

directions

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.

2. For the Tofu Ricotta (see also my recipe #279343):

3. In a large bowl, mush the tofu up with your hands, till it's crumbly.
4. Add lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper and basil.
5. Mush with hands again, this time you want it to get very mushy so squeeze through your fingers and mush until it reaches the consistency of ricotta cheese. May take 2-5 minutes.
6. Add olive oil, stir with fork (olive oil is sticky).
7. Add nutritional yeast and combine all ingredients well.
8. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

9. For the "meat" layer:

10. In a large pan over medium heat, sauté the chopped onions in the olive oil until slightly tender.
11. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant.
12. Add the dried Italian seasoning and crushed red pepper, if using, and stir to coat onions/garlic evenly.
13. Next add the dried textured vegetable protein (TVP). It will begin to absorb ALL the liquid in the pan.
14. Add a splash or two of the vegetable stock and stir to coat all the TVP with the garlic/onions.
15. Next add the tamari, which will give the TVP it's darker color.
16. Stir to coat, add the nutritional yeast then slowly add the vegetable broth, and slowly stir as the liquid absorbs.
17. Lower the heat and let simmer for 5-7 minutes.
18. Add the chopped spinach and stir to incorporate evenly.
19. Keep mixture on low until ready to assemble.
20. Layer you lasagna as you wish.
21. If using the "no bake" noodles, be sure to use plenty of sauce on each layer to soak into the dry sheets.
22. 1-2 cups sauce on the bottom of pan, layer of dry noodles, layer of 1/2 "meat" spinach mixture, layer of sauce.
23. Then layer of noodles, layer of vegan ricotta, layer of sauce.
24. Layer of noodles, layer of second 1/2 of "meat" spinach mixture, layer of sauce, then top with noodles and sauce.
25. Cover with foil and bake in oven for 1 hour.
26. Remove and let sit for 20 minutes before serving.
27. Can be topped with vegan "parmesan cheese".