Tomato Spinach Cream Cheese Lasagna

Submitted by Lalaloula

"This easy to make, delicious vegetarian lasagna is layered a bit differently than your ordinary lasagna. The idea for it comes from the cookbook "comida vegetariana" published by trident press, but we have modified it a bit to suit our taste even more. I hope youll enjoy it as much as we did! You can also easily veganise this by using a vegan cream cheese, non-dairy milk and opting out of the cheese or using a soy cheese."

 

• Ready In: 1hr
• Ingredients: 24
• Yields: 1 large lasagna

ingredients

• For the tomato sauce

• 1 tablespoon oil
• 3 medium sized carrots, chopped
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 680 g passata (you can also use your fav pasta sauce and omit seasonings)
• 1⁄4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1⁄4 teaspoon sage, dried
• 1⁄8 teaspoon chili powder
• 1⁄2 bunch parsley, chopped

• For the white sauce

• 2 tablespoons oil
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 500 ml milk, warmed (as a vegan use non-dairy)
• 1⁄4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1 laurel leaf, dried
• 1⁄4 teaspoon sage, dried

• For the spinach cream cheese layer

• 250 g frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and drained
• 200 g cream cheese (low-fat is fine, as a vegan use a vegan brand)
• 1⁄4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1⁄4 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
• 1⁄8 teaspoon nutmeg
• 2 tablespoons blue cheese, crumbled (as a vegan opt out of this)
• 1 teaspoon psyllium, husk ground (or use flax seeds)

• For assembly

• 8 sheets whole wheat lasagna noodles
• 1 cup cheese, grated (use your favourite, as a vegan opt out of or use soy)

directions

1. For the tomato sauce heat the oil in a large frying pan. When it's hot, add the chopped vegetables and the garlic. Sautee until lightly browned (about 5 minutes).
2. Then add the passata or pasta sauce and seasonings if using. Simmer for 10 minutes, then set aside.
3. For the white sauce heat the oil in a pot. When it's hot, add the flour stirring vigorously using a wire whisk for about 2 minutes or until flour is nicely browned.
4. Add a small portion of the warm milk and stir to combine. Add the remaining milk little by little stirring after each addition.
5. Season, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for about 10 minutes or until thickened. Set aside.
6. For the cream cheese spinach layer combine all ingredients in a large bowl.
7. When your're ready to assemble the lasagna spread a bit of the tomato sauce in a large casserole dish (mine holds about 5 l/5 quarts). Top with two lasagna sheets and then half of the remaining tomato sauce. Top with another 2 sheets of lasagna and then the remaining half of the tomato sauce.
8. Then add another 2 sheets of lasagna and on top of that the spinach cream cheese spread.
9. Cover with another 2 lasagna sheets, pour over white sauce and top with grated cheese (if using).
10. Place in the preheated oven and bake at 180°C/350°F for about 30 minutes or until bubbly and nicely browned (you might need to cover it after 20 minutes if it gets too brown).
11. Remove from the oven and allow to set up for 20 minutes before cutting.
12. Enjoy!