Vegan Lasagna

I do not care what anyone else has to say about this opinion.. but lasagna is the best type of pasta PERIOD. This may seem dramatic but it encompasses all things good about any other type of pasta, there’s a ‘meaty’ red sauce, a creamy white sauce, and LOTS of cheeze. Lasagna has it all.

Recipe:

Noodle Layer:
12 lasagna sheets

Red Sauce Layer:
1 jar of vegan marinara
2 cloves of garlic
1 cup walnuts
1 can brown lentils
200 g  mushrooms
1 grated zucchini
3 tsp oregano
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp salt

White Sauce Layer:
1 cup soaked cashews (soak for 30 minutes in hot water before use)
250 g of vegan plain yogurt
1/4 tsp salt

Cheezy Layer:
200 g of your favourite vegan mozzarella cheeze (grated)

Method:

Noodle Layer:
Step 1: Cook lasagna noodles as per packet directions. (Option to use gluten-free noodles)

Red Sauce Layer:
Step 2: While the pasta is cooking, heat 2 large pans on medium heat and toast walnuts until fragrant in one pan and fry the mushrooms and zucchini until soft in another.

Step 3: Place garlic in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add the toasted walnuts and pulse until the walnuts are coarsely chopped. Then add the lentils and pulse again until some of the lentils are mashed and some are still whole.

Step 4: Place the lentil walnut mixture into a large bowl and add the cooked mushrooms, marinara sauce, grated zucchini, and spices and mix until combined. Taste mixture and add additional spices if necessary.

White Sauce Layer:
Step 5: Place all ingredients into the food processor and blend until combined.

Assembly Time:
Step 6: Now it’s time to assemble the layers! But first preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Using a large rectangular glass pan, coat the bottom with a very very thin layer of the red sauce layer (this will help keep it moist when in the oven).

Step 7: Place your first noodle layer in the pan using 3 pasta sheets, then add a layer of red sauce, then white sauce, then the cheeze.

Step 8: Place your second noodle layer in the pan in the opposite direction of the first layer. You will have to cut the noodles to fit the smaller dimension of the pan. (This is easiest done with scissors). Then continue by placing a layer of each of the remaining layers on top.

Step 9: Continue repeating this process until all the noodles are utilized. You should have 4 noodle layers and 3 layers of the rest. It is important to ration the mixtures as you go to prevent running out of any of the layers. Additionally, I like to leave some extra cheeze for the top of the lasagna, so feel free to do the same.

Step 10: Cover with the pan with tin foil and cook in the oven for 25 minutes. Then remove the foil and cook in the oven for an additional 5-10 minutes.

Step 11: Remove from the oven and let sit for 10 minutes. Serve and enjoy.