It’s the day after thanksgiving and you probably can’t eat anymore of those greasy garlic smashed potatoes and decadent Tofurkey roast and are wishing for something light and easy. Well, here it is.
I posted about lasagna a while ago and didn’t give instructions because I consider it a self-explanatory free-form dish. Now that the concept is out there I figure I should give you an idea of what I do so you can weigh in and offer your improvements.
You’ll need the following for the layers:
2-3 zucchini, sliced into long thin strips or 1 large eggplant sliced thin and sauteed
1/2 lb spinach, fresh or frozen
For the tofu ricotta:
1 package of tofu, any kind will do (use a cup of dry cashews, soaked if you’ve got a soy allergy)
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tbsp onion powder
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
1/2 tbsp garlic powder
1 pinch salt
For the filling:
1/2 cup chopped mushrooms, dried or fresh
1/2 cup of textured vegetable protein or TVP (use lentils if you’ve got a soy allergy)
1 cube of bouillon, I like “beef” for this recipe
1 tbsp cumin powder
1/2 tbsp coriander powder
1 tsp dried oregano
1 pinch nutmeg
1 pinch chili powder
1/2 onion, chopped
4-5 cloves of garlic, sliced
Topping:
pasta sauce (a href=”http://theveganshusband.wordpress.com/2012/09/09/the-worlds-best-pasta-sauce/”>I like this one
Daiya or other vegan cheese
Miscellaneous:
salt and pepper to taste
olive oil as needed
Below is my first layer.
I sprayed my pan lightly with olive oil and then arranged my eggplant on top and then covered it with spinach. I buy fresh spinach for salads and freeze whatever is leftover at the end of the week so we usually have some in the freezer.
I put a little olive oil, the onion and garlic into a pan and sauteed them until the onion started to soften. Meanwhile I prepared the bouillon in a cup of water by heating it in the microwave. I added it to the pan along with the mushrooms, TVP and spices for the filling. I heated it on low until the mixture had absorbed most of the moisture.
I added it to the baking dish, poured some sauce over it, put down another layer of spinach and prepared the tofu ricotta.
The tofu and spices went into a bowl and mooshed to conformity!
I didn’t make quite enough so maybe I’ll double the ricotta next time. It’s kind of important to the recipe to have copious ricotta or this will more closely resemble a vegetable casserole than veggie lasagna.
After adding the tofu, we added another layer of eggplant and spinach and then topped it with pasta sauce and Daiya.
I baked it at 350F/170C for an hour and then we accidentally the whole thing. Top with chopped black olives and shredded basil if you want something pretty AND delicious. Yay!
This is Christie, signing off!
Turning Veganese 
That’s an impressive stack o’ deliciousness!
Yum! Substituting eggplant for the noodles is a great idea! I love tofu ricotta. I never really liked dairy ricotta so discovering a vegan version was a dream come true! It tastes so much better, in my opinion.
I agree and suspect we’re not the only ones who prefer tofu. 🙂
Holy Crap.
To make the sauce Cut out the whole tomatoes into chunks, then puree in a blender or food processor (seeds and skin and all). In a large pan over medium heat, fry the garlic in ½ cup of the olive oil for a minute or two until cooked, but not yet colored. Add the red pepper flakes followed by the pureed tomato and salt. Bring to a fairly brisk boil and cook until the sauce has a little body, but is by no measure thick (you’ll see the bubbles get a bit bigger). The tomatoes should taste fresh, but no longer raw. Add the chopped basil, several cranks of black pepper and the remaining olive oil to finish. Heat back up, then take it off the heat and reserve until ready to serve.