Classic lasagna is a labor of love, but so worth the trouble.
I have a fast and furious version of this recipe I make in a hurry, but for special occasions when I really want to wow a gathering of family and friends, this dish does it. Built to mimic classic lasagna as quickly as possible, but in a healthier plant based way.
Note that I use vegan butter for the bechamel sauce. You can actually mix the flour with a touch of veggie broth instead, but toast the dry flour in the skillet before whisking with the broth, and then adding the soy milk.
As always, feel free to use your favorite plant based milk.
***Since I first made this dish (and photographed it) I discovered homemade vegan 'parmesan' topping that I like to sprinkle on the top. It adds a pretty to that makes it look a bit more like traditional lasagna. Homemade 'parmesan' is made by pulsing almonds, nutritional yeast and salt in a blender or food processor until it resembles grated parmesan.
Vegan Classic Lasagna
Prep Time: 45 mins
Cook Time: 45 mins
Ingredients (serves 8)
For the tomato sauce
- 1 large can of peeled whole tomatoes
- 1 whole onion, diced
- 2 cloves of garlic
- about 1 tablespoon of finely minced italian herbs of your choice (oregano, rosemary, thyme, etc)
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped basil
For the bechamel sauce
- 2 tablespoons of Earth Balance margarine (Substitute veggie broth for fat free variation, but toast dry flour in skillet first)
- 1/3 cup of flour
- 2 cups of soymilk
- dash of nutmeg
For the tofu 'ricotta' filling
- 1 block of tofu drained
- 2 tablespoons of yellow miso
- 1/2 teaspoon truffle oil (optional)
Mushroom filling
- 2 portobello mushrooms diced
- 1 cup of diced white mushrooms
- dash of vegan Worcestershire
- dash of salt
- 1/4 teaspoon of poultry seasoning
Additional ingredients
- 9 brown rice lasagna noodles
- 1 box of frozen chopped spinach, thawed and excess water squeezed out
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375.
Boil the noodles until they are slightly undercooked and drain.*
For the tomato sauce
Pour the canned tomatoes into a bowl with the juice, and crush the tomatoes with your hands. If your tomatoes included basil leaves in the can remove them, chop finely, and return to the tomato bowl.
Heat a nonstick ceramic skillet over medium high heat. Once heated add the onion with a sprinkle of salt and sauté until translucent. Reduce heat to medium.
Add the garlic, herbs of your choice, and the basil. Stir to incorporate.
Add the tomatoes to the saucepan. Stir. Allow to simmer until the sauce had reduced. About 15 minutes.
Remove from heat and set aside.
For the bechamel sauce
Heat the Earth Balance over medium heat until melted.
Whisk in the flour and continue to stir until incorporated.
Pour in the milk while continuing to stir. Simmer the sauce until it is smooth and becomes thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
Remove from heat and pour into a bowl with the prepared tomato sauce.
Blend the two sauces and set aside.
For the tofu 'ricotta' filling
In a medium bowl mix the tofu, miso and truffle oil (if using) until well blended. The consistency should be smooth but textured, similar to ricotta. Set aside.
For the mushroom filling
In a skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Once heated add the diced mushrooms and sauté until they begin to soften.
Add the seasonings and continue to cook until most of the liquid has reduced. Set aside.
To assemble
In a 13x9 lasagna pan, add about 1/2 cup (or enough to coat) of sauce to the bottom of the pan.
Lay out 3 noodles on top of the sauce
Add another 1/2 of sauce over the noodles
Spread the mushrooms out over the noodles and sauce.
Add 1/2 of sauce and 3 more noodles
Next, spread the tofu mixture over the noodles.
Use your fingers to sprinkle the spinach over the tofu.
Top with the last 3 noodles
Pour the remaining sauce slowly over the noodles
Cover and bake for 30 minutes.
Remove the foil and bake uncovered for an additional 15 minutes.
Allow to rest for 15 minutes to ensure the lasagna is easy to cut and remove from the pan.
