An Easy-Peasy take on a vegan classic: Veggie Lasagna

One of the easiest and yummiest of recipes to adapt to be vegan is a classic lasagna. I  have made this dish many times over the years in all sorts of fashions (red sauce, white sauce, tofu ricotta or cashew cheese filling, you name it. What follows is the one of the simplest ways I know of to prepare this dish. Using oven ready pasta and jarred sauce, this recipe is what we Peas refer to as easy-peasy,  perfect for those who want simple and quick. 

Easy-Peasy Veggie Lasagna

(Gluten-free)

So let's get started ...

 Preheat oven to 350 degrees

INGREDIENTS:

A box of oven-ready lasagna pasta

A jar of your favorite pasta sauce 

      ~I would go with a more neutral sauce and nothing too fancy or flavorful since both your filling and veggies will be seasoned. I opted for 1/2 jar of roasted garlic mixed with 1/2 a jar of marinara. 

About one cup of vegan mozzarella shreds (Daiya)

Tofu- Ricotta Filling

1/2 block of extra firm tofu (Soy Boy is my fave)

1/2 block of extra-firm silken tofu (Mori-Nu gets my vote)

1 clove of fresh garlic, chopped

5-6 fresh basil leaves, julienned

2 tbsp of nutritional yeast

1 tsp of lemon juice

1-2 tbsp of virgin olive oil

1 tsp each of sea salt and black pepper 

Blend all of the ingredients above in a processor until creamy and smooth 

Veggie filling

1/4 to 1/2 cup each of my fave veggies all finely diced.  Up to you but here's what I put together.  

Yellow squash, mushrooms, sweet onion, red pepper, broccoli or broccolini, and fresh julienned spinach. 

I started with sautéing a clove of fresh pressed garlic and 1/2 cup of sweet onion until translucent. Tossed in squash, red pepper and mushrooms.  Cooked for a few minutes and threw in my broccolini. If using broccoli (which is a bit thicker stemmed), I would put it in at the same time as the other veggies. When your veggie mixture is tender but al dente (with a bit of a crisp), toss in your spinach, give it a stir and remove from the heat.

That's it! 

Now it's time to assemble your lasagna.*

Spread a thin layer of sauce in your baking pan and a layer of pasta. 

Top with a hearty dollop of tofu-ricotta and gently spread out. 

Then a light layer of your veggie mixture.

Gently press another layer of pasta atop your mixture and cover with a light layer of sauce 

Repeat until you run out of all of your ingredients. I was able to make my lasagna four layers high.

Sprinkle your mozzarella shreds over the top and then a dash of dried basil and oregano. 

Cover your dish with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove from the oven.  

Turn your oven up to 400 degrees. Once the oven has reached the proper temperature, remove the foil, return your lasagna to the oven and cook for an additional 10 minutes.  If you wish to brown the cheese on top, simply put it into the broiler for an additional few minutes.  

Allow to cool slightly. Slice and serve. 

Here's to keeping it simple!

Love and Light

Amber

*I used oven-ready gluten-free lasagna noodles so there was no pre-cooking involved.  If you're using standard pasta, you will need to cook them ahead of time and set aside.