Vegetarian Baked Lasagna
Breaking bread is a ceremonial thing people can do together. Some of my best memories are of cooking in the kitchen with my grandmother, who taught me how to poach an egg, and with my mother, who taught me how to flour a cube steak for the best chicken fried steak I've ever tasted. I want you to break bread and cook with your family and your loved ones, and this is a great recipe to do just that!
Phase 3, Maintenance | Serves 6
Prep time: 30 minutes, plus soaking time | Total time: 2 hours, 20 minutes
Note: The night before you make this recipe, soak 2 cups raw cashews in fresh water in a covered jar. Before using them for this recipe, drain and rinse them in a strainer. you will be using half for the "ricotta" and half for the white sauce. You can also make any or all of the components of this recipe ahead of time, to make this recipe easier to assemble.
Ingredients
Tomato Sauce:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 sweet onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons minced fresh basil leaves
2 tablespoons minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 (15-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Cashew "Ricotta":
1 cup raw cashews, soaked for at least 6 hours or overnight and drained
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
4 fresh basil leaves
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup unsweetened cashew, almond, rice, or oat milk (you may need a little more or a little less)
White Sauce:
1 cup unsweetened cashew, almond, rice, or oat milk
1 cup cashews, soaked for at least 6 hours or overnight, drained
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
2 tablespoons tahini or cashew butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon arrowroot powder, mixed with 1 teaspoon water
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon sea salt
To Assemble:
1 medium zucchini, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons sea salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 red bell pepper, cut into small cubes
1 cup sliced portobello mushrooms
4 cups baby spinach
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
1 (8- to 10-ounce) box no-boil/oven-ready gluten-free lasagna noodles (there are a variety of types available)
Directions
- Make the tomato sauce: in a medium skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. When it is hot, add the onion. Saute for 3 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for 2 minutes more. Add the tomato paste, basil, and parsley and stir to combine. Add the tomatoes, oregano, salt, and pepper. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes.
- Make the ricotta: in a food processor, combine the cashews, nutritional yeast, olive oil, lemon juice, basil, garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper. Pulse to chop everything and combine. With the motor running, add the milk 1 tablespoon at a time and process until the ricotta is smooth. Set aside.
- Make the white sauce: In a blender, combine the milk, cashews, nutritional yeast, tahini, olive oil, arrowroot mixture, garlic, and salt and blend until smooth. Pour the mixture into a small saucepan and heat over medium-low, stirring often, until the sauce begins to thicken. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- Assemble the lasagna: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Lay the zucchini slices out on a paper towel and sprinkle the salt over them (this will help draw out excess liquid).
- Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. When it is hot, add the bell pepper and mushrooms. Saute for 5 minutes, or until the mushrooms just begin to shrink. Transfer them to a plate and add the zucchini to the pan. Saute until just tender, about 3 minutes. Add the spinach and saute for 2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat.
- Line a 9-inch square baking pan with parchment paper. Ladle in one-quarter of the tomato sauce and spread it around. Layer the remaining ingredients in this order: A layer of lasagna noodles, Half the ricotta, spread over the noodles; all the spinach and zucchini, spread evenly over the ricotta; half the white sauce, poured over the spinach and zucchini; one-third of the remaining tomato sauce; a second layer of lasagna noodles; the remaining ricotta, spread over the noodles; the bell pepper-mushroom mixture, evenly spread over the ricotta; the remaining white sauce, poured over the peppers and mushrooms; half the remaining tomato sauce; a third layer of lasagna noodles; the remaining tomato sauce.
- Top the lasagna evenly with the nutritional yeast. cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for 10 minutes more. Remove the pan from teh oven and let the lasagna sit for 15 minutes before serving.
- Cut the lasagna into six squares and scoop each out carefully to serve.
Breaking bread is a ceremonial thing people can do together. Some of my best memories are of cooking in the kitchen with my grandmother, who taught me how to poach an egg, and with my mother, who taught me how to flour a cube steak for the best chicken fried steak I've ever tasted. I want you to break bread and cook with your family and your loved ones, and this is a great recipe to do just that!
Phase 3, Maintenance | Serves 6
Prep time: 30 minutes, plus soaking time | Total time: 2 hours, 20 minutes
Note: The night before you make this recipe, soak 2 cups raw cashews in fresh water in a covered jar. Before using them for this recipe, drain and rinse them in a strainer. you will be using half for the "ricotta" and half for the white sauce. You can also make any or all of the components of this recipe ahead of time, to make this recipe easier to assemble.
Ingredients
Tomato Sauce:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 sweet onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons minced fresh basil leaves
2 tablespoons minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 (15-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Cashew "Ricotta":
1 cup raw cashews, soaked for at least 6 hours or overnight and drained
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
4 fresh basil leaves
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup unsweetened cashew, almond, rice, or oat milk (you may need a little more or a little less)
White Sauce:
1 cup unsweetened cashew, almond, rice, or oat milk
1 cup cashews, soaked for at least 6 hours or overnight, drained
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
2 tablespoons tahini or cashew butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon arrowroot powder, mixed with 1 teaspoon water
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 medium zucchini, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons sea salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 red bell pepper, cut into small cubes
1 cup sliced portobello mushrooms
4 cups baby spinach
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
1 (8- to 10-ounce) box no-boil/oven-ready gluten-free lasagna noodles (there are a variety of types available)
Directions
- Make the tomato sauce: in a medium skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. When it is hot, add the onion. Saute for 3 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for 2 minutes more. Add the tomato paste, basil, and parsley and stir to combine. Add the tomatoes, oregano, salt, and pepper. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes.
- Make the ricotta: in a food processor, combine the cashews, nutritional yeast, olive oil, lemon juice, basil, garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper. Pulse to chop everything and combine. With the motor running, add the milk 1 tablespoon at a time and process until the ricotta is smooth. Set aside.
- Make the white sauce: In a blender, combine the milk, cashews, nutritional yeast, tahini, olive oil, arrowroot mixture, garlic, and salt and blend until smooth. Pour the mixture into a small saucepan and heat over medium-low, stirring often, until the sauce begins to thicken. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- Assemble the lasagna: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Lay the zucchini slices out on a paper towel and sprinkle the salt over them (this will help draw out excess liquid).
- Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. When it is hot, add the bell pepper and mushrooms. Saute for 5 minutes, or until the mushrooms just begin to shrink. Transfer them to a plate and add the zucchini to the pan. Saute until just tender, about 3 minutes. Add the spinach and saute for 2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat.
- Line a 9-inch square baking pan with parchment paper. Ladle in one-quarter of the tomato sauce and spread it around. Layer the remaining ingredients in this order: A layer of lasagna noodles, Half the ricotta, spread over the noodles; all the spinach and zucchini, spread evenly over the ricotta; half the white sauce, poured over the spinach and zucchini; one-third of the remaining tomato sauce; a second layer of lasagna noodles; the remaining ricotta, spread over the noodles; the bell pepper-mushroom mixture, evenly spread over the ricotta; the remaining white sauce, poured over the peppers and mushrooms; half the remaining tomato sauce; a third layer of lasagna noodles; the remaining tomato sauce.
- Top the lasagna evenly with the nutritional yeast. cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for 10 minutes more. Remove the pan from teh oven and let the lasagna sit for 15 minutes before serving.
- Cut the lasagna into six squares and scoop each out carefully to serve.
