A few weeks ago Ryan and I were wandering around the grocery store, wondering what the heck we wanted for dinner. We really didn't know what to make, but whilst strolling past the pasta I got the idea to try making lasagna. I had never made lasagna before. I had never even really liked lasagna, because I don't usually like anything with tomatoes or tomato sauce. I did, however, used to like the stouffers vegetarian lasagna with alfredo sauce. So, I knew I had a great alfredo recipe, and figured I could improvise the rest. Luckily, Ryan trusted my musings and we snatched up some organic lasagna noodles and a bunch of veggies to use. He also grabbed some vegan mozzarella shreds and already had some Tofutti ricotta at home in the fridge to use. You could really use pretty much any veggies that you like. We decided on broccoli, red onions, zucchini, red bell pepper, mushrooms and spinach.
Layering the pasta was easier than I expected. Just make sure you put a layer of the sauce on the bottom of the pan before you add the first layer of noodles. Otherwise the noodles will stick to the bottom and make it super hard to get them out after it bakes.
Then add a layer of veggies, then more sauce, then the ricotta mixture. Then do the next layer of noodles and repeat. Finish with a last layer of noodles on top, pour on the rest of the sauce and sprinkle with the rest of the mozzarella.
Bake, and remove when the noodles are browning an the cheese is gooey. I suggest putting a cookie sheet underneath the baking dish, just in case the sauce bubbles up over the edges at all. That way it'll just drip onto the cookie sheet and not the bottom of your oven!
Vegetable Alfredo Lasagna:
Serves 12
1 box lasagna noodles (gluten free if you wish!)
2 batches of Alfredo sauce (recipe follows)
8 oz baby bella mushrooms, sliced
1 red bell pepper, sliced and cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
1 red onion, sliced
1 head broccoli, cut into small florettes
1 container vegan ricotta (I used Tofutti)
1 8oz bag vegan mozzarella shreds (I used Daiya)
3/4 cup almond milk (or other non-dairy milk)
3 cups spinach, chopped
Vegan Alfredo: (make 2 batches for lasagna!)
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1-2 cups low sodium vegetable broth
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
6 cloves garlic, diced
1/2 cup raw cashews
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 heaping cup nutritional yeast
- Saute onions until translucent, adding broth as needed to keep from sticking. Add garlic and saute one more minute. Add onion and all other ingredients, excluding 1 cup of broth, to a blender and puree until smooth. Add broth as needed to reach desired consistency.
1. Make sauce and preheat the oven to 350 F.
2. Prepare veggies.
3. Prepare ricotta mixture: combine ricotta, half the bag of mozzarella, spinach and milk and stir to combine.
4. Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions, 4 at a time. Cook until softened but not so soft they easily tear.
5. Assemble the lasagna: Pour a thin layer of sauce on the bottom of the 9x13 pan and spread out evenly. Put in the first layer of lasagna noodles, followed by half of each of the veggies, a little less a little less than half of the sauce, then half of the ricotta mixture. Add the next layer of noodles and repeat. Put one last layer of noodles on top, along with the last bit of the sauce and sprinkle with the rest of the mozzarella. Put into the oven and bake for 40-50 minutes*. Remove when the top noodles start to brown and curl up at the edges and the mozzarella melts. Serve hot.
*I advise putting a cookie sheet underneath the baking dish so if the sauce bubbles over at all it has something to fall onto that is easily cleaned.
No comments:
Post a Comment