Vegan Lasagna

I’m trying to eat less meat and I went a month without dairy. And I wanted lasagna!! I’ve used maitake mushrooms in other dishes, so I thought I’d give them a try in the sauce. But the cheese – what about the cheese. I bought some shredded vegan mozzarella at Trader Joe – but I couldn’t find any ricotta – or anything close!

Here is my first attempt at vegan lasagna, and it turned out quite good!

Making vegan “ricotta” – 

Put all the ingredients into the bowl of a food processor. Process it until it’s smooth. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. This can be made up to a day before. Taste it and adjust the salt and pepper, even the yeast to your preference.

Prepare the Sauce  –

Prepare the ingredients. I like to have everything cut and measured before I start.

Then I can simply make the sauce. I used leftover portobellos, so they were cooked. If you are starting with raw, stem or sauté if first.

Heat the oil in a heavy skillet.

Over medium-high heat, sauté the garlic, mushrooms, and carrots until the mushrooms are starting to soften. Stir in the salt and pepper. Again, adjust to your tastes.

Make the basil ribbons – Roll the fennel leaves lengthwise, then slice the roll. When it comes undone, you will have short ribbons.

For the fennel – heat a dry, cast iron skillet on high. When it’s good and hot, put the whole seeds in and shake it back and forth until the fennel becomes fragrant. Pour it into a mortar. Using the pestle, grind the seeds into a chunky powder.

Now, add the basil, oregano, fennel, red pepper and onion powder to the sauce. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, for about 2 minutes.

Add the tomatoes, tomato sauce and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until the tomatoes have started to caramelize and darken, adding water as needed.

The sauce should be a little bit runny so it won’t dry out during baking.

Building the Lasagna – 

Spray the bottom and sides of a 2 quart, oblong or rectangle casserole dish with olive oil.

Spread about 1/8 cup of the sauce onto the bottom.

Lay 1/2 of the pasta on the bottom. Spread 1/2 of the sauce,

then 1/2 of the ricotta on to the pasta. Top with 1/2 of the shredded mozzarella.

Do a second layer of the same. Top with the parmesan and sprinkle the olive oil over the top

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and bake for 40 minutes. Turn heat up to 450 degrees and bake ten more minutes. The top should be browned and the sides bubbly and oozing. Please note – the mozzarella will not melt. It will brown lightly and be soft, but you will not get oozy cheese. But it still tastes great!

Allow to cool for about 10 minutes before serving. Serve hot with some garlic toast!

© Copyright 2023 The Lazy Gastronome

5 from 8 votes

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Vegan Lasagna

A delicious version of an original, using only plant based products.

Course: Main Course, main dish

Cuisine: Italian, vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword: lasagna, lasagne, maitake, mushrooms, portobello, sun dried tomatoes, tofu

Servings: 4 Servings

Author: HelenFern

Ingredients

Ricotta

• 8 oz extra firm tofu
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 Tablespoon olive oil
• 3 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1-1/2 Tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon pepper
• 1 teaspoon miso paste (Optional)

Mushroom Sauce

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 7 oz maitake mushrooms - uncooked and chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped, cooked portobello mushroom
• 1/4 cup grated carrots
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon pepper
• 1 teaspoon fennel seed - toasted and crushed
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/3 cup fresh basil ribbons
• 1 Tablespoon chopped fresh oregano (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
• 8 oz can tomato sauce
• 14 oz can Italian style diced tomatoes

The Rest of the Lasagna

• 6 to 8 whole lasagne noodles, cooked
• 1-1/2 cup vegan mozzerella, shredded
• 1/2 cup vegan parmesan, shredded
• 1/4 cup olive oil (for the top)

Instructions

Ricotta

1. Put all the ingredients into the bowl of a food processor. Process it until it's smooth. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. This can be made up to a day before. 

Mushroom sauce

1. Prepare the ingredients.

2. Heat the oil in a heavy skillet. 

3. Over medium-high heat, sauté the garlic, mushrooms, and carrots until the mushrooms are starting to soften. Stir in the salt and pepper.

4. Next, add the basil, oregano, fennel, red pepper and onion powder. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, for about 2 minutes.

5. Add the tomatoes, tomato sauce and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until the tomatoes have started to caramelize and darken, adding water as needed. The sauce should be a little bit runny so it won't dry out during baking. 

The Lasagna

1. Spray the bottom and sides of a 2 quart, oblong or rectangle casserole dish with olive oil. 

2. Spread about 1/8 cup of the sauce onto the bottom. Lay 1/2 of the pasta on the bottom. Spread 1/2 of the sauce, then 1/3 cup of the ricotta on to the pasta. Top with 1/2 of the shredded mozzarella. Do a second layer of the same. Top with the parmesan and sprinkle the olive oil over the top

3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and bake for 40 minutes. Turn heat up to 450 degrees and bake ten more minutes. The top should be browned and the sides bubbly and oozing.

4. Allow to cool for about 10 minutes before serving. Serve hot with a salad and it's dinner!

Recipe Notes

Note - the mozzarella will not melt. It will brown lightly and be soft, but you will not get oozy cheese. But it still tastes great!

© Copyright 2023 The Lazy Gastronome

 

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