Plant-Based Recipes

Vegetable Vegan Lasagna is filled with tons of simple veggies and the best-ever cashew ricotta cheese for a hearty and filling meal everyone will love! This delicious dairy free recipe serves 9 and takes about an hour to make.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil or 1/4 cup water (for water saute)

• 1 small onion, diced

• 2 – 3 cloves garlic, minced

• 2 carrots (2 cups), diced

• 1 zucchini (2 cups), diced

• 1 yellow squash (2 cups), diced

• 8 oz. mushrooms, chopped

• 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning (or thyme, basil or marjoram), optional

• 1 package (10 – 12 oz.) frozen spinach, thawed and drained

• 1 jar (25 – 28 oz.) pasta sauce, about 3 cups

• 9 lasagna noodles (approx.), regular or no-boil

• 2 cups vegan ricotta (Cashew or Tofu Ricotta Cheese- recipe below)

• salt & pepper, to taste

To Serve

• almond parmesan, for garnish

• fresh basil leaves, julienned, for garnish

Putting It Together

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Noodles: Cook noodles according to package directions, set aside. If using no boil lasagna noodles like I did there is no need to cook first.

Saute Veggies: In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat, add onion and garlic, saute for about 5 minutes. Add carrots, zucchini, squash, mushrooms, herbs/seasonings and good pinch of salt and pepper, continue to saute for another 5 – 7 minutes. We don’t need to saute the zucchini, yellow squash and mushrooms too much, we want their juices to fully release while baking. Remove from heat.

Spinach Ricotta: Mix together the cashew ricotta and spinach, mix well. [SEE RECIPE BELOW]

Assemble & Layer: Using a large rectangular baking dish (9 x 12) place about 1/3 cup of sauce on the bottom of the dish spreading to coat, add a layer of pasta, top with 1/2 ricotta cheese and 1/2 vegetables. Add another layer of pasta, 1/2 of the remaining sauce, then the rest of the ricotta, then vegetables. Add one more layer of pasta and top with the remaining sauce. Cover with lid, small silpat or foil.

Bake: Cover and bake on the center rack for 40 minutes. Let rest covered for 5 minutes, remove cover and let cool 10 minutes. If not using no-boil noodles, you can remove the cover half way through for a baked look.

To Serve: Add a sprinkle of Almond Parmesan and a bit of freshly chopped basil overtop. Serves 9

Store: Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 – 6 days, in a covered container.

Tips

They veggies are more of a ‘summer’ variety, but you easily change them up using fall produce.

If you feel you want extra protein, add a can of white beans (drained and rinsed) or a package of fresh or thawed frozen peas in between the ricotta and vegetables.

If you don’t care for mushrooms, sub in a diced, large red bell pepper.

Make ahead and freeze: Simply prepare the lasagna ahead of time (up until baking), and keep it stored in the freezer for up to 2 – 3 months. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 375, bake covered for 45 minutes.

Reheat: Individual slices can be warmed in the microwave. To reheat larger portions, preheat the oven to 425 F. Add between 2 – 4 tablespoons of water over the lasagna (depending on its size) and cover. Alternatively, add 1/4 cup marinara sauce to prevent dryness. Bake for 25 minutes, or until the lasagna is hot and bubbly.

CASHEW RICOTTA CHEESE

A fabulous replacement for traditional ricotta. Use it anywhere you would use ricotta. This will be a welcome addition to your plant-based lifestyle!

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups raw cashews, soaked

• 1/2 cup water

• juice of 1 large lemon or 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

• 1 – 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast, optional

• 1 small garlic clove

• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder

• himalayan sea salt & cracked pepper, to taste

Instructions

Soak Cashews: First, it’s best to soak your cashews in water before starting. There are 2 ways to soak:

1. Soak cashew in cool water for at least 2 hours in a bowl of water, covering the cashews about 2 – 3 inches of water as they will swell up.

2. For a quick method of soaking, let cashews sit in hot water for 5 minutes.

Blend: Drain cashews and place all remaining ingredients into a blender or food processor, process until creamy stopping to scrape down the sides every few minutes. Taste for flavors adding any additional ingredients. Some like a salty ricotta so feel free to add as much salt as you want.

Chill: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for an hour or two, this will stiffen the mixture a bit. You can also prepare your dish straight away without refrigeration if needed. Refrigeration will thicken the mixture a bit. If it becomes too thick, add a tad of water and mix well.

Store: Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a 5 – 6 days. To keep longer, store in the freezer for up to 2 months in a freezer safe container. Let thaw in the refrigerator. Give a good stir before using.

Makes approx. 2 cups

Serves 8 – 1/4 cup per serving

Tips

You could do just as well without the nutritional yeast if you don’t have it. I only added a small amount, probably pretty unnoticeable. I will be trying more next time to play around with it a bit. If you do add it, it will add a bit more cheesy flavor and some good nutritional value.

If you have trouble with the mixture blending on it’s own try this because it’s too thick, add a little extra water.

Allergic to nuts or want to keep it lower in fat and calories, try Tofu Ricotta. (coming soon)

Shared by J.Montney

Recipes authored by Julie | The Simple Veganista