All-In Veggie Lasagne

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 40

Total Time 1

Servings

Calories 246kcal

Author Buffy Ellen Gill

Ingredients

Vegetable Sauce

1 tbsp coconut oil
1 onion diced
2 cloves garlic crushed/chopped
2 c chopped veggies e.g 1 carrot + 1 stalk celery
1 1/2 c diced tomatoes/passata
1 tbsp fresh oregano/thyme/rosemary
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 c plant-based milk almond, rice, oat, soy, and coconut will all work great here
1 tsp sweetener coconut nectar/brown rice syrup/maple syrup all work great

Tofu Ricotta

275 g tofu
½ c plant-based milk
1 c fresh basil
2 cloves garlic
2 tbsp lemon juice 1 lemon
1 tbsp white miso
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

To assemble

1 big bunch silverbeet/spinach/kale ~250g, finely sliced
150 g lasagne sheets
1/2 c grated vegan cheese

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 180°C (360°F), and grab a 30x30 cm or similar sized dish.
Make sauce: Heat coconut oil on medium, sauté onion for 1 minute, then add garlic and veggies for another few minutes until starting to soften. Add tomatoes, herbs and salt and simmer on low for 10 minutes until slightly reduced, then add milk and sweetener and turn off the heat.
Make ricotta: Blitz all ingredients together until smooth (while sauce is cooking).
Prep greens: Steam greens in a pan with a dash of water, stems first, then leaves at the end.
Assemble: add a little bit of sauce to cover the bottom of your dish, then 1/4 of lasagne sheets (layer 1), 1/2 your tofu ricotta, 1/2 of your greens and then 1/4 lasagne sheets (layer 2). Then add 1/2 your veggie sauce, 1/2 greens and 1/4 lasagne sheets again (layer 3. Finally, do 1/2 veggie sauce, 1/4 lasagne sheets (layer 4) and top with 1/2 ricotta and a hearty topping of vegan cheese.
Bake: covered for 30 minutes, uncovered for 10, or switch it up to grill for those last 10 to brown it faster. Be sure to let rest for 5-10 minutes before serving so it holds together when sliced. Will keep in the fridge for 5 days, or in the freezer for 2 months.

Notes

This is an “All-In” lasagne – which means anything goes! That means any other vege you have on hand can get in there e.g zucchini, leek, mushrooms, eggplant, capsicum.
You can also use any other leafy greens you have in the fridge (or garden) – we used silverbeet as that’s what came in our Chantal Organics vegebox. But spinach, kale, or even collard leaves and rainbow chard would also be fab.
If you're using dried herbs, I recommend using 1 teaspoon instead of 1 tablespoon. You can also use what you have to hand - oregano and and thyme are more authentically Italia but rosemary is also delicious. These harder woodier herbs give are nice and strong, and give this lasagne some edge. You could though also use parsley at a pinch, but you'd need more (I’d go ¼-1/2 c – can never over do herbage!).
To make this soy free, simply replace the white miso in the Tofu Ricotta with 2 tbsp nutritional yeast.
The milk and sweetener cuts the acidity of the tomatoes, and adds a dash of richness to the sauce – delish.
I use the same pan for the greens as my sauce, just pour it into a side bowl first – saves dishes. You could also possibly save a few minutes by steaming them in a separate pan while the sauce is simmering, though this might be offset by extra wash-up.
The vegan cheese I used is here is the Angel Foods cheddar (made right here in New Zealand, which I love!). If you're in the U.S. or Canada, Daiya is good. If you don't have any vegan cheeses locally, try my Dairy Free Parmesan here, or Brazil Nut Parmesan here – both amazing, you can easily make in 5 minutes while your sauce is simmering, and they make extra for later and can be kept in the fridge for months. Failing that, a sprinkle of nutritional yeast (I only recommend this one here – some others can taste a little funky).
This recipe serves 6 light portions (think ladies who lunch). Or 4 men. Or possibly 2 builders. For us (two adults, one toddler), it made enough for 2 dinners – one for that night, and one the night after.
Don’t get eager and try slice this before you let it settle. It will literally slide apart and no-one likes a slid-apart lasagne. Pour a drink. You’ll be thankful you waited.

Nutrition