By Sara
Plant-based spinach lasagna is near and dear to my heart. Every year for my birthday growing up, when my Mom would ask me what I wanted for dinner, there was one answer. Spinach lasagna. My desire for this meal hasn’t disappeared since going vegan and then adopting a plant-based eating pattern. The cheesy delicious goodness, the sauce, noodles and loads of spinach make this my most favorite of comfort foods.
This recipe isn’t full of the vegan cheese that you find in stores. Instead, I used a delicious tofu ricotta that is super simple to make using firm or extra firm tofu. My tastes have changed, and I no longer crave the melted stretchy cheese by the pound that I had previously loved. This is a whole food plant based, and vegan lasagna recipe for those whose tastes have adapted to lower sodium foods free of animal products.
“Start with changing unhealthy habits to healthy ones- and make them your favorites.” -Sahara Sanders
You can choose to use fresh baby spinach, I’d recommend either steaming or sauteing’ it, letting it cool completely, and then squeezing the excess water from it. Personally, I like to avoid this extra step by purchasing frozen spinach. I just let them thaw in the fridge and then again squeeze all the excess water out. No one likes a runny lasagna that turns out more like soup. Load it up with plenty of spinach, this is a great place to get your greens in!
This recipe is made with simple ingredients that your whole family will enjoy. The miso, smoked paprika, and liquid smoke all up the umami flavors so that you can satisfy even the meat-eaters with the taste of this sauce. Feel free to use fresh basil if it is in season or available where you are, and use double the amount of dried basil. And if you use roasted garlic- YUM! The whole foods in this dish are ones you can feel good about, and I hope you enjoy the red sauce!
Plant-based Spinach Lasagna
Ingredients:
Marinara Sauce:
2 yellow sweet onions, diced
5 carrots, diced
5 stalks of celery, diced
3 bell peppers, diced (or you can dice some fire-roasted peppers if you prefer)
6 minced garlic cloves (fresh or roasted)
1 TBSP Red or White Miso (white is more mild)
3 TBSP dried basil
1 TBSP fennel seed, ground
1 TBSP Italian seasoning
1 tsp smoked paprika
1-3 drops of liquid smoke
10-15 grinds of fresh ground black pepper
3-4 TBSP balsamic vinegar (to taste)
3-4 TBSP Soy sauce (to taste)
Salt to taste (taste your sauce, as you may not need any salt)
Tofu Ricotta:
2- 14 oz blocks of firm or extra firm tofu, pressed
3 TBSP lemon juice or Apple cider vinegar
1 TBSP Soy sauce
4 TBSP nutritional yeast/nooch
2 tsp white or red miso
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder or 6 minced cloves of garlic
1 tsp onion powder
Salt and pepper to taste
1 package whole wheat lasagna noodles
2-3 bags frozen chopped spinach, thawed and liquid squeezed out (frozen, chopped kale can also be used, or use a mixture)
Instructions:
Press your tofu and preheat your oven-
First, you’ll start by pressing your tofu in a tofu press to get excess moisture out. Do this with both of your tofu blocks, as you are preparing the sauce. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Making the Marinara Sauce-
Next, we’ll make your marinara sauce. I like to mise en place when I cook. Meaning, I chop all of the ingredients that need chopping and gather all the ingredients so that I have everything needed as I cook. Start by chopping up the veggies for your mirepoix (the onion, carrot and celery), then chop the bell peppers. Using a variety of colors of bell peppers gives you the colors of the rainbow. To save time, you can purchase these already chopped and frozen in your grocery store.
Now, add the chopped veggies to a large pot and saute for about 10 minutes. You do not need to use any olive oil like you would in a traditional lasagna. If things start to stick, just add a tablespoon or two of water. It is important to only add a minimal amount of water to saute without oil. Otherwise, you will end up steaming the veggies.
Once your veggies are sauteed, add these and one of the cans of crushed tomatoes, plus a tablespoon of miso to a blender, and blend until smooth. If you prefer a chunky sauce, you may skip this step, and use diced tomatoes rather than crushed tomatoes. Personally, for lasagna, I like a smooth sauce. Then add the veggie mix back to your pot, and add the other 2 cans of crushed tomatoes. Stir in the rest of the ingredients to the sauce, and simmer, covered for 20 minutes or so over low heat.
Make the Ricotta Mixture-
While the sauce is cooking, crumble the tofu into your food processor. Add the lemon juice or apple cider vinegar and miso to a small bowl and using a small whisk or fork, mix this together until smooth. Stir the liquid and all the other ingredients for the ricotta to the food processor. Pulse the tofu mixture until the tofu is broken down to a size you prefer for your ricotta.
Assemble your Lasagna-
Now it’s time to assemble your plant-based spinach lasagna. No need to spray the lasagna pan with any oil here. Put a thin layer of sauce in the bottom of the pan and spread this along the bottom. Top with whole wheat noodles followed by the ricotta mixture, then spinach. Repeat sauce, a layer of pasta, ricotta, spinach until your pan is full or you run out of pasta. For the last layer, do a thin layer of the vegan ricotta cheese you made topped by another thin layer of marinara sauce.
Cook the lasagna-
Cover the lasagna with a layer of aluminum foil and pop it into the preheated oven for an hour. Don’t forget to set your timer (wink, wink– I speak from experience). Once the timer goes off, remove from oven and keep it covered. Let lasagna “rest” for 10-15 minutes prior to serving. This will allow it to further thicken and “set” so that you can easily cut and dish it up.
I hope you will enjoy this plant-based spinach lasagna recipe, and serve it at special occasions for those you love and all your vegan friends. It is excellent topped with some red pepper flakes for those who like it spicy. You can enjoy some steamed broccoli or a salad on the side. This is the ultimate vegan lasagna and is appropriate for those who follow a whole food plant based lifestyle as well. If you prefer more veggies, you can add cremini mushrooms, or any other veggies you like.
It is a great recipe to double and make an extra to assemble and freeze for later (no need to cook it in this instance). It’ll leave you feeling satisfied and full rather than bloated and uncomfortable like regular lasagna can. Enjoy friend!
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