Lasagna has always been a favorite dish of mine. My mother made it occasionally when I was growing up—usually just by layering shredded mozzarella, white pasta noodles, and jarred sauce—and I loved it. (I didn’t even know what ricotta cheese was until I was in my early twenties.)
This vegan lasagna comes together quickly, and it will impress just about any dinner guest. Using no-boil noodles and premade sauce cuts prep time down so much that you can throw this dish together in a jiffy. In fact, I’m pretty sure this recipe doesn’t take much longer to make than the version I grew up with. And this dish tastes even better the next day.
Quick Spinach-Mushroom Vegan Lasagna
Author: Dianne Wenz
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Ingredients
For the Ricotta
- 1 package (14 ounces) firm tofu, drained and pressed
- ½ cup raw cashews
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- ½ cup nutritional yeast
- 2 tablespoons vegetable stock
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 6 ounces baby spinach
For the Lasagna
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 1 pound mushrooms, chopped
- 1 can (28 ounces) tomato sauce
- 1 package (7 to 10 ounces) no-cook lasagne noodles
- 1 cup shredded vegan mozzarella cheese, optional
Instructions
Make the Ricotta
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Blend the tofu, cashews, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, vegetable stock, garlic, basil, and salt in a food processor. Process for about 2 or 3 minutes, until the mixture is thick and looks like ricotta cheese. Add more vegetable stock a teaspoon at a time if the mixture is too thick. Add the spinach and pulse until it’s mixed in.
Make the Lasagna
- Sauté the onion in the olive oil until translucent. Add the mushrooms and a pinch of salt, and cook until they’re soft.
- Spoon one-quarter of the tomato sauce over the bottom of a casserole dish. Layer one-third of the noodles over the sauce. Spoon another quarter of the tomato sauce over the noodles, followed by half the ricotta and half of the mushrooms. Cover with one-third of the noodles. Then spread another quarter of the tomato sauce over the noodles, followed by the rest of the ricotta and mushrooms. Cover with the rest of the noodles, and spread the rest of the sauce over the top. Cover with foil and cook for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and sprinkle the vegan cheese over the top. Bake for another 15 minutes.
- Serve hot. This tastes even better reheated the next day!
Notes
From What's for Dinner by Dianne Wenz. Reprinted with permission.
