This flavorful lasagna is packed with tofu ricotta, spinach, and veggies, and makes a filling meal that will last for days. It’s also an awesome dinner party meal or a comfort dish for yourself or for a friend. You can even freeze pre-portioned cooked servings of this lasagna for an easy heat-and-enjoy meal.
By Toni Okamoto (IG: @plantbasedonabudget) and Michelle Cehn (IG: @michellecehn) from Friendly Vegan CookbooK!
Yield: 6–8 servings
Prep time: 30 minutes | Cook time: 45 minutes | Total time: 1 hour and 15 minutes
Ingredients:
12 lasagna noodles (standard size, enough for 3 layers)
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ large yellow onion, diced
1 small zucchini, diced
1 cup sliced button mushrooms
4 large cloves garlic, roughly chopped
6 ounces fresh spinach
2 (16-ounce) blocks super-firm tofu, patted dry and cut into chunks for easy blending
¼ cup unsweetened, plain soy milk
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon dried basil or 1 tablespoon minced fresh basil leaves
2 teaspoons salt
5 cups marinara sauce (store-bought or from the recipe on page 228), divided
Fresh basil leaves, for garnish (optional)
Directions:
In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the lasagna noodles according to the directions on the package. Drain the noodles, rinse with cold water to cool, and set aside.
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, zucchini, mushrooms, and garlic and sauté for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until slightly softened. Turn off the heat. Stir in the spinach, cover the skillet, and set aside to allow the spinach to wilt.
Place the tofu, soy milk, lemon juice, basil, and salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse to combine. Depending on the size of your food processor, you may need to push everything down with a spoon several times between pulses so all the tofu gets evenly crumbled. When you reach a crumbly ricotta-style consistency, spoon the mixture into a large bowl. Stir in the sautéed vegetables and spinach until evenly combined.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Spread 1 cup of the marinara sauce evenly across the bottom of a 9 × 13-inch baking dish. Follow this with a layer of 4 overlapping lasagna noodles, then a layer of half of the tofu mixture. Repeat with another 1½ cups of the marinara, another layer of noodles, and the second half of the tofu mixture. End with another 1½ cups of the marinara and a final layer of noodles, and spread the remaining 1 cup of marinara sauce on top, being sure to coat all the noodles.
Bake for 45 minutes. Garnish with the basil leaves (if using).
Meal Prepping Tip: You can prepare this lasagna in advance and keep it in the refrigerator (or freezer!) until you’re ready to bake it. If the lasagna is frozen, thaw in the refrigerator for 24 hours before baking. If you bake it from a refrigerated state, increase the bake time to 1 hour or until heated all the way through.
Enjoy! And make sure to check out Toni's website: plantbasedonabudget.com