Veggie Lasagna

This recipe makes enough for one 9" X 13" dish and one 8" X 8" pan, about 15 to 18 servings.

veggie lasagna

Veggie lasagna can be rather time consuming to make so it helps to divide the work by preparing the fillings the day before.

spinach-mushroom, sweet potato, tofu "ricotta"
carrot-red pepper-corn, 

Cook the pasta, layer into pans with fillings and sauce, then bake and serve.  If you want to completely assemble the lasagna in advance and refrigerate before baking, then add 15 minutes to baking time.

Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds lasagna macaroni, cooked and drained
3 25 oz jars organic pasta sauce

Sweet potato layer
4 sweet potatoes, baked, peeled and mashed

Spinach layer
1/4 cup water, veg. stock or wine
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
8 oz mushrooms, chopped
1 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 (10 ounce) packages chopped spinach

Tofu layer
1 pound firm tofu
1 pound silken tofu
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 Tablespoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon basil
1 1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup nondairy milk

Carrot - red bell pepper - corn layer
2 red bell peppers, roasted and diced

2 carrots, shredded
1/4 cup water or vegetable stock
1 cup frozen corn
1 teaspoon thyme

1/2 teaspoon salt-free seasoning

Toppings

4 or 5 thinly sliced tomatoes

1 1/2 cups finely chopped raw cashews


Making the Layers

Sweet potato layer: Scrub sweet potatoes, then pierce holes all over with a fork. Place the sweet potatoes on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake in 400f oven for 45 minutes or until done. When cool enough to handle, peel skin off and mash the sweet potatoes with a fork.

spinach-mushroom

Spinach-mushroom layer: Thaw spinach and squeeze most of liquid out. In a large skillet, saute onion in 1/4 cup of liquid (use water, spinach liquid, vegetable broth or wine) for 5 minutes. Add mushrooms and saute another 5 minutes. Add garlic, basil, oregano and nutmeg and saute one more minute. Mix in spinach and cook a few more minutes until most of the liquid has been absorbed.

tofu "ricotta"

Tofu "ricotta" layer: Place firm and silken tofu in a large mixing bowl and mash with a fork. Stir in remaining ingredients.

carrot-red bell pepper-corn

Carrot-pepper-corn layer: Roast the red bell peppers - Remove stems and seeds and cut each pepper into 3 or 4 flat slabs. Arrange the slabs of pepper on a cookie sheet skin side up. Broil about 5 or 10 minutes or until pepper skin is blackened. Immediately transfer roasted pepper pieces to a bowl, cover with a plate and set aside to cool. Peel the charred skin off. Dice the peppers.

In a large skillet, saute carrots in 1/4 cup water or vegetable stock for 2 minutes. Add thyme, salt-free seasoning, and roasted peppers, continue to cook another minute. Add the corn, cover and cook about 3 minutes or until corn is heated through.

Putting it all together

Preheat oven to 350f.

Pour a small amount of pasta sauce into each baking dish, enough to coat the bottom.  Cover with a layer of cooked pasta and then layer on the fillings, sauce and pasta in any order.

Example: sauce, pasta, spinach, pasta, sweet potato, carrot-pepper-corn, sauce, pasta, spinach, tofu-ricotta, sauce, pasta, topping of sliced tomatoes and sauce.

Bake covered with foil for 40 minutes. Remove foil, sprinkle on cashews, bake 15 more minutes.

9" X 13" dish and 8" X 8" pan

Refrigerate or freeze leftovers.