:: VEGETARIAN LASAGNA ::
“Meatless Monday” anyone? I’m not sure about you…. but I’m always looking for a new vegetarian option that’s family friendly. I was attracted to this recipe from Trisha Yearwood because the use of cashews, tofu and fresh basil to create a ricotta-like mixture sounded delicious… and unique! The recipe also called for black beans in place of a meat mixture. Yum!
Of course, like with any recipe, I made some changes after reading the reviews. It turned out super tasty, and also made for great leftovers {which I’m not usually a fan of}! After the recipe {shown below} I listed a few pointers, as well as, additional ingredients you might like to incorporate to make this lasagna recipe tailored to fit your family!
Pictured left to right: Homemade Sauce with Black Beans | Ingredients for the Tofu Ricotta Mixture | Oven Ready Lasagna Noodles {Barilla Brand – absolutely delicious with no need to cook before putting the lasagna together}.
Let the layering begin! Start with an ample amount of sauce on the bottom of the dish. Add your first layer of lasagna noodles. Top with your homemade sauce combined with black beans. Dollop mounds of your tofu mixture. Repeat the layers, ending with a good portion of sauce and a sprinkle of mozzarella {if you are using cheese in the recipe}.
Voilà! The finished dish! Vegetarian Lasagna made from the freshest ingredients: tofu, cashews, basil and black beans with a homemade sauce!
Vegetarian Lasagna
Ingredients
- 1 small onion finely chopped
- 3 cloves of garlic finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- One 28-ounce can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
- One 12-ounce can tomato paste
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 2 teaspoons salt plus more for pasta
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano leaves
- Two 15-ounce cans black beans rinsed and drained {or dry black beans that have been rinsed, soaked overnight & cooked according to package directions}
- 8 ounces lasagna noodles {I used the oven ready kind that did not need to be cooked first}
Homemade Sauce Directions
- On medium heat add olive oil to a large saucepan and saute the chopped onion and garlic until lightly brown and getting translucent. Add the tomatoes and their juices, tomato paste, water, sugar, salt, pepper, oregano and black beans. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, and then reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, for about 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the lasagna noodles and cook to al dente according to package directions. Drain the noodles well {unless you are using the noodles that don't require cooking before baking}.
Tofu Ricotta Ingredients
- 1/2 cup raw cashews finely ground
- 14 ounces extra-firm tofu drained and pressed *
- 2 cups of shredded mozzarella {divided} or 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil or 1 tablespoon dried basil
- Salt and pepper {to taste}
Tofu Ricotta Directions
- Add the cashews to a food processor and grind them. Then crumble in the tofu and add the 1 1/2 cups of mozzarella {or the nutritional yeast}, olive oil and basil. Season with salt and pepper. Store in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to use. Keeps well for at least a week.
Instructions
Layering Directions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Spread 1 cup of the prepared sauce in a 9- by 13- by 2-inch baking pan. Make three layers each of noodles, sauce and Tofu Ricotta. End with the sauce and make sure the noodles are completely covered {or they will dry out during baking}. If using cheese, sprinkle the top with the 1/2 cup of leftover mozzarella. Bake for 45 minutes, uncovered. Allow the dish to stand for 15 minutes before cutting into squares and serving.
Notes
To press tofu, drain any liquid from the block of tofu. Fold paper towels around the tofu and then set a big wrought iron skillet on top of it to press out the excess moisture. Allow to sit while preparing the sauce. Adapted from Trisha Yearwood
* Make sure you fully cover the top of the lasagna with sauce so that it does not dry out.
* You can add a little heat to the dish by using crushed red peppers to the sauce while it is cooking.
* Instead of mozzarella, you can use nutritional yeast {which you should be able to find at your local health food store}.
* To make this a dish any carnivore would love, simply add cooked ground turkey or ground beef to your sauce in place of the black beans.
* Want to really lighten things up? Try using thinly sliced strips of zucchini in place of the lasagna noodles for layering.
* This tofu ricotta mixture would be delicious in stuffed shells or manicotti!
* Garth Brooks {Famous Country Singer & Trisha Yearwood’s husband} loves this dish! His favorite is using a cold slice of the lasagna smashed between two slices of bread the next day to make a lasagna sandwich!
