This is my own version of vegan lasagna. My husband says it is my best “fake” anything that I make. He usually does not like anything pretending to be anything else (like fake cheese or fake meat) but thinks thit is one of the best things I make. The fact that my children clean their plates and ask for more shows that he is right.
You can have seconds without feeling to guilty because it is packed full of nutritious foods that your body will thank you for. The reason I say it is cheezy is because the nutritional yeast added to the tofu give it a real cheesy flavor. Also, ground cashews have an amazing cheesy flavor as well, feel free to add even more of these to the tofu mixture if you want even more cheesy flavor. For those who do not know nutritional yeast is NOT the same thing as the yeast you use to make bread. Nutritional yeast is a deactivated yeast that has an amazing similar flavor to cheese and is full of B vitamins (b-12!) and is a complete protein.
I add or subtract vegetables by what I have in my fridge or what I decide I want in it for that batch. Spinach is a great way to get in some extra iron, vitamin K and fiber among other things and the kids won’t even notice it is there.
I am normally not a mushroom fan (I’m trying though) so I use a smaller amount than most people do but feel free to use the whole container of mushrooms and type of mushrooms you want. Also daiya cheese would probably be amazing on this too but my husband is not a fan so I make it without.
This can easily be made gluten free by using brown rice lasagna noodles and I can say from experience it is just as tasty! You can lower the fat even more by using low fat tofu and finding the lowest fat spaghetti sauce you can. The type of spaghetti sauce you chose can make a HUGE difference in the taste so choose wisely! I have had the best success with a sauce by Roa, it is sold at Walmart (maybe other places too??) but it is higher in fat and I’m guessing that is one of the reasons it is so good. I have used Pesto, Ragu and others and it makes it tasty pretty bland and yuck!!
- 1 cup of cooked broccoli contains 74 mg of calcium which is as much calcium in a 4 oz glass of cow’s milk but without the fat or cholesterol.
- There are over 100 different varieties of carrots varying in size and color ranging from orange and white to purple and red.
- Click here to read more food facts
Cheezy Vegetable Lasagna
serves approx 8 (great for leftovers!)
9 oven ready lasagna noodles
2 jars of spaghetti sauce (good sauce matters!)
2 containers of firm or extra firm tofu (drained and pressed (tofu press is amazing!))
3/4 cup nutritional yeast
4-6 cloves of garlic minced
2 teaspoons dried basil
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons dried parsley
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper (you can use Cayenne if you like the spice)
1 onion chopped
1 head of broccoli chopped finely, you can peel the skin off the stalk and use it too, chopped!!
1/2 tub mushrooms chopped finely (or chunky if you like it that way) You could easily use the whole tub if you want.
Handful or two fresh spinach, chopped
2-3 carrots peeled and finely shredded
2 thinly sliced tomatoes
1/4 cup cashews ground into powder (use a magic bullet or coffee grinder)
Steam onions and broccoli with a little water on medium heat for about 5-7 minutes. Add mushrooms to the onions and broccoli and cook for 5 more minutes. Remove from heat, add shredded carrots, spinach, 1 teaspoon dried basil, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 1 teaspoon dried parsley, 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, mix and set aside.
Crumble drained tofu into a bowl and mash with a fork. Add garlic, nutritional yeast, 1 teaspoon dried basil, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 1 teaspoon dried parsley, 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, 1/8 teaspoon black pepper and mix until completely combined and set aside.
Preheat oven to 375°F. Pour approximately 3/4 of a jar of spaghetti sauce evenly into the bottom of a 11 x 7 x 1 1/2 baking dish (If you use a 9 x 13 you will only have enough for one layer but it works too) .
Cover the sauce with 3 lasagna noodles.
Cover the noodles with 1/2 of the vegetable mixture and spread out evenly.
Cover the vegetable mix with 1/2 of the tofu mixture and spread out evenly.
Top tofu mixture with 3 more lasagna noodles more sauce and repeat with the vegetables and tofu.
Place the last 3 noodles on and the remaining sauce then cover with tinfoil and bake for 50 minutes.
While the lasagna is baking slice the tomatoes and grind your 1/4 cup cashews into powder (use a magic bullet or coffee grinder) and set aside.
After 50 minutes uncover lasagna and top with 1/2 of the ground cashews and top that with the tomatoes then cook uncovered for another 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let sit for 10-15 minutes so it sets up well. Serve with the remaining ground cashews as a Parmesan substitute topping. ENJOY!
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Tags: Dinner, Gluten Free, Healthy Meal, Pasta, Vegan, Vegan Lasagna, vegan recipe
