I had a craving, so I wanted make gluten-free and dairy-free veggie lasagne.
If anyone tells you that lasagne is easy to make, they are lying to you. It is time-consuming in the way that making bread is. However, if you are on a cooking jag, you can fit all the steps into other cooking tasks, and end up with a yummy lasagne at the end that will last you several days. Allow about one hour for prep and one hour to bake. Check out my friend Sally’s step-by-step instructions for making lasagne here.
The renovation: Use rice lasagne noodles
Suitable for:
vegan, gluten-free, reduced-sugar diets
Not for:
low-sodium or migraine diets
Ingredients
Cashew ricotta:
- 1/2 cup cashews raw (75 g)
- 2 tbsp ground flax seeds
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic peeled
- 16 ounces tofu silken or soft
- 2 tbsp fresh basil leaves 1-1/2 tsp dried basil
- 2 tbsp fresh oregano leaves 1 tsp dried oregano
Lasagna:
- 10 ounces gluten-free pasta lasagna noodles
- 6 ounces mushrooms cremini
- 2-3 green onions scallions, spring onions
- 4 cloves garlic peeled
- 24 ounces tomato sauce organic, sugar-free, low-sodium if possible
- 1/2 cup filtered or spring water
- 8 ounces Daiya shredded mozzarella vegan cheese
- 1/2-1 cup juicer pulp grated vegetables (125-250 g)
- 1/2 cup almond flour finely ground Brazil nuts
- 1 slice gluten-free bread toasted
Instructions
Cashew ricotta:
- Put the ground flax seeds in a bowl with 4 T. (60 ml) filtered water and set aside.
- Cover the cashews with filtered water and let sit about 30 minutes.
- Drain the cashews and put them in a blender or food processor.
- Add the soaked flax seeds, lemon juice, oil, and 2 cloves garlic (peeled).
- Blend until it is a smooth consistency. If you have a regular blender, you may need to add some filtered water to help it along.
- Add the tofu a large chunk at a time, blending well after each addition.
- Add the spices and blend until combined. Set aside until assembly.
Lasagna:
- Wash and slice the mushrooms and green onions. Mince 4 cloves of garlic. Heat 2 T. (30 ml) olive oil in a large sauté pan and sauté everything about 10 minutes until nicely browned and the mushrooms have released all their moisture.
- If you are using juicer pulp (which is very dry), add just enough filtered water so that it is moist but not wet. If you are using grated vegetables (which can be very moist), grate using a food processor or box grater, then squeeze them dry using old kitchen or paper towels. (You can also use a thawed package of chopped spinach or broccoli, which definitely needs to be squeezed dry.) No need to pre-cook.
- Pre-heat the oven to 350F/180C/Gas mark 4. Take your lasagne pan (9" X 13"/22 cm X 33 cm) pan and spray it lightly with cooking spray on the sides.
- Spoon in a generous amount of tomato sauce to cover the bottom.
- Place a layer of noodles across the bottom (3 across). Use the broken ones on this layer and the middle one, reserving the best ones for the top. You must have the noodles completely covered.
- I add about 1/2 C. (125 ml) filtered water to the sauce to make sure there is enough moisture to cook the noodles.
- Spread about 1/3 of the ricotta mixture on top of the noodles. Add the veggie pulp or shreds. Sprinkle with some grated cheese. Add some more sauce.
- Create another layer of noodles, ricotta, mushrooms, Daiya, and sauce. Top with the last layer of noodles, the last of the ricotta, sauce, and grated cheese. Wipe up any spills along the edges of the pan. Spray one side of heavy-duty aluminum foil with cooking spray, place on top of the lasagne (sprayed side down), cover tightly, and bake for 45 minutes.
- Toast one slice of gluten-free bread until thoroughly dry and let cool. Break up into pieces and put in a blender. Pulse until you have fine crumbs. Mix with the ground nut toppingl. Sprinkle evenly across the top of the lasagne and bake uncovered another 15 minutes.
- Let sit for 10 minutes before cutting, to firm up.
