Lasagna
Serving size: 8-10 Servings
Prep time: 1 hour
Cook time: 1 hour 30 mins
Ingredients
- 1 large yellow onion, fine dice
- 3 – [ 26.5 oz boxes ] Pomi strained tomatoes *
- 1 cup dry red wine (vegan) *
- 1 Tablespoons dried minced onions
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 to 2 teaspoons sea salt (+/-)
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper (+/- )
- Pinch red pepper flake
- 1 large yellow onion, fine dice
- 2 Tablespoons GF flour *
- 3/4 cup low-sodium vegetable broth *
- 2 cups water
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon sweet paprika
- ½ teaspoon dried crushed thyme leaves *
- 3 Tablespoons dried minced onions
- 1 to 2 teaspoons sea salt (+/-)
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper (+/-)
- 1 cup cashews
- 1 ¼ cup unsweetened plain plant milk
- 2 – [ 15.5 oz. cans ] cannellini beans, roughly smashed
- 2 – [ 1 pound boxes ] no-cook lasagna noodles *
- 1 to 3 cups frozen chopped spinach (or fresh chopped spinach) *
- Fresh basil
- ¼ cup raw cashews
- ¼ cup blanched slivered amonds
- 2 Tablespoons nutritional yeast
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt (+/- )
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
Directions
- 1. Place 1 cup of cashews in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Set aside for 30 minutes.
- 2. In a large ceramic/enamel lined Dutch oven or similar stock pot, add the finely diced onions and sauté until they begin to soften, approx. 7 to 9 minutes. Add a few tablespoons of water if the onions start to stick to the pan.
- 3. Add all the other remaining ingredients, including pouring 1/3 cup of water into each strained tomato box to rinse them out to obtain all the tomatoes. Stir well to incorporate all the ingredients.
- 4. Bring the red sauce to a boil, then immediately reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook for one hour; taste test the flavor, add more spices as needed. Stir occasionally to allow the flavors to marry and the sauce to thicken.
- 5. In the meantime, make the Béchamel sauce. Over medium heat, sauté the minced onion in a ceramic/enamel coated skillet until soft, approx. 5 minutes. Add a few tablespoons of water if the onions start to stick to the pan.
- 6. Sprinkle the flour over the sautéed onions and then sauté the flour with the onions for 2-3 minutes. They will look like flour covered clumps, that is fine.
- 7. Add the vegetable broth and water to the skillet, stirring to thicken. Add the onion powder, garlic powder, sweet paprika, thyme, sea salt and freshly cracked pepper. Stir well to combine.
- 8. . Drain the water from the cashews, discard this water. Place the cashews in a high-speed blender, add the unsweetened plain plant milk in the high-speed blender. Blend on high until very smooth.
- 9. Add the cashew cream to the Béchamel sauce and heat until smooth and creamy. Allow to cook for 5 minutes on low.
- 10. Microwave the frozen spinach until warm, squeeze all the water out of the spinach and then add to the Béchamel sauce. If using fresh spinach, chop it and add it to the Béchamel sauce, heat until wilted in the sauce.
- 11. Drain and rinse 2 cans of cannellini beans and place them into a bowl. Using a potato masher, fork or wooden spoon, roughly mash them, leaving ½ mashed and the other half slightly mashed. Add to the Béchamel sauce. Cook for a few minutes.
- 12. Keep the Béchamel sauce warm and stir occasionally until you are ready to assemble the lasagna. When you are ready to begin turn off the heat on the red sauce and Béchamel sauce.
- 13. , preheat the oven to 350 F.
- 14. Spread a generous even layer of red sauce to coat the bottom of a 10 x 13 x 3 inch deep lasagna pan or deep baking dish. Layer uncooked lasagna noodles lengthwise in the pan. Break a few in half in order to line the entire bottom of the pan. Press the lasagna noodles into the sauce, then add another layer of red sauce on top of the noodles to ensure that the noodles are covered in red sauce.
- 15. Next divide your Béchamel sauce in half in the skillet. Use half of the Béchamel sauce and cover the red sauce coated lasagna noodles by very carefully dolloping it onto of the red sauce in 8 or more large spoonfuls in sections. Then using the back of a spoon, gently spread it out into an even layer. Try not to mix the red sauce and the Béchamel together. You want the Béchamel to be its own distinct layer.
- 16. Next place down another layer of uncooked lasagna noodles lengthwise in the pan. Break a few in half, if needed, to complete a layer.
- 17. Next spoon a generous layer of red sauce to completely cover the uncooked noodles.
- 18. Use the remaining Béchamel sauce left in the skillet and cover the lasagna noodles by dolloping it onto of the red sauce in 8 or more large spoonfuls in sections. Then using the back of a spoon, gently spread it out into an even layer. Try not to mix the red sauce and the Béchamel together. You want the Béchamel to be its own distinct layer.
- 19. Now place down the last layer uncooked lasagna noodles lengthwise in the pan. Break a few in half, if needed, to complete a layer.
- 20. Cover the last layer of uncooked lasagna noodles with a layer of red sauce that covers all the noodles. (You may have approx. 2 cups of red sauce left over, store in the fridge or freeze for another recipe.) Or if you are like us, you may wish to serve the lasagna with an additional side of sauce.
- 21. Cover the pan tightly with foil and place in the oven. Put a cookie sheet on the rack below the pan in order to catch bubble overs. Bake for 35 minutes.
- 22. After 35 minutes, carefully remove the foil. Bake uncovered for another 15 minutes.
- 23. In the meantime, make the vegan “Parmesan cheese” by adding all the ingredients into a high-speed blender and pulsing for one minute.
- 24. After the lasagna has baked uncovered for 15 minutes, carefully remove from the oven and sprinkle a light layer of the vegan “Parmesan cheese” (about ¼ cup) over the top and return to the oven for 5 minutes. (Save the remainder “Parmesan cheese” for individual servings.
- 25. Remove from the oven and allow to stand for 10-15 minutes before serving.
- 26. Chiffonade several fresh basil leaves and scatter across the top of the lasagna.