Ok, this took awhile but it is so worth it! This has been an ongoing quest for the past 12 years to come up with Life Changing Vegan Lasagna. I grew up in a household with 2 of the best cooks I know, my Italian Grandma and Mom. They would make the most delicious lasagna for holidays and our birthdays. It has always been a favorite growing up and was one of the most difficult meals to give up when I stopped eating meat, dairy, and eggs.
First, begin by gathering the ingredients for the Mushroom Tempeh Filling. Basically it is a sauté of the onion, mushrooms, tempeh and spices until tender and slightly brown.
Next, is making the Basil Tofu Ricotta.
Then, it’s time to build this lasagna. Since you aren’t pre-cooking the lasagna noodles, it is important to use the full amount of sauce to make sure there is plenty of flavor and the noodles cook through.
Layer sauce, lasagna noodles, ricotta, mushroom tempeh filling. Do this one more time. Top with final noodles and the rest of the sauce. Cover tightly with foil and bake.
Last, after 45 minutes, pull the lasagna out of the oven, uncover it and top with Miyoko’s Mozzarella Cheese.
Return to oven uncovered and bake 10-15 more minutes to melt and brown the cheese.
Life Changing Vegan Lasagna
Equipment
- food processor, 9 x 13” pan
Ingredients
Mushroom Tempeh Filling
- 1 T. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 Onion, chopped fine
- 8 oz. Mushrooms, chopped fine White button, portobello, or crimini all work great
- 8 oz. Tempeh, crumbled
- 4 cloves Garlic, minced
- 2 t. Italian Herb Seasoning
- 1 t. Salt
- 1/2 t. Black pepper, ground
- 1 pinch Red chili flakes
- 1/2 t. Fennel seed, ground
Other Ingredients for the Lasagna
- 2 28 oz. Favorite Marinara Sauce I used Rao’s Homemade Marinara
- 1 package Lasagna Noodles I used Organic Whole Wheat
- 1 recipe Vegan Basil Ricotta
- 1 package Miyoko’s Vegan Mozzarella
Instructions
To Make the Mushroom Tempeh Filling
- Heat a large pan over medium heat and add olive oil, onion, and a pinch of salt.
- Cook for about 5 minutes until the onions are soft and then add mushrooms and tempeh.
- Cook until they begin to brown. Add garlic, Italian herbs, salt, black pepper, crushed red chili flakes, and fennel seed. Heat until fragrant about 1 minute.
- Remove from heat and set aside for now.
Make a batch of my Vegan Basil Ricotta
Assemble the Lasagna
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Place enough marinara sauce to cover the bottom of your 9x13” pan, about 1 cup.
- Place 5 uncooked lasagna noodles over the sauce. Mine overlapped a bit.
- Then start layering sauce, 1/2 the basil ricotta, and 1/2 the mushroom tempeh mixture. Repeat this one more time.
- Then top with remaining 5 noodles and the rest of the sauce. It will seem like a lot of sauce but that is what you want. This is so the noodles have plenty of fluid to cook through and became super flavorful. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 45 minutes.
- Uncover and place pieces of the mozzarella over the top. Bake uncovered for another 15 minutes and the cheese begins to brown.
- Remove from oven and allow the lasagna to sit for at least 15 minutes to firm up and serve.
What are your favorite meals? Have you found anything you would like to veganize? Let me know in the comments!
I’d be happy to help.
Aloha,
Ashley
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