Recipe: The Best Vegan Lasagna

fullsizerender_2Hello friends!

I’m Italian so the holiday season means something special for me and my family – PASTA – and lots of it! Every winter I look forward to carb-loading on delicious Italian staples that remind me of my childhood.  This year we opted for my roasted garlic vegan lasagna, aka the best damn vegan lasagna. I hesitate to say that, but it’s meatless, it’s dairy free, and it will fool any omnivore.

I know, I know. Lasagna can be a lot of work. I mean there are layers. There is prep work. And there is a lot of time in the oven. But I promise you, for this recipe, it is all worth it. Plus, if you make extra servings, lasagna keeps well – some might even prefer it as leftovers! I added a few time saving, multi-tasking steps below, but this recipe certainly isn’t for a quick week night meal. Why not give it a try for your next special occasion? You won’t regret it!

Cheers!

Jocelyn

Vegan Roasted Garlic Lasagna

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***Please feel free to share widely, just give me some credit or a link back

Prep Time: ~25 minutes; Cook Time: ~70-80 minutes; Yield: 12 servings

Ingredients

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    Two jars pasta sauce (alternatively you can make you own sauce; I tend to buy a pre-made sauce and add extra flavors)

  • Pre-made lasagna sheets (I used no boil)
  • 2-3 packages of Kitehill vegan ricotta
  • 1 package, Mozzarella Daiya (reserve a small amount for garnish)
  • 4 large garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 large red bell pepper, diced
  • 1 large green bell pepper, diced
  • 1 bag baby spinach
  • 3-4 shallots, minced
  • Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • Fresh basil leaves, sliced (reserve a small amount for garnish)
  • Fresh oregano, minced (1 tbsp)
  • Fresh thyme, minced (½ tbsp)
  • 1 tsp, salt
  • Fresh ground black pepper to taste

Directions

  • Preheat the oven to 375 F.
  • If using boiled lasagna, boil water on the stove, and cook according to the package directions. Remember to add a small amount of extra virgin oil oil to prevent the noodles from sticking!
    • Once cooked, drain the pot and rinse the noodles in cold water to stop the cooking, drain again, and set aside to cool.
  • Cut the ends off the garlic and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil.
    • Place the garlic cloves in loosely wrapped foil.
    • Roast in the oven for 20-25 minutes.
  • While the garlic is cooking, prep the other ingredients.
    • Mince the herbs and set aside.
    • Chop the sweet onion, bell peppers, and shallots and set aside.
    • In a medium size mixing bowl, empty the contents of the Kitehill vegan ricotta packages and mash it up.
      • Add 1 package Daiya mozzerella and mix well.
      • Then add the fresh herbs, nutritional yeast, salt, and black pepper.
    • Next, sauté the onion and pepper mixture for about 7 minutes and set aside.
      • When the mixture is close to finished, add the spinach so it becomes slightly wilted.
      • When the garlic is done roasting, mash it up and add it to the onion and peppers.
  • Cover the bottom and sides of a 9 x 12 baking pan with marinara sauce.
    • Begin layering the pasta, peppers/ onions, and vegan cheese mixtures as follows:
      • Pasta
      • Sauce
      • Cheese
      • Sauce
      • Pasta
      • Peppers
      • Spinach
      • Sauce
      • Pasta
      • Sauce
      • Sprinkle extra Daiya and any remaining nominal amounts of the fresh herbs on top.
  • Loosely cover the dish with tin foil and bake for 50-60 minutes or until bubbling.
    • Remove the foil and bake for another 5 minutes.
  • Let stand 15 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!

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