I prepared this amazing plant-based lasagna for Sunday lunch. This dish is hearty, healthy, and bursting with flavours! It's vegetarian, dairy-free, and gluten-free.
Ingredients
Recipe serves 6-8
Ingredients for lasagna filling
green lentil lasagna sheets (16 sheets)
1 large shallot, finely chopped
3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1/4 cup avocado oil
2 large green zucchini, finely chopped
1 bag frozen spinach (300g)
1 Herbamare vegetable broth cube
seasonings - 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper, 1/2 tsp garlic powder
herbs - 1 tbsp each dried basil, dried oregano
1 tsp chilli flakes (optional)
2 cups vegan mozzarella shreds (I use Nafsika's Garden brand)
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
Ingredients for dairy-free rosé sauce
4 tbsp vegan butter
4 tbsp gluten free flour
2 cups unsweetened coconut milk (I use Califia brand)
1 3/4 cups vegetable stock, unsalted
1/3 cup tomato sauce
reserved liquid from filling
seasonings - 2 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper, 1/4 tsp garlic powder
Preparation
Preparation for filling
In a large pan, heat avocado oil over medium-low heat and add shallot, garlic, zucchini, spinach, vegetable cube, seasonings, herbs, and chili flakes. Stir all ingredients to combine and let sauté for about 10 minutes or until the zucchini has softened. Place a strainer or sieve over top of a medium bowl. When the filling mixture has cooked, let it strain until it has released any liquids. Reserve the liquid for later use in the sauce.
In a small bowl, combine the vegan mozzarella and nutritional yeast and set aside.
Preparation for the rosé sauce
In a medium saucepot, add butter and flour. Cook over medium heat for about 2-3 minutes. Add coconut milk and stock and the reserved liquid from the filling. Using a whisk, quickly whisk the sauce to release any lumps until it is smooth. Reduce the heat to low and add the tomato sauce and seasonings. Let simmer until the sauce has slightly thickened. You don't want the sauce to thicken too much, as it will thicken while the lasagna bakes. Adjust seasoning if desired and turn off the heat.
Assembling the lasagna
Preheat oven to 375ºF.
In an 8 x 11inch casserole dish, assemble the lasagna by adding some rosé sauce to coat the bottom of the dish. Place four green lentil lasagna sheets lengthwise over the sauce and add a bit more of the sauce to cover the sheets. ( i break apart the sheets if necessary to fit them evenly in the dish)
At this point, spoon some of the zucchini filling over the sheets, spreading it out to an even layer. Next, sprinkle some of the mozzarella mixture evenly over the zucchini. Place the second layer of lasagna sheets and cover with more sauce. Repeat all the steps for another two layers. I assemble three layers in total, finishing with the lasagna sheets, sauce, and cheese.
Note - make sure to utilize all the sauce as this will allow the lasagna sheets to cook.
Cover the lasagna with a sheet of parchment paper followed by a sheet of foil and bake for approximately 30-40 minutes. Remove parchment, foil and continue baking for an additional 5-10 minutes. Allow lasagna to cool for about 15 minutes before cutting into it. I like to serve it with a drizzle of olive oil.
ENJOY!
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