Delicious Vegan Lasagna

I almost sacrificed my life for this lasagna. I placed a stoneware casserole dish on top of the stove not realizing that the burner was still on. The dish must have been sitting on top of a super hot burner for at least 15 minutes. Then it decided to EXPLODE! Big time. With lots of noise and pieces flying in multiple directions. I almost had a heart attack because right at the moment of the explosion, I was looking at the lasagna dish thinking why in the world it was making slight cracking noises. For a second I thought I had a powerful stare of destruction, but then I realized that I was simply stupid and felt very bad. The worst part was that the casserole dish was a wedding gift from a dear friend. I will have to find the exact same one!

On a more positive note, the lasagna turned out delicious. I've used tofu to create the creamy effect and seasoned it with nutritional yeast. If you haven't used the nutritional yeast, I highly recommend it. It adds cheesy flavor to your plant-based dishes and is a great flavor enhancer. It's also a great source of the B vitamins, zinc, protein, and folic acid.

For the lasagna that you see in the picture, I actually sauteed and pureed mushrooms separately to create an separate mushroom sauce layer. That's why my sauce on top of the lasagna looks so orange. If you puree mushrooms and tomatoes together, the sauce will look brownish red. If you'd like your lasagna sauce to look more orangy red, then saute your mushrooms with 1 tbsp of oil. Puree them separately and use it on the first two layers of lasagna.

Serves: 4-6

• 14 oz package firm organic tofu
• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 4 large garlic cloves, minced
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, finely chopped
• 1 lb button mushrooms, chopped
• 1 tbsp dried oregano
• 3 14.5-oz cans stewed tomatoes
• 1 6-oz can tomato paste
• 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves, chopped
• 1 lb package lasagna
• 1 5 oz package frozen spinach, thawed and drained 
• 1/2 cup vegan cheese (optional)
• Fresh basil to garnish

1. Prepare the tofu mixture

Drain the tofu block and slice it in half. Place one half on a double piece of paper towel, apply gentle pressure with your hands releasing the extra moisture. Repeat with the remaining slice of tofu. Place tofu in a mixing bowl. Add nutritional yeast, minced garlic, salt, and pepper. Mash with a potato masher until the mixture is even. Refrigerate to allow flavors to combine.

2. Prepare the sauce

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add onions and saute them until they become translucent, about 5 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook for another 10 minutes. Add oregano, stewed tomatoes, and tomato paste. Season to taste. Bring to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes over medium heat. Remove from the heat. Add fresh basil and parsley. Puree the sauce using a blender (I use a nifty immersion blender and don't have to transfer the mixture to and from the pan. The immersion blender blends my sauce right in the skillet. It's so convenient! That was the best Christmas gift I got from my mother-in-law last year!)

3. Cook and assemble the lasagna

Preheat oven to 400F. Cook lasagna according to package instructions. Spray a 9x13 casserole dish with cooking spray. Arrange a layer of lasagna noodles, spread it with 1/3 of the tofu mixture, 1/3 of the tomato/mushroom sauce, and 1/2 of spinach. On top arrange the second layer of lasagna noodles, spread it with 1/3 of the tofu mixture, 1/3 of the tomato/mushroom sauce, and 1/2 of spinach. Arrange the third, and final, layer of lasagna noodles and top it with remaining tofu and sauce mixtures. Sprinkle vegan cheese on top. Bake for 30 minutes. Serve hot with fresh basil.