Thursday, February 2, 2012

Super-Creamy Vegan Lasagna

I've been spending a lot of time perfecting lasagna recipes lately, amd this one turned out really well!  My mom made fantastic lasgana when I was young and I've really missed it!  But after trying a piece of this new lasagna recipe, I'm convinced it's just as good as my mom's!  Enjoy!

Start by cooking one box of whole wheat lasagna noodles.  You'll only need half a box, so you can store the rest of the cooked noodles in the fridge, rubbed with just a little olive oil to keep them from sticking together.

While the pasta is boiling, start your tomato sauce.  Chop 1/2 a medium red onion and saute it in a deep frying pan with a little olive oil until onion starts to caramelize.  Add one large can of diced tomatoes and their juices.  Add 2 tsp each of basil and oregano, plus 1/2 tsp each of salt and pepper, with 1/4 tsp cayenne.  Stir together and let simmer 15 minutes minimum (longer if you have the time)!

Make a pesto using 1/2 cup each of Daiya mozzarella cheese and pine nuts, adding 1/4 cup olive oil and another 2 tsp basil.  Combine in food processor and mix until nuts are ground down and mixture is almost runny.

Chop 1 medium zucchini thinly and set aside.

Open 1 can kidney beans, drain and rinse.

Layer ingredients into a medium glass baking sheet (not 9x13 - choose a smaller one!):

Thin layer of tomato sauce
Noodles
Thin layer of pesto, about 1/3 of what you made, spread on with a spatula
1/3 of remaining tomato sauce
1/2 cup kidney beans
1/2 of your chopped zucchini, spread thinly
Noodles
1/2 of remaining pesto
1/2 of remaining tomato sauce
The rest of the kidney beans
The rest of the zucchini
Noodles
The rest of the pesto
The rest of the tomato sauce

Top with 1/2 cup cheddar Daiya cheese.  Bake at 350 degrees for 1/2 hour, then remove from oven and let rest 15 minutes before serving. 

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