Vegan Zucchini Lasagna with Spinach Tofu Ricotta
- Prep Time: 30 mins
- Cook Time: 35 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 mins
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Entree
- Cuisine: Vegan, Gluten Free
Ingredients
Scale
- For The Ricotta!
- 2 cups raw cashews (soaked)
- 1 14oz extra firm tofu (drained)
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 16 ounces frozen spinach, defrosted
- For The Marinara!
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 8 ounces mushrooms chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 6 ounces tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons of Italian Seasoning
- 1 (15 ounce) can crushed fire roasted tomatoes
- 1 (15 ounces) can diced tomatoes
- For The Parmesan!
- 1 cup raw cashews
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon of sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- For The Lasagna
- 3–4 medium zucchini
- “No Boil” lasagna (optional)
- fresh basil
Instructions
- To make the ricotta cheese, drain and rinse the soaked cashews and transfer them to a blender or a food processor, along with lemon juice, nutritional yeast, and one teaspoon of salt.
- Blend on high until smooth adding one tablespoon of water at a time as needed with a texture similar to ricotta cheese. You will probably need to use a spatula to scrape down the sides in between blending.
- Spoon the cashew cheese out into a large bowl and set aside. Crumble up your drained tofu with a fork or pulse in the food processor until all the tofu is at a crumble. Add it to your bowl. Once the frozen spinach has defrosted, place it in a strainer. Then add it to the bowl with cashew cheese and a dash of salt & pepper then stir everything together until well-combined.
- For the marinara warm one tablespoon olive oil in a large saucepan/skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 3 minutes. Add the garlic and the mushrooms, sprinkle with salt & pepper, stir together and cook for another 3 minutes.
- Next add the dried herbs, both cans of tomatoes and their juices and the tomato paste. Cover the pan and continue to simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.
- Once the marinara and ricotta cheese is complete preheat the oven to 400°F. Using an 8 x 8″ baking dish. Arrange zucchini slices along the bottom. Spread 1/3 of the cashew cheese mixture on top of the zucchini then top with 1/3 of the lentil mushroom marinara. Add another layer of sliced zucchini on top and repeat the same steps twice more, until you have three layers total. Combine the cashews, nutritional yeast, garlic, and sea salt in the food processor and pulse until finely chopped.. Sprinkle it on top of the lasagna, cover with foil and bake in the oven for 35 minutes. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before cutting into separate pieces. Garnish with fresh basil and enjoy!
