For those of you out their trying to reduce your meat and dairy consumption or simply introducing more plant based meals to your family this recipe is a winner. My “meat loving” hubby James has named this dish his new fav… so that is saying something.
Veggie Lasagna - that rocks!
2013-05-09 11:25:11
Ingredients
- Veggie Bolognese Sauce
- 2 x 700g jars of tomato passata
- 3/4 cup washed red lentils
- ½ teaspoon pure garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon dried mixed Italian herbs
- 1 red onion finely diced
- 1 veggie stock cube
- 500ml water
- Veggie Pesto
- 1 large bunch of basil
- 1/2 cup pine nuts
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- 1 clove crushed garlic
- ¼ extra virgin olive oil
- pinch of Himalayan salt and ground black pepper
- Nut Riccotta
- 2/3 cup macadamia nuts
- 2/3 cup cashews
- 2 cups filtered water
- ½ cup pine nuts
- 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
- juice of 1 lemon
- ¼ nutritional yeast
- ½ cup water
- pinch of Himalayan salt and ground black pepper
- Other Ingredients
- 2 large eggplants
- 5 medium zucchinis
- 1 packet of fresh Lasagna pasta sheets (optional)
- 4 cups baby spinach leaves
Instructions
- Make the Veggie Bolognese sauce in advance by adding all the sauce ingredients to your slow cooker.
- Place on the lid and cook on low for 4 hours.
- Alternatively if you don’t have a slow cooker you can cook all the ingredients together in a large pot over a very low heat for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
- While the Veggie Bolognese Sauce is cooking soak the macadamias and cashews in a glass jar covered by the filtered water.
- Make the Veggie Pesto by adding all ingredients to your food processor and combining on high speed until just smooth.
- Set aside in a bowl and wash your food process for making the nut ricotta.
- Strain the water off the soaked nuts and add them to clean food processor.
- Add in the remaining ingredients and process until the mixture forms the texture of ricotta.
- Blend a small bit at a time so as to not over blend the mixture.
- Add a small bit more water, a bit at a time, if the mixture is too try.
- Slice the veggies into 1 cm slices and grill either on a griddle pan, BBQ or in your toasted sandwich press.
- I use my toasted sandwich press as the veggies cook on both sides at once and each batch only takes 5 minutes.
- Assemble the Lasagna by layering the Veggie Bolognese Sauce, then a layer of grilled eggplant, a layer of grilled zucchini, a layer of pesto, baby spinach leaves and then the pasta sheets in a large baking dish.
- Repeat the layers until the dish is full to the top, finishing with a layer of Veggie Bolognese Sauce.
- Bake in a moderate oven (180degC) for 30 minutes.
- Take the dish out of the oven and arrange dollops of the nut ricotta all over the top.
- Return to the oven for a further 10 minutes.
- Serve hot with a simple side salad.
- Makes for great left overs but there is more likely not going to be any left… its just that yummy.
Veggies & Me https://veggiesandme.com/
