It's been a while... Let's make some lasagna!
When I returned to Austin in mid May I immediately began hot gluing and paper crafting for my end of June wedding, which left little time for blogging. We had a super simple backyard wedding with a dessert reception. Dozens of cupcakes (I don't care if they say cupcakes are dead, or if cronuts are the new cool kids on the block - cupcakes will always have my heart), toppings, sauces, cookies, brownies, etc. My fabulous aunts made southern style pies and cobblers - which added a wonderful bit of family tradition. My best friend frosted the cupcakes beautifully, and the entire kitchen was a bustle of family and friends and sweets. And, of course - everything was vegan :) And pretty damn tasty, if I do say so myself! That's what really made the day perfect. All of that love just made everything sweeter.
I know it sounds crazy, or just stupid, but I really wanted to do most of the cooking for our wedding myself. I've said it before, and I'll say it again - cooking feeds my soul. It makes me happy. To me, there is no greater way to show your love for people, than to cook them delicious, healthy food (or ridiculously sinful sweets).
For our rehearsal dinner, I made four of these big roasted eggplant and zucchini lasagnas, and they went over quite well (even with the many non-vegans)! I actually made them on Wednesday afternoon, pre-baked them, and stuck them in the freezer until the dinner on Friday night. The left overs were pretty tasty too.
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| My pictures never seem to do things justice :/ |
This is a recipe I've been working on for a while, and I am absolutely in love with it! The sauce is, quite frankly, what makes this lasagna. The roasted eggplant and zucchini, with the occasional whole clove of roasted garlic, burst with flavor, and soak up all of the tomato-y goodness, while toasted walnuts add a savory crunch. This recipe is fairly easy, and freezes quite well, and you can make it in parts if you like. You can even make the sauce and tofu ricotta the day before you plan to assemble.
Tofu Ricotta: (adapted from Isa Chandra Moskowitz fabulous recipe found in one of my all time favorite vegan cookbooks- Vegan With A Vengeance)
- 1 lb extra firm tofu (non GMO)
- juice of one lemon
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- ¼ - ½ tsp salt
- pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped (or 1 tsp dried - but fresh really is best)
- 1/3 cup nutritional yeast
- 1-2 TBS Gomasio (toasted sesame seeds) (Optional)
Remove the tofu from the package and give it a few good squeezes to remove as much excess tofu liquid as possible. In a medium sized bowl, crumble tofu with your (very clean!) hands until it resembles the texture of ricotta. Add the remaining ingredients, and mix thoroughly. I like to just use my hands for this, so that you can really make sure that everything is incorporated. Taste for seasonings, and adjust as needed. Cover, and place in the fridge until ready to use. You can even make this the day before if you like. The flavors just get better the longer you let them sit :)
Roasted Veggie Sauce:
- 1 eggplant, peeled and cut into ½” cubes
- 4 zucchini cut into ½” cubes
- 1 large onion, medium dice
- 1 red bell pepper, cut into ½” cubes
- 6 cloves garlic, smashed
- 1 TBS olive oil
- salt & pepper to taste
- 1-14oz can fire roasted diced tomatoes
- ½ - ¾ jar store bought pasta sauce (I like Newmans Own, or Whole Foods brand)
- 2 cups frozen chopped spinach (or your favorite leafy green)
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- salt & pepper to taste
- ¼ cup fresh basil, roughly chopped (or 1 tsp dried basil if fresh is unavailable)
Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.
You will need two baking sheets. Spread the chopped onion and bell pepper in a fairly even layer on one baking sheet, and the eggplant and zucchini on the other. Divide the garlic cloves and olive oil between the two sheets. Add salt and pepper to taste, and mix to coat everything. Cover with tin foil, and bake for 30 minutes, stirring half way through. After 30 minutes, remove the tin foil, stir, and place the veggies back in the oven for another 30 minutes, until the onions and peppers are golden and beginning to caramelize, and the eggplant and zucchini are tender and also beginning to caramelize.
Remove from the oven, and set aside to cool a bit while you assemble the remaining sauce ingredients.
In a large pot, add all of the remaining sauce ingredients, except for the fresh basil. Add the roasted veggies, and stir to incorporate. Cook over medium heat for about 30-45 minutes, stirring frequently, until the sauce is heated through and the spinach is thawed. Taste for seasoning, and adjust as needed.
The Rest of the Package:
- 1 package whole wheat no-boil lasagna noodles
- ½ cup black olives, torn into pieces
- 1/3 cup chopped and toasted walnuts
Toast the Walnuts:
Now this is really simple. Finely chop the walnuts. Place a paper towel, or clean kitchen cloth on a microwave safe plate, and spread the walnuts evenly over it. Microwave for one minute, stir. Repeat this process an additional two times unill the nus are warm and fragrant. Done.
ASSEMBLE!!!
Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.
In a 9"x13" lasagna pan, spread a few tablespoons of the sauce just to cover the bottom. This helps to reduce sticking. You can also rub down the sides of the pan with olive oil, but I usually skip this step.
Line the bottom of your pan with a layer of lasagna noodles. Add 1/4 of your roasted veggie sauce, and spread evenly to cover the noodles. Next, sprinkle 1/4 of your tofu ricotta on top of the sauce layer. Repeat this process to create the next layer- noodles, sauce, tofu ricotta, but this time add 1/2 of your toasted walnuts. Repeat - noodles, sauce, tofu ricotta. Repeat for your final layer, and sprinkle the remaining walnuts and the black olives on top. Cover with tin foil, and bake for 40 minutes. After 40 minutes, remove tin foil and continue baking for another 30 minutes, or until the top is bubbly and golden and a knife slides easily through the layers of noodles. Allow to cool, and serve!
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