Friday, March 18, 2011

Awesome Lasagna (that happens to be vegan)

Yesterday I made my best lasagna yet (vegan or non-vegan). Seriously, I was so proud of my cooking accomplish. At first I was afraid the tofu/spinach/vegan cream cheese combo in place of ricotta cheese would taste off....but once baked it was the perfect texture and taste contribution. I'll be making this recipe for a long time.

Ingredients
* 2 tsp. olive oil
* 1 medium onion, chopped
* 3 cloves garlic, minced
* 5-oz. bag fresh baby spinach
* 12-oz. pkg. firm tofu, drained
* 4-oz. vegan cream cheese (used Tofutti)
* 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil (cheated and used pasta sauce with basil in it)

LASAGNA
* 4 1/2 cups pasta sauce
* 12 uncooked lasagna noodles
* 6 oz. vegan Italian sausage links, cut into thin rounds, or soy
sausage crumbles, broken apart (used Gimme Lean Sausage)
* 1 cup shredded vegan mozzarella (Daiya is the best)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Heat oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Saute Gimme Lean sausage, crumbling as it cooks. Set aside. Take another pan and sauté onions and garlic in oil 4 to 5 minutes, or until golden. Add spinach, and cook 2 to 3 minutes, or until wilted. Transfer spinach mixture to bowl of food processor. Add tofu, cream cheese, basil, and purée until mixture is thick and smooth. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.

2. Spread one-quarter of Pasta Sauce recipe on bottom of baking dish. Cover with one-third of noodles (4 or 5 noodles), then half of Filling, and ladle on another one-quarter of sauce. Repeat layer of noodles and remaining Filling. Spread sausage evenly over top, and top with one-quarter of sauce. Finish with final layer of noodles and remaining sauce. Sprinkle with shredded cheese.

3. Cover lasagna with foil, and bake 30 minutes, or until bubbling hot. Uncover, and bake 15 to 20 minutes more, or until noodles are tender and topping is melted. Remove from oven, and let stand 10 minutes before serving.

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