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Vegan Lasagna

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Vegan Lasagna Recipe

When I first discovered Sublime, a Fort Lauderdale vegan restaurant, I instantly fell in love. Everything written about Sublime is true; it is a truly gourmet vegan experience, and there is no way to eat everything you want to try on the menu possibly. Typically, we order way too much food and split everything so that we can sample the menu. Although I almost tried everything on the menu, this vegan lasagna recipe, in my opinion, is by far the best lasagna I've ever eaten. 

I honestly think I subconsciously planned vacations to Ft. Lauderdale intending to eat at Sublime throughout our years traveling to Florida. Unfortunately, Sublime permanently closed its doors this past year and took its incredible vegan lasagna secret with it. The owner, after 15 years of owning this famous vegan restaurant, the owner and founder Nanci Alexander, 71, decided to retire. 

In fact, despite having written a Sublime cookbook, Alexander took her best kept secret recipes, like my favorite vegan lasagna, with her. As a result, I have attempted vegan lasagna repeatedly, and I can only come close to mastering the recipe.
 
Without much to go on other than my taste buds, but I keep trying. However, time and time again, I can't seem to master the texture, flavors, and delicate layers to work together. 
 
Paul, my husband, critic, and taste tester, luckily is honest in my efforts. He tells me straight up, for instance, if I'm close or not quite there yet. According to my husband, I finally nailed it with my revamped recipe, and if I say so myself, it was EPIC! 
 

CASHEW BASIL CHEESE SAUCE IS THE CHEESY LAYER OF THE  VEGAN LASAGNA

One part of this recipe will always stay constant, and that is the basil cashew cheese sauce I put between the layers of vegetables and noodles.

In my opinion, there is no such thing as too much basil or nutritional yeast. I grow my own basil in my kitchen to cut back on the cost of buying it, and it continuously grows if you take good care of it.

The combination of raw cashews, nutritional yeast, and fresh basil is truly amazing! If you are allergic to nuts, you can substitute vegan cheese, but I think the cashew cheese sauce adds to this vegan lasagna recipe's creaminess. 

Just pop it all in the blender, and blend until smooth. And, yes, that is my photo-bombing dog, Howard! 

cashew basil cheese sauce

WHAT MAKES MY NEW VEGAN LASAGNA MAGICAL LIKE THE SUBLIME VEGAN LASAGNA?

First and foremost, homemade  Vegan Marinara Sauce is the key to fabulous lasagna. When I'm in a hurry, I use jarred sauce, so feel free to use jarred sauce instead.

When I make my homemade vegan marinara, I always double or triple the recipe so I can freeze it and use it when needed. 

But, the secret sauce brings the dish together. Before my revamp, I needed to use frozen spinach instead of fresh spinach in my earlier recipe. Clearly, I was wrong. Again, it is about texture, and although I was trying to get that texture, I missed on flavor and freshness when using frozen spinach.

So, I opted for fresh spinach and zucchini, leaving both raw before cooking the vegan lasagna. As a result, the zucchini stays al dente instead of getting mushy, and the spinach wilts, giving off moisture to keep the dish saucy. 

Sauteeing the mushrooms, garlic, and onions first, however, keeps the mushrooms firm and carmelizes them together to add more flavor. 

sautéed mushrooms, onions, garlic

An addition to my former vegan lasagna recipe is the layers of vegetable lentil stuffing from my Veggie Stuffed Shells recipe. 

lentil veggie meal

Also, fresh herbs are essential in both the sauce, cashew, basil cheese, and garnish. I love my herb scissors, which my girlfriend, Kim, gave me for my birthday. 

herb scissors

7 LAYERS OF VEGETABLES, SAUCE, CASHEW CHEESE, NOODLES, AND REPEAT!

With all great recipes comes the fun of putting all the steps together. For vegan lasagna, it's all about the layers. Without a doubt, this is the joy of cooking lasagna. 

First, you always put a thin layer of sauce in the bottom of your pan to prevent sticking.

Yep, this means you can skip any cooking spray or oil. Next, you layer your no baked or pre-cooked noodles, crossing over a bit to seal the layer of noodles together.

Then, add a layer of basil cashew cheese, then lentil veggie "meat," followed by more sauce, mushrooms, onion, and a layer of spinach and a zucchini layer. 

Then, start again repeat, beginning with more noodles. Seven layers turn into fourteen layers of vegan lasagna goodness. 

Vegan Lasagna Recipe

Vegan Lasagna Recipe

Once all the ingredients are layered, your ingredients vanished into one pan, covered up tightly with aluminum foil, and bake. After you remove the vegan lasagna from the oven, leave it covered for 20 minutes so it can set up.

And then, uncover and cut into delicious pieces. I reserve some marinara sauce for the end serve and garnish with fresh basil. Don't forget the Vegan Parmesan Cheese!

Vegan Lasagna Recipe

 

Note: The photos for this post-show an 8x8 pan of vegan lasagna; the recipe reflects a full 9x13 inch pan that serves 12. My 8X8 pan made enough for dinner and leftovers for lunch. 

Here are more recipes you may enjoy if you love Italian comfort food as much as I do. 

Vegan Lasagna Recipe
Yield: 12 servings

Vegan Lasagna

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

The best 7 layered vegan lasagna you will ever eat! Loaded with lentils, vegetables, and cashew basil cream sauce, you will be begging for more.

Ingredients

Marinara Sauce

Lentil Vegetable "Meat"

Cashew Basil Cheese Sauce

  • 1 cup raw cashews, soaked overnight
  • 1/2 cup organic vegetable broth
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/2 cup fresh basil, tightly packed
  • 1/3 cup nutritional yeast

Other Ingredients

  • 1 package no boil or cooked vegan lasagna noodles
  • 2 large green zucchinis, sliced thin
  • 1 16 ounce container portobello Mushrooms
  • 1 large yellow onion, diced 
  • 1/2 cup vegetable broth for sautéing

Garnish

  • 2 cups marinara sauce reserved for serving
  • 1/2 cup chopped basil
  • Vegan Parmesan

Instructions

MARINARA SAUCE

  1. Prepare vegan marinara sauce or 2 25.5 ounce jars of store-bought sauce or 2 25.5 ounce jars of store-bought sauce.
  2. This recipe can be made ahead of time and frozen.
  3. Reserve 2 cups of sauce to use for serving

LENTIL VEGETABLE "MEAT"

  1. Prepare 1 recipe lentil veggie "meat" filling from my veggie stuffed shells recipe.
  2. This can be made beforehand or frozen.

CASHEW BASIL CHEESE SAUCE

  1. Drain cashews
  2. Add all ingredients to a high-speed blender and blend until smooth; add more broth if too thick.
  3. Set aside

MUSHROOMS, ONION, AND GARLIC

  1. In a large skillet, saute garlic and onions until onions are translucent.
  2. Add vegetable broth if they are sticking.
  3. Then, add mushrooms, and cook until mushrooms are brown.
  4. Set aside

PREPARING LASAGNA

  1. Cook noodles according to package instructions or use no-boil kind.
  2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
  3. In a 9x13 inch pan, spread a thin layer of marinara sauce on the pan's bottom. Not only does this prevent sticking, but it also makes it, so you don't have to use oil or spray.
  4. Layer the noodles on top of marinara sauce on the pan's bottom, crossing over each noodle slightly to create a layer of noodles.
  5. Now, add a thin layer of cashew basil cheese sauce, spreading evenly over the noodles.
  6. Next, begin layering your ingredients: lentil veggie "meat," sauteed mushrooms and onions, raw spinach leaves and zucchini, and top with more marinara.
  7. Then, repeat the layers, adding another layer of noddles and all the other layers a second time. Add the sauce on top.
  8. Now, cover tightly with aluminum foil, and place it on the center rack of the oven.
  9. Cook for 1 hour.
  10. Remove from oven and leave covered for 20 minutes.
  11. Remove foil and cut into individual pieces.

SERVING

  1. Using the reserve marinara sauce, place a few spoonfuls of sauce in each bowl/plate
  2. Then place a piece of vegan lasagna on top of the sauce.
  3. Add a little more marinara to the top of the vegan lasagna.
  4. Garnish with chopped fresh basil
  5. Sprinkle with vegan parmesan

Notes

  • The vegan marinara sauce, vegan parmesan cheese, and lentil veggie meat can all be prepared ahead of time. The sauce and meat can be frozen and used for multiple recipes.
  • The pictures in the post-show an 8X8 pan, using half the ingredients. The full recipe is provided in the directions for a 9x13 inch pan.

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Nutrition Information

Yield

12 servings

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 210Total Fat 8gSaturated Fat 1gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 5gCholesterol 3mgSodium 651mgCarbohydrates 28gFiber 7gSugar 10gProtein 10g

Nutrition facts may not be 100% accurate.

Did you make this recipe?

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© Kathy Carmichael
Cuisine: Italian / Category: Entrees
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