Gluten-Free Veggie Lasagna

Recently I’ve had some requests for gluten-free, plant-based recipes. While nearly all of my recipes can be modified to be gluten free, I want to share this amazingly delicious lasagna that my gluten-free mom and I recently made for our Thanksgiving feast! This recipe features a special plant-based ricotta cheese for which I must credit The Minimalist Baker. This ricotta cheese is adapted from her Sweet Potato Lasagna which you MUST try! As usual, this plant-powered dish is packed with protein, fiber, vitamin C, vitamin A, potassium, vitamin B6, and vitamin K.

Gluten-Free Veggie Lasagna

Time: 1 hr 45 minutes (includes baking time)

Difficulty: moderate

Servings: 10

This recipe makes a large, 9in x 12in lasagna

Ingredients:

2-3 (~10 oz) packages of ‘no-boil’ brown rice lasagna noodles (if Gluten is not a concern, use regular or whole wheat ‘no boil’ lasagna noodles)
8 oz fresh baby spinach
10 oz sliced baby bella mushrooms (or sub your favorite mushroom)
2 vine ripened tomatoes, thinly sliced
2 – 28 oz cans Trader Joe’s Tuscano marinara sauce
1 bag Daiya shredded vegan mozzarella cheese
water, to thin sauce (add 1 cup water per can)

For ricotta cheese:

2 – 10 oz containers extra firm organic tofu
juice of 2 lemons
1/2 cup raw cashew pieces (soaked in hot water x 10 minutes)
1/3 cup nutritional yeast
1 cup fresh basil
1/2 Tbsp oregano
salt and pepper to taste
4 Tbsp olive oil

Instructions:

To a food processor, add all ingredients for ricotta cheese, process until mostly smooth, taste, adjust flavor as needed and set aside
Saute mushrooms in a pan with olive oil to soften
Mix tomato sauce and water (1 can at a time) in a large bowl
Begin layering ingredients like so:
- Sauce – pasta – ricotta – mushrooms
- Sauce – pasta – ricotta – tomatoes
- Sauce – pasta – ricotta – spinach
- Sauce – pasta – sauce – shredded vegan cheese
We found it helpful to use a ladle to add sauce from the bowl, and to use a cookie scoop to make sure the ricotta is placed and spread evenly over the pasta
Cover and bake at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes, uncover and bake for another 15 minutes