A lasagna recipe that is vegetarian but without so much cheese! Just a little cheese...?!
Answers: Does anyone have any good recipes to share for lasagna?
Here you go, hope this helps.
Vegetarian Lasagna
INGREDIENTS
1 (16 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (16 ounce) package instant lasagna noodles
1 bunch fresh spinach, washed and chopped
2 large carrots, shredded
2 large zucchini, diced
2 summer squash, diced
1 large eggplant, diced
1 large head broccoli, cut into florets
2 teaspoons dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (optional)
1 cup ricotta cheese (optional)
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease one 9x13 inch baking dish.
Place a layer of tomatoes in the bottom of the baking dish, followed by a layer of noodles, spinach, carrots, zucchini, summer squash, eggplant and broccoli. Season to taste with oregano, salt and pepper. Repeat layering of ingredients until all are used up. If using cheeses sprinkle over broccoli layers and on top of dish.
Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 25 to 35 minutes.
Here's a vegan recipe for Spinach & Mushroom Lasagna
1/2 lb fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 tsp. chopped garlic
2 tbsp. water
2 26-oz jars of spaghetti sauce
9 lasagna noodles (uncooked)
Soy Parmesan (optional)
Sliced black olives (optional)
Filling:
10 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed
1 lb tofu (firm, reduced-fat recommended--not silken!)
1 tsp. salt (optional)
2 tbsp. nutritional yeast (adds a cheesy taste)
1 1/2 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. basil
1/2 tsp. rosemary, crushed
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
Sauté the mushrooms and garlic over medium heat in the 2 tbsp. water until tender; cover between stirring to keep them from drying out. Remove from heat and add the spaghetti sauce.
Place the tofu and thawed spinach in the food processor and process briefly. Add the remaining filling ingredients to the processor and blend until smooth. (You may do this without a food processor by using a potato masher on the tofu.)
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Spread half of the sauce in the bottom of a 9x12-inch pan. Place a layer of noodles over the sauce, using three dry noodles and leaving a little space in between them. Spread half of the tofu mixture on the noodles (I drop it by spoonfuls and then spread it). Cover with another layer of 3 noodles and then spread the remaining tofu mixture over them. Top with a final layer of noodles, and pour the remaining sauce over this. Cover the dish tightly with foil, and bake for 30 minutes. Then, remove the foil and bake for another 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with soy Parmesan and sliced black olives if you want. The lasagna will cut better if you allow it to cool for 15 minutes before serving.
Makes about 9 servings.
Nutritional breakdown will change depending on the exact ingredients you use. Using regular (not light) tofu and Classico Mushroom & Ripe Olive Pasta Sauce (with 60 calories and 1 gram of fat per 1/2 cup) and no optional ingredients, one serving provides 453 Calories (kcal); 5g Total Fat; (10% calories from fat); 20g Protein; 83g Carbohydrate; 0mg Cholesterol; 546mg Sodium; 9g Fiber. Weight Watchers Flex Points: 9.
I am a former chef and because of my diabetic condition and a cholesterol issues I have found if you make a veggie white sauce with veggie broth, cornstarch, either bit of milk or soya milk and add a strong cheese like parmesan which is low in fat than others, and layer that with either tomato based veggie sauce ( I chop mine in the food processor, medium fine), and layer it with a no-boil lasagna noodle (there made with egg whites) and use the VWS as a layering tool and leave the cheese for the top, after it has baked for 35-45 minutes sprinkle on 1 cup of low fat mozzerella and a bit of white cheddar and a bit more parmesan, just to give you a nice crisp and crunchy top, most people who have had my version like this, feel it is better, you taste everything with out being loaded own with alot of cheese, I have even made it with large zuccihini slice in ribbons as my noodle sub, whole wheat pasta is another alternative.
Vegan Lasagne
1? hours | 30 min prep | SERVES 4 -6 )
Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
400 g vegetable broth or soup or leftover easy green broth
250 g vegan mincemeat
3 celery ribs
4 garlic cloves, crushed
3 onions
100 g mushrooms
2 vegetable bouillon cubes
4 teaspoons vegan gravy
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon italian seasoning
1(400g)can of peeled plum tomatoes
1 tablespoon tomato paste
10 dry lasagna noodles
3/4 pint soya milk
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
vegan parmesan cheese
salt and pepper
Directions
1 fry the onions for five mion then add the celery for two minutes then add the mushrooms and then the garlic fry gently for a further 5 minutes.
2 addthe broth and simmer gently, then add the plum tomatos and squish them a bit so they are not all whole but crushed, add the tomato paste and the herbs and stock cubes.
3 bring to the boil and simmer gently for 5 - ten minutes preheat your oven to gas mark 7.
4 in dish place your lasagne sheets and add a little olive oil and some boiling water to cover let the pasta soak for ten minutes.
5 add the gravey granules to the vegie bolognaise frying in teh pan which should thicken it slightly.
6 tip teh water away from the pasta and begin layering the tomato bologanise with the pasta starting with sauce and ending with the sauce.
7 in another pan whisk the soya milk with the cornflour adding a little butter if desired and the nutritionla yeast stirring constantly bring gently to the boil wherupoin it should thicken.
8 pour this mixture over the layers of tomatos sauce and pasta and sprinkle over the fake paramsan and salt and pepper to taste
9 bake in the oven at gas mark 7 for 30-35 minutes.
10 eat it its gorgous.
Instead of cheese I use
1 cup of soy milk
1 tsp garlic juice - or bruise a few cloves add them and remove later.
1 tsp lime juice
1/4 tsp nutmeg
3 Tbs of whole wheat pastry flour.
Put all the ingredients in a sauce pan and bring to a boil, stirring the mixture constantly during the process.
Once added to the other ingredients of the lasagne no is the wiser. I have fed many meat eaters and cheese lovers my lasagnes and have never had leftovers.
There is no need for any cheese with this mixture. But, you could always add some.
Sounds wonderful!
Peace
Willow
Here's the low down on a "bit" of cheese. The sodium content of processed refined soy cheese is not much better an it also contains a lot of fat. Better to go woth seasoned, garlic whole wheat bread crumds rather than the cheese.
100 grams Partly skim milk, ricotta cheese:
Calories 138
Calories From Fat 70
Cholesterol 30.8 mg
Fat 7.91 g
Calories from Fat 69.608 kcal
% Calories from Fat 50.42 %
Sodium, Na 124.7 mg
Partly skim milk, mozzarella cheese:
Calories 254
Calories From Fat 140
Cholesterol 57.8 mg
Fat 15.92 g
Calories from Fat 140.096 kcal
% Calories from Fat 55.1 %
Sodium, Na 466 mg
source: http://www.cooks.com/rec/nutrition
Eat whole plant food, we don't need any cholesterol, much less fat and much less protein (we eat too much protein). Upwards of $10,000,000,000.00 plus spent on telling us we need meat and refined foods while next to nothing is spent on promoting healthful, whole plant foods and exercise. See your supermarket in a different way, restore the balance to agriculture and hunger, feed people not cattle, heart disease, cancer, diabetes and osteoporosis. Please everyone, we can feed the world if we stop killing ourselves.