The BEST Vegan Lasagna
Guys. I am seriously proud of this one.
This lasagna is packed with goodies: spinach, tofu-ricotta "cheese", cashew mozzarella, red lentils, vegan marinara, and just LOADS of flavor (apparently I'm English now).
If you consider how much healthier (more nutrients, lower fat, etc.) this lasagna is compared to traditional lasagna, there's no reason not to try it!
Now, I have alluded to wellness quite a lot in this blog, the obvious topic being the healthy nature of my recipes/ a plant-based diet.
I briefly addressed generic concerns people may have about a plant-based diet--such as protein--in my High Protein Tofu Stir Fry post. However, I haven't addressed much else on the topic.
Bit-by-bit over the next few posts, I would love to give some reassurance, and some tips for healthy living on a plant-based diet. Eventually, I expect this will transition into wellness overall because diet alone cannot and will not provide us our total well-being.
But more on that later.
Let's address nutrition.
As someone on a plant-based diet, there are a few nutrients I have noticed a lack of: Vitamin B12, Vitamin B5, Vitamin D, and Zinc. These vitamins and minerals are particularly evident in sources such as meat, milk, eggs, salmon, etc.
Zinc and Vitamin B5 can be found in whole grains, seeds, nuts, and legumes, for example. So, they are not impossible for a vegan to attain.
Vitamin D is luckily absorbed through sunshine as well as food, and many plant milks are fortified with more Vitamin D than dairy milk (as well as with more calcium).
Pro-tip: if you're someone who liberally lathers on 100 spf at the beach, give yourself 10 or so minutes to soak in the vitamin D first. Blocking harmful UVB rays is great, but only after you've gotten some of the good stuff.
Any who . . .
Vitamin B12 is the most tricky one, found mostly in fatty foods, like liver and eggs.
The truth is, vitamin B12 is a common deficiency whether you're vegan, or whether you eat liver for breakfast every day (but ew, pls don't).
B12 is from a bacteria found in soil. However, an estimated 99 percent of animals are raised on factory farms, according to an analysis from the Sentience Institute. Many of these animals never even interact with the outdoors or soil to get the Vitamin B12 naturally. Not to mention, our soil quality has declined due to over-farming.
Funny enough, most animals are given a B12 supplement. So really, we don't need them for B12 at all.
I get my B12 from nutritional yeast and supplements.
One simple teaspoon of nutritional yeast provides me with all I need from half of my daily nutrients, including B12.
Nutritional yeast is excellent in many dishes, said to even give a slight cheesy flavor. But in small doses, it's undetectable in things like smoothies or pancakes. And if you consider how little of it you need to get vitamins galore, it's honestly really cheap. I am two months in on a bulk $12 purchase of nutritional yeast, and I have well over half of it left.
I have never been more well-nourished than on this diet.
And this lasagna is no exception.
Never will you feel more nourished, full, and great after lasagna than this one right here.
Time: 55 min. (10 min prep, 45 minutes baking)
Serves: 8 (or 2 with lots of leftovers!) :)
What you'll need:
For ricotta "cheese":
8 oz block of tofu
1/4 cashews soaked in warm water for 10 minutes
1 garlic clove
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp nutritional yeast
2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp onion powder
Salt and pepper to taste
Other:
1 cups cooked red lentils
1 24 oz jar of vegan marinara sauce
16 oz package of enriched lasagna, ready-to-bake
3 cups packed spinach
7 oz bag vegan mozzarella (use the whole thing or you choose how much!)
What you'll do:
This lasagna is packed with goodies: spinach, tofu-ricotta "cheese", cashew mozzarella, red lentils, vegan marinara, and just LOADS of flavor (apparently I'm English now).
If you consider how much healthier (more nutrients, lower fat, etc.) this lasagna is compared to traditional lasagna, there's no reason not to try it!
Now, I have alluded to wellness quite a lot in this blog, the obvious topic being the healthy nature of my recipes/ a plant-based diet.
I briefly addressed generic concerns people may have about a plant-based diet--such as protein--in my High Protein Tofu Stir Fry post. However, I haven't addressed much else on the topic.
Bit-by-bit over the next few posts, I would love to give some reassurance, and some tips for healthy living on a plant-based diet. Eventually, I expect this will transition into wellness overall because diet alone cannot and will not provide us our total well-being.
But more on that later.
Let's address nutrition.
As someone on a plant-based diet, there are a few nutrients I have noticed a lack of: Vitamin B12, Vitamin B5, Vitamin D, and Zinc. These vitamins and minerals are particularly evident in sources such as meat, milk, eggs, salmon, etc.
Zinc and Vitamin B5 can be found in whole grains, seeds, nuts, and legumes, for example. So, they are not impossible for a vegan to attain.
Vitamin D is luckily absorbed through sunshine as well as food, and many plant milks are fortified with more Vitamin D than dairy milk (as well as with more calcium).
Pro-tip: if you're someone who liberally lathers on 100 spf at the beach, give yourself 10 or so minutes to soak in the vitamin D first. Blocking harmful UVB rays is great, but only after you've gotten some of the good stuff.
Any who . . .
Vitamin B12 is the most tricky one, found mostly in fatty foods, like liver and eggs.
The truth is, vitamin B12 is a common deficiency whether you're vegan, or whether you eat liver for breakfast every day (but ew, pls don't).
B12 is from a bacteria found in soil. However, an estimated 99 percent of animals are raised on factory farms, according to an analysis from the Sentience Institute. Many of these animals never even interact with the outdoors or soil to get the Vitamin B12 naturally. Not to mention, our soil quality has declined due to over-farming.
Funny enough, most animals are given a B12 supplement. So really, we don't need them for B12 at all.
I get my B12 from nutritional yeast and supplements.
One simple teaspoon of nutritional yeast provides me with all I need from half of my daily nutrients, including B12.
Nutritional yeast is excellent in many dishes, said to even give a slight cheesy flavor. But in small doses, it's undetectable in things like smoothies or pancakes. And if you consider how little of it you need to get vitamins galore, it's honestly really cheap. I am two months in on a bulk $12 purchase of nutritional yeast, and I have well over half of it left.
I have never been more well-nourished than on this diet.
And this lasagna is no exception.
Never will you feel more nourished, full, and great after lasagna than this one right here.
Time: 55 min. (10 min prep, 45 minutes baking)
Serves: 8 (or 2 with lots of leftovers!) :)
What you'll need:
For ricotta "cheese":
8 oz block of tofu
1/4 cashews soaked in warm water for 10 minutes
1 garlic clove
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp nutritional yeast
2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp onion powder
Salt and pepper to taste
Other:
1 cups cooked red lentils
1 24 oz jar of vegan marinara sauce
16 oz package of enriched lasagna, ready-to-bake
3 cups packed spinach
7 oz bag vegan mozzarella (use the whole thing or you choose how much!)
What you'll do:
- Preheat the oven to 350
- Combine all ricotta ingredients into a food processor and blend until mostly smooth. Feel free to taste test and add more spices, or adjust consistency with a little warm water.
- Add the lentils to the marinara sauce in a separate bowl
I did add some of my remaining Quorn meatless grounds to the marinara, leftover from my Stuffed Peppers dish - In a glass casserole dish, start to layer
- Start with a layer of marinara that covers the whole bottom of the dish. then layer approximately 4 lasagna noodles, a hearty covering of ricotta, then a cup of spinach. Repeat 3 times and end with a final layer of marinara. Be sure to have marinara hitting all edges of the pan and all of the noodles to help them cook.
- Add on top however much mozzarella you would like
- Bake for 45 minutes
- Optional: add fresh basil to the top
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