Zucchini takes the place of noodles in this healthy vegan zucchini lasagna. It’s filled with savory mushrooms and fluffy tofu ricotta, and it’s naturally gluten-free.
Like Garfield the cat, lasagna has always been one of my favorite foods. It’s really the perfect food, as the entire meal is cooked together in one dish, and there’s just something about layered food that I love. (Maybe it has something to do with my need to keep everything tidy and organized.) Going vegan didn’t mean having to give up my beloved lasagna, as tofu easily turns ricotta-like in a food processor and mushrooms make a meaty filling. This lasagna is made with zucchini instead of pasta, making it extra nutrient dense.
Zucchini Lasagna
Ingredients
Tomato Sauce
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 28- ounce can crushed tomatoes
- A few fresh basil leaves
Tofu Ricotta
- 1 pound container firm tofu, drained
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 tablespoons vegetable broth
- 6 ounces baby spinach
Lasagna
- 4 medium zucchini
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 medium sized onion, diced
- 1 pound mushrooms, coarsely chopped
- 1 cup shredded vegan mozzarella cheese, optional
- sea salt
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
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Slice zucchini lengthwise into very thin slices. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt and place in colander to allow for liquid to drain.
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To make the sauce, combine all ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat and cook for about 10 minutes.
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Crumble the tofu into a food processer fitted with an s-blade. Add the lemon juice, garlic, broth and nutritional yeast and blend until the mixture is thick and looks like ricotta cheese. Add more vegetable broth if the mixture is too thick. Add the spinach and pulse until it’s mixed in.
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In a large pan over medium heat, sauté the onion in the olive oil for about five minutes, until translucent and lightly browned. Add the garlic and cook for another minute or two, until the garlic is fragrant. Add the mushrooms to the pan with a sprinkle of sea salt and cook for about 15 minutes, until the mushrooms have softened and all liquid has been absorbed.
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To assemble lasagna, spread 1/4 of the tomato sauce into the bottom of a casserole dish. Then layer 1/3 the zucchini slices, 1/2 the tofu ricotta mixture, half of the mushrooms followed by another ¼ of the sauce. Repeat by layering the another 1/3 of the zucchini slices, the rest of the tofu ricotta mixture and mushrooms and another ¼ of the sauce. Top with the remaining zucchini slices and the rest of the sauce.
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Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil, sprinkle with vegan cheese, if using, and bake for 15 more minutes.
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Oh, Veggie Girl, this looks amazing! GREAT picture too, its so hard to photograph lasagna!! Sorry this is coming late, I have been set back by illness and a painful tooth 🙁
Each week I am amazed by the wonderful loyal bloggers that return each week to link up their yummy food and information! I am so happy that each week we have a few new bloggers that join our group!
Thanks for linking up at our Gluten Free Fridays party! I have tweeted and pinned your entry to our Gluten Free Fridays board on Pinterest! 🙂
I hope to see you again next week!
This week’s link up is live, come on over and join the fun, if you haven’t already.
Cindy from vegetarianmamma.com
Thanks, Cindy! So sorry to hear you have’t been feeling well!