Vegetarian Lasagna with Spinach
This week’s recipe is for Vegetarian Lasagna with Spinach and Tofu. I modified this tasty number from one I found over at Clean Eating Chelsea. Her version is gluten free, but mine is not. Why? Because I was just too lazy to pick up the required almond milk and brown rice lasagna noodles. If you’re not lazy or have gluten free ingredients around, feel free to sub out my skim milk and whole wheat noodles. I won’t be able to taste the difference 🙂
One thing that my vegetarian lasagna with spinach has in common with the original, is that it was also able to trick a husband into thinking that cheese was among its ingredients. Now if you’re not lactose intolerant (I am), you may distrust a lasagna that omits cheese, but I really urge you to try this meal! It’s super healthy and tasty. Plus, at least two men have happily eaten it (sure, both are married to crazy healthy food lovers, but I’m 89.7% sure that at least for this meal, they were not faking it to get brownie points). If your dinner guests are scared of tofu, I’d love to see if this meal can get past their lips unnoticed. Wouldn’t you?
With the tofu detector challenge in place I think it’s about time to get to the recipe. Here is what you will need to make a 9 in x 9 in pan of Vegetarian Lasagna with Spinach and Tofu:
Ingredients:
1 box lasagna noodles
2 cups marinara sauce
10 oz. frozen spinach, thawed and drained of excess liquid
8 oz tofu
2/3 cup skim milk
5 tbsp. nutritional yeast
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1/4 cup rosemary sprigs
1/2 tsp. basil
1/4 tsp. oregano
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup hummus
How to Put it Together:
Step One: Cook your lasagna noodles. Boil up some water and read the directions on the box. You know, the ones that eerily warn: DO NOT OVERCOOK. I kind of want to know what would happen if you did overcook. Sure, you’d upset your Italian ancestors, but the wording makes me feel like the consequence could be far worse. I mean, I’ve never seen it on any other type of overcookable food item, have you?
Step Two: Prepare the filling. Start by prepping your tofu by pressing it to get some of the excess water out. Find a large bowl and add your milk, 3 tbsp of nutritional yeast, lemon juice, basil, oregano, garlic powder and 3 tbsp rosemary. Crumble your tofu as you add it to the mix. Add a dash of salt and pepper to round out step two.
Step Three: Layer it up! Your noodles should be cooked 🙂 Cover a 9×9 pan with a layer of marinara and 3 noodles. Add half of your tofu mix, and some spinach. Repeat this layer and then cover the lasagna with 3 final noodles and another layer of sauce.
Step Four: Put it in the oven. Bake the lasagna at 350 degrees for 25 mins covered loosely with tin foil and then for another 10 minutes uncovered.
Step Five: Topping time! Take the lasagna out of the oven and drizzle a topping made of the rest of your nutritional yeast, hummus, and a tablespoon of water over it. Sprinkle rosemary on top.
Now it’s time to put your dinner guests to the test! That sounds mean? I’m pretty sure there’s a saying that says there is no such thing as a free lunch or lasagna. They should expect to work a little for their tasty treat.
After cooking, serve up this meal and ask your guests what they think. Don’t act suspicious, act normal when you ask for their opinion. When they are done eating, ask them what they thought of the cheese you used and report back.
Are Mr. Fit Armadillo and his ally at Clean Eating Chelsea reliable good food barometers or is it easy to tell that this Vegetarian Lasagna with Spinach is cheese free? Share your thoughts with a comment below:
