Chef AJ's Vegetable Lasagna Recipe is loaded with spinach, mushrooms, and layers of saucy marinara. It is so delicious, it'll even surprise meat-eaters!
To make the filling, put the cooked beans, pine nuts (or substitute cashews or hemp seeds), nutritional yeast, miso, lemon juice, basil, garlic, and chile flakes in a food processor fitted with the ‘S’ blade and process until smooth. Add the spinach or kale and process until well incorporated.
In a large nonstick saute pan, saute the onion in 2 tablespoons of water until translucent, about 8 minutes, adding more water, 1 tablespoon at a time, if necessary to prevent sticking.
Add the mushrooms, tamari or low-sodium soy sauce, and garlic, and saute until the mushrooms are browned. Taste and add more garlic or tamari as desired. Cook until the mushrooms look glazed and there is no more liquid left in the pan.
To assemble the lasagna, pour 3 cups of marinara sauce into a lasagna pan or 9 x 13-inch pan. Place one layer of the noodles on top of the sauce. Cover the noodles with half of the bean/spinach mixture, then cover the bean mixture with half of the mushroom mixture.
Place another layer of noodles over the mushroom mixture and top with the remaining bean mixture followed by the remaining mushroom mixture. Place one more layer of noodles on top of the mushroom mixture and evenly cover with the remaining marinara sauce. Sprinkle the sliced olives over the top and dust liberally with the Faux Parmesan.
Cook uncovered for 1 hour. Let it rest for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
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Notes
Chef AJ’s lasagna tips & notes
If you have time, marinate the sliced mushrooms in the tamari or soy sauce for several hours in advance or even the night before to add even more flavor.
Make sure the top layer of noodles is fully covered with sauce to prevent them from drying out.
If you are avoiding all sodium, omit the miso and use balsamic vinegar in place of tamari.
Tamari makes this recipe gluten-free. Soy sauce can be substituted but has gluten.
You can also use lasagna noodles made from hearts of palm. These are available online and at many natural food stores.
The recipe is from the cookbook, “Unprocessed” (2022), by Chef AJ. Published here with permission.See the ‘About the Chef’ section below.Terri has a number of Mini-Video Series available that include Plant-Based Basics, Recipes, & Beyond; 30-Minute or Less Recipes; and Sandwiches, Wraps, & Spreads.