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–+ servings

Vegan Lasagna Verde

This was a recipe I made in my first few months of blogging. I switched out the traditional red tomato sauce for a green pesto. I added in creamy cashew ricotta and a few thin slices of tofu as well. This verde lasagna is a family-style entree worth gathering at the table for!
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time40 minutes
Total Time1 hour 10 minutes
Servings: 12 servings

Ingredients

Spicy Jalapeño Pesto:

  • 2 cups fresh basil leaves
  • 2 cups fresh spinach (or another dark leafy green)
  • ½ cup fresh lemon juice
  • ½ cup raw walnuts
  • ¼ cup raw pumpkin seeds
  • ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 small jalapeño, seeds removed
  • 1-3 cloves garlic
  • ½ cup reserved pasta water (as needed)

Cashew Ricotta:

  • 2 cups raw cashews, soaked in water overnight (drained)
  • 1 to 1 ½ cups water or plain non-dairy milk
  • 2-3 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • salt and pepper to taste

Tofu:

  • ½ teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 14 ounces firm tofu, thinly sliced
  • a few pinches of salt and pepper
  • 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast (optional)

Components:

  • Cashew Ricotta (above)
  • ½ - 1 cup vegan mozzarella cheese shreds
  • Tofu (above) or sub with thinly sliced veggies!
  • Pesto (above)
  • ½ cup chopped fresh basil, for garnish
  • 12-14 lasagna noodles (or try thinly sliced zucchini)
  • extra virgin olive oil for greasing the pan

Instructions

  • Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a lasagna baking pan with a bit of extra virgin olive oil.
  • Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. As soon as the water comes to a boil, drop in 4 of the lasagna noodles and cook until tender, about 10-12 minutes. Remove the cooked noodles and line them up to cover the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Repeat until all the noodles are cooked, transferring the cooked noodles to a side plate once you have covered the bottom of the baking dish. Note: reserve ½ cup of the pasta water.
  • Pesto: Combine all the pesto ingredients in a blender, plus about ⅓ cup of the pasta cooking water. Increase the speed from low to high until smooth. The pesto should be thick, yet easy to pour, a tad thicker than the consistency of a rich tomato sauce for pizza. To thin out the pesto, simple add a bit more of the pasta water.
  • Tofu: In a sauté pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the tofu and season with the salt and pepper and optional nutritional yeast. Cook 2-3 minutes on each side, just enough to lightly brown the edges. Set aside.
  • Prepare the cashew ricotta by blending all the ingredients in a high speed mixer until thick and smooth.
  • Layer the tofu over top the noodles. Top with a generoud layer of the ricotta, follower by a layer of pesto, a sprinkle of the cheese shreds and then another layer of noodles. Then add the remaining ricotta and any pesto that you may have left. Add a final layers of cheese shreds on top. Note: You can layer the lasagna however you'd like, the order of the ingredients down't really matter -- just be sure to have some of the cheese shreds on the very top so they brown and bubble and create a melty effect.
  • Cover the lasagna dish tightly with foil and bake for about 40 minutes. The edges should be lightly browned but not overcooked or crispy. When the lasagna is cooked through, I like to remove the foil and cook it under the broil setting for 1-3 minutes. This is optional. Let the lasagna cook 15-30 minutes in the dish before serving. Top with fresh basil to serve.
  • Tip: to moisten the lasagna or soften the noodles, add a few splashes of veggie broth to the pan before covering with foil.