Vegan Lasagna Bolognese Recipe

(or soak in cold water 4-8 hours) Place cashews in a small pot, cover with 1 cup water, bring to simmer, cover, simmer 15 minutes, turn heat off, leave covered so they soften. At the same time, start the Mushroom Bolognese.

Make the Mushroom Bolognese

Heat oil in an extra-large skillet over medium heat. If using plant-based ground meat, brown it first and set aside. Wipe out pan add more oil, saute the onion and garlic 3-4 minutes until fragrant. Add mushrooms, red bell pepper, salt pepper and fennel seeds, and saute until mushrooms release their liquid, and begin to caramelize about 15-20 minutes. Deglaze with red wine if you like, cooking it all off. Add the plant based protein or lentils, and stir in the spinach, wilting.

Reserve 1 cup of marinara sauce, and put this in a blender. Add the remaining 2 1/2 cups of marinara sauce to the mushroom mixture, stirring it in. Rinse the jar with 1/2 cup water and pour this into the bolognese. Bring to a simmer, for 5 minutes, season to your liking, adding salt and pepper if you like. If using a sugar-free marinara, a couple teaspoons of maple syrup is nice here. If it lacks depth, you could stir in a little a miso paste. Every jar of marinara is different, so make sure it is flavorful and “saucy” enough to cook the lasagna noodles. If it seems dry, add a little more water.

Blender

Along with the 1 cup marinara to the blender, add the drained cashews and 1/3 cup water. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil. All together in the blender, you should have about 2 cups- so add more water if need be. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt. Blend until very creamy and smooth, a full 1-2 minutes. This will be used on the top and bottom of the lasagna.

Make the Tofu Ricotta

Place everything in a food processor and pulse, scraping down sides, Pulse until combined and creamy but not overly smooth.

Assemble:

Grease a deep 9 x 13-inch baking dish with spray oil or olive oil. Pour 1 cup of the blended Creamy Marinara Sauce in the bottom, enough to lightly coat. Layer 4 lasagna noodles. Spread out half of the mushroom bolognese. Dot with half of the tofu ricotta. (Feel free to add meltable vegan cheese here if you like). Sprinkle with a third of the basil ribbons. Repeat: add 4 lasagna noodles, the remaining mushroom bolognese, the remaining tofu ricotta, (optional vegan cheese) and 1/3 of the basil ribbons. Top with the final layer of lasagna noodles, pressing down a bit to create a level base. Cover with the remaining blender sauce. Cover tightly with foil. If the lasagna touches the foil, place a piece of parchment between the lasagna and foil. At this point, you could refrigerate and bake 1-4 days later (letting it come to room temp first).

BAKE

Place in the middle of the oven and bake 50-60 minutes. While it is baking, make the Arugula Pesto.

Remove the foil, test with a knife to see if pasta is tender, all the way through. Let stand 10 minutes. Spoon a little of the Arugula Pesto over top and sprinkle with remaining basil ribbons.

Enjoy!