No Pasta Vegetable Lasagna

Preparation time: 40 min Easy - for beginners Serves: 8

Description

Ingredients

For the LASAGNA “NOODLES”:
2 large eggplants, sliced lengthwise 1/4 inch thick
3 small zucchini, slice lengthwise as thinly as possible
3 small yellow squash, slice lengthwise as thinly as possible
For the TOFU RICOTTA:
16 ounces silken tofu
1 small onion, cut into quarters
4 cloves garlic, cut in half
1 cup fresh basil leaves
1 1/4 pounds firm tofu, squeezed dry and crumbled
1/4 cup Dr. Fuhrman’s MatoZest or other no-salt seasoning blend, adjusted to taste
2 tablespoons dried Italian herbs
1 cup grated nondairy mozzarella cheese*
For the VEGETABLES:
2 heads broccoli, coarsely chopped
4 cups sliced mixed fresh mushrooms (shiitake, cremini, oyster)
4 medium bell peppers (red, yellow and/or orange) seeded and chopped
7 ounces baby spinach
3 cups no-salt-added or low sodium pasta sauce, divided
shredded fresh basil for garnish

Method

To make the lasagna noodles, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Wipe a baking pan with a small amount of olive oil. Place the eggplant, zucchini, and yellow squash in the pan and bake for 10 minutes, or until flexible but not completely cooked. Work in batches if necessary. Set aside. While the “noodles” are baking, make the tofu “ricotta”. Puree the silken tofu, onion, and garlic in a food processor or high-powered blender. Add the basil leaves and pulse to coarsely chop. Transfer to a medium bowl and mix in the crumbled firm tofu. Add the MatoZest, Italian seasoning, and grated nondairy cheese. Set aside. To prepare the vegetables, saute broccoli, mushrooms, bell peppers and spinach without water, over low heat for 5 minutes, just until tender. To assemble the lasagna, spread a thin layer of the pasta sauce on the bottom of a baking dish. Layer the eggplant slices, sauteed vegetables, yellow squash slices, zucchini slices and tofu “ricotta” and then spread with pasta sauce. Repeat the layers, ending with the tofu “ricotta”. Spread the remaining pasta sauce on top and bake at 350 degrees, uncovered, for 1 hour, or until hot and bubbly. Garnish with the shredded basil.