Lazy Plant-Based Lasagna

Craving Italian comfort food but need to avoid cheese? I had to eliminate dairy 🧀 from my diet in 2014 after my lactose intolerance caused chronic daily nausea. I spent years trying different ricotta substitutes, including my own tofu ricotta recipe. One day I went an unconventional route and won't look back! 

Introducing Lazy Plant-Based Lasagna, using store-bought roasted garlic hummus for the win! Only ~15-20 minutes prep time/~35-40 minute bake time, and meat and cheese-eating husband approved. 😋

Lazy Plant-Based Lasagna - VegWithMandy.com

Serves 4; double as needed (see note)

Preheat oven to 350F

In large (~13 in) metal or cast iron pan on medium heat, add:

• 1 Tbsp olive oil.

Saute:

• 1 small sweet onion, diced x 2-3 min.

Then add:

• 1 Tbsp parsley, dried

• 1 Tbsp basil, dried.

Stir well, and Saute another 5-7 min until onions almost translucent/done. 

Then add:

• 24 oz jar Spaghetti Sauce, low sodium, if desired

• 8 oz jar tomato sauce, no salt added, if desired

• 1/2 c water

• 4 oz super firm tofu* (~1/4 of a block), shredded with grater or crumbled small with hand/fork

Stir everything well and keep on low 2-3 min until everything is warmed.

Then, In oil-sprayed lasagna pan (Bread pan works great for 4 servings),

Layer:

Tomato/tofu sauce we just prepared above; then

• Oven ready lasagna noodles;

Sauce

Lasagna noodles

• Roasted garlic hummus, stirred well before adding;

Sauce

Lasagna noodles

Hummus

Sauce

...until you've run out of ingredients or filled up your pan.

Bake at 350F x 35 min, covered with foil for the first 20 min. Bake longer if noodles aren't done.

Enjoy!

Notes:

*Remove excess water from tofu before grating. I usually wrap in a towel and gently squeeze, repeating with second towel, if needed.

-Serves 4 as written but easy to double! I make mine in a ceramic bread pan (see pic). If you double, make the second container of hummus plain hummus, to avoid garlic overpowering the dish. 🧄 

-I love that there's only about 15-20 min “active time” (prep) in this recipe, so you can quickly get this in the oven and move on to something else while it cooks. 

-I used to roll my eyes 🙄 when I saw people on Instagram grating tofu, like there's no way I'm doing that. Ugh, it's so fast and easy, why didn't I try it sooner!