Veggie packed vegan lasagna

The ultimate superfoods recipe, this veggie packed vegan lasagna is filled with some of natures most humble (yet nutritious) superfoods. Superfoods are at their best when they are affordable, locally grown and accessible, and this superfoods lasagna of course ticks those boxes. Kale, silverbeet, spinach ad beetroot make up the vegetable bulk while homemade, fermented cashew cheese helps to balance out the flavours and create a creamy filling.

Yes, this recipe takes a while to make. The trick is to be prepared. Make all the filling ingredients early in the day (or even the day before), and have all your bowls ready to go once it is time to assemble this family sized dish.

If you’re planning on making your own fermented cheese get ready 2 days before you plan to eat the lasagne. The cashews first need to be soaked (4 hours) then fermented (8-48 hours, depending on the ambient temperature of where you live and your taste preference).

The ultimate veggie packed vegan lasagna layers

Simple marinara sauce

A simple tomato or Mariana sauce lines the base of the lasagna, and is really easy to whip up. You’ll need a can of crushed tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, salt and thyme- or if you prefer you can simple use your favourite store-both pasta or pasta sauce.

Fermented cashew cheese

To make enough cheese for this recipe you will need to start with 3 cups of raw cashews. The recipe for this can be found via this post, or you could substitute for the store bought cashew cheese. This will be, of course, a much more expensive option. I have tried this recipe using quick cashew cheese (i.e unfermented) but I didn’t enough it nearly as much. Choosing a fermented cashew cheese adds necessary tang to balance out the seed beets.

Superfood greens layer

This layer is made up of sautéed greens and the homemade cashew cheese, and is customisable to what you have on hand. I like using a mixture of kale, silverbeet and spinach to make this veggie packed vegan lasagna- not least of all because that is what grows in my garden. Use all three, use just one, or use your preferred greens. They will all work.

If you don’t have access to fresh greens frozen spinach is a great option. You can find it in the freezer section of any supermarket and it is always affordable. Just ensure you defrost it the day before you intent to use it. Greens really are the ultimate superfood and this veggie packed vegan lasagna doesn’t care which one you choose.

Roast garlic beetroot and cashew cheese

For this layer you will need a food processor or blender if you’re in a pinch. You can roast and semi-puree the beets in the morning (or the day before) and store them in the fridge.

Vegan white/bechamel sauce

The final layer of the veggie packed vegan lasagna is a white or béchamel sauce. I personally prefer to use soy milk for béchamel, however you need to ensure its a nice tasting soy milk. Rubbish soy milk will taste rubbish. I use either Bon Soy or Soy Boy.

This recipe makes a huge slab of lasagna, and it will keep well in the fridge. I like it served with a simple, punchy salad (even just fresh roquette and a balsamic) to help balance out the richness, and personally think it tastes even better on day 2. I hope you enjoy this recipe, and if you have any questions I would love to hear from you below. We always welcome reviews and honest feedback as it helps us serve YOU better.

If you want some other wholesome vegan dinner ideas, please check out

• Creamy vegan tomato basil soup with croutons 
• Easy vegan pumpkin mac and cheese
• Smokey chilli beans 
• Spinach and cheese pasta bake 

Veggie packed vegan lasagna

★★★★★ 5 from 2 reviews

• Author: Jade Woodd
• Prep Time: 48 hours
• Cook Time: 40 mins
• Total Time: 48 hours 40 minutes
• Yield: 6-8 serves
• Category: Mains
• Method: Pasta
• Cuisine: Itallian

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Description

This wholesome veggie packed vegan lasagne is filled with humble, accessible  superfoods and homemade cashew cheese. It is easily made gluten free, and is the ultimate winter comfort food.

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Ingredients

FERMENTED CASHEW CHEESE

You can view the blog post on how to make cashew cheese here 

3 cups cashews, soaked 4 hours in water

1/2 cup filtered water

2 Tbsp starter: homemade kombucha, apple cider vinegar or sauerkraut juice

1/2 tsp salt

BEETROOT LAYER

250 grams beetroot, peeled and cut into 2cm pieces

1 Tbsp olive oil

2 tsp garlic granules

1 cup (250g) cashew cheese

GREENS LAYER

375 grams greens of choice (I used silver beet, spinach and kale), washed and chopped

375g zucchini, grated

1 tbsp olive oil

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups (375g) cashew cheese

MARINARA SAUCE

1 x 400ml tin crushed tomatoes

2 tsp olive oil

1/2 tsp salt

2 cloves garlic, crushed

6 sprigs thyme, leaves only

WHITE SAUCE

2 Tbsp vegan buter or olive oil

1/2 cup plain flour OR GLUTEN FREE FLOUR

2 cups almond or soy milk

1/2 cup nutritional yeast flakes

1/4 tsp salt

Pinch nutmeg

20-25 lasagna sheets, gluten free if desired

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Instructions

MAKE THE FERMENTED CASHEW CHEESE

1. NOTE- I highly recommend checking out this blog post to read the full instructions. . Drain cashews and place in a blender with remaining ingredients. Blend until very smooth, using the tamper to help things along. Once completely smooth, scrap the cheese into a very clean, large glass jar. Ensure the mixture only reaches 3/4 way up the jar, and that the top of the jar is clean and free os any cashew mixture. Once you have a even layer, pour in olive oil and create a 2cm layer on top. Leave the cashew cheese to ferment for 24-48 hours, or until it has lots of bubbles and has risen.

MAKE THE BEETROOT LAYER

1. Preheat oven to 200C and line a baking tray. Place cut beets onto the paper and drizzle with oil, salt and garlic. Bake for 35 minutes or until tender.
2. Allow beets to cool for 5 minutes before turning into a food processor. Pulse until almost pureed- small chunks are desirable. Scrape beets into a bowl and fold through cashew cheese, set aside.

MAKE THE GREENS LAYER

1. Add olive oil, greens and a splash of water to a saucepan and simmer over low heat for 5 minutes or until greens are vibrant and softened. Turn greens into a bowl, add salt, pepper and cashew cheese and fold through.

MAKE THE MARINARA SAUCE

1. Heat a small saucepan over low heat. Ad oil heat for 30 s then add garlic and brown for 30 s. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a simmer (with the lid on), and simmer for 10 minutes. Turn off heat and set aside.

MAKE THE WHITE SAUCE

1. Heat a saucepan over medium heat, then add the butter/oil. Melt, then turn off the heat and whisk together. Add milk, salt, nutmeg and yeast flakes and return to the heat. Bring to a simmer, whisking the whole time and stop once the sauce has thickened and starts to bubble. Turn oft  heat and set aside.

ASSEMBLE YOUR LASAGNA

1. Preheat oven to 200 C (400 F) and set aside a large, deep lasagne dish. Fill a large pot (5L) wit water and bring to the boil. Add salt, and par-cook the sheet for 3-4 mins, then drain and place a little bit of cold water with a splash of oil in the bottom of the pot. At this stage, you will need to work very quickly to avoid the sheets sticking together.

– Pour the marinara into the bottom of the tray and spread evenly. Create a layer of lasagne sheets.

– Add 1/3 of the greens mix and spread evenly, then top with a layer of lasagne sheets.

– Add the second 1/3 of the greens mix and spread evenly, then top with a layer of lasagne sheets.

– Add 1/2 the beetroot mixture and spread evenly, then top with a layer of lasagne sheets.

– Add the second 1/2 the beetroot mixture and spread evenly, then top with a layer of lasagne sheets.

– Add the final 1/3 of the greens mix and spread evenly, then top with a layer of lasagne sheets.

– Finally, top with the white sauce and spread evenly to completely cover the top. Use 1/2 cup of hot water and slowly drizzle it into the sides of the lasagne, then cover with a lid or 2 layers of aluminium foil and bake for 40-45 mins or until cooked when checked with a skewer.

Serve immediately with a punchy side salad.

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