Is it just me, or is lasagna the ultimate comfort food? I learned the art of lasagna from my dear Italian friend Luca (grazie mille Luca). After hearing feedback from vegetarian friends about the struggles they have making a vegetarian version of a traditional Italian lasagna, I decided to take a stab at making it. This recipe is full of flavor and sure to delight. It's also straightforward to substitute ingredients to make vegan. The leftover Ragù freezes well.
For vegan lasagna substitutions, I prefer oat milk for the bechamel.
Ingredients
Vegetarian Ragù
- 2 large carrots
- 1 large yellow onion
- 3 Celery stalks (tops/bottoms cut
- off of stalks)
- 28 oz canned whole tomatoes
- 1 pound vegan ground beef
- 2 large portobello mushroom
- caps (shredded in food processor)
- 1 pound small white mushrooms
- (shredded in food processor)
- 2 tbsp coconut oil
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1/4 bottle of Cha Cha Cha Red Blend
- 4 cups vegetable stock
- 1 tsp nutmeg
- Salt (to taste)
- Olive Oil
Lasagna
- Parmesan cheese (shredded)
- Butter
- 6 ½ cups of Bechamel
- Lasagna pasta layers - DO NOT PRE COOK. Use homemade or dried pasta layers. Do not cook/boil in water before using
- Disposable aluminum tray
Directions - Vegetarian Ragù
Step 1:
Chop veggies – should be very small (especially the onions). See the pictures for size.
Step 2:
Coat the bottom of a large pot with olive oil & heat the pot. Cook the onions until they are golden and "melt." Add the chopped carrots & celery.
Step 3:
Cook down the vegetables with 1 cup of vegetable stock on medium to high heat.
Step 4:
Add the coconut oil and tomato paste to the vegetables and continue to cook down on a high heat.
Step 5:
Add all the vegan ground beef to the vegetable mixture. Continue cooking on high heat. Stir until all of the meat is browned.
Step 6:
Once all of the meat is browned, add 1/4 a bottle of Cha Cha Cha Red Blend to the pot. Stir.
Step 7:
After the wine, add the tomatoes. Mix well and continue cooking on a high heat.
Step 8:
Add 1 tsp of nutmeg. Mix the sauce. Add salt to taste - start with ~ 1/2 tablespoon (remember that if you use salty vegetable stock, you may need less).
Step 9:
Cook down the sauce for around 90 minutes -- add vegetable stock as needed. As you cook down the sauce, you don't want it to dry out too early because the mushrooms and vegan beef need to be cooked down into tiny pieces.
Directions - Vegetarian Lasagna
Step 1:
Preheat the oven to 480 F.
Step 2:
Run butter across the bottom of the disposable pan to prevent sticking.
Step 3:
Next, add one layer of bechamel, then one layer of vegan ragù. Sprinkle the layer with parmesan cheese.
Step 4:
Add one layer of pasta. Before you layer you may need to trim the pieces to fit the pan size.
Step 5:
Then add another layer of sauces. Add one layer of bechamel, then one layer of vegetarian ragù. Sprinkle the layer with parmesan cheese.
Step 6:
Add one layer of pasta.
Step 7:
Next, add one layer of bechamel, then one layer of vegetarian ragù. Sprinkle the layer with parmesan cheese.
Step 8:
Add one layer of pasta.
Step 9:
Add the final layer of sauces. Add one layer of bechamel, then one layer of vegetarian ragù.
Step 10:
Sprinkle the layer with parmesan cheese - add more parmesan cheese to this layer than the others. The goal is to have a somewhat crispy top.
Step 11:
Bake in the oven at 480 F for 20-30 minutes.
X Sarah
