half of the Basil ricotta cheese recipe, mixed with the spinach/onion/mushroom mixture to stuff large shells. Add some marinara and you have one more meal!
1/2 package lasagna noodles - I don't cook them beforehand but it does add 30 minutes to the cooking time.
Veggie Marinara Sauce
This makes more than you will need but I like to have some in the freezer for day's when I want a quick meal. From the freezer I like to leave it chunky and serve it on spaghetti. If you have family members who don't appreciate being able to see the texture and chunks of veggies you can take a hand blender to it and it will make a smooth rich sauce. The carrots may seem like a strange addition but they sweeten the sauce. I like this sauce best when I start it on the stove and then put a lid on it and let it simmer in the oven at 300-325 until we are ready to eat. Also, these are the veggies I usually use but definitely use what you have on hand and play with the proportions to find a mixture you like.
To a large sauce pan add:
1 TBS olive oil ( basil infused is wonderful)
1 large sweet onion
2 bell peppers (I prefer red or yellow)
8-10 mushrooms chopped (I like the baby bella's from Costco)
2 chopped zucchini or yellow squash or combination
2-3 large carrots
28 oz can diced tomatoes
14 oz can crushed tomatoes
- with the tomatoes use what you like - I like the chunks
1 TBS dried Basil
1 1/2 tsp oregano
1 TBS salt
sugar as needed to tone down acidity
Basil ricotta "cheese":
1 cup raw cashews - put in a food processor and process until ground into small pieces to give texture
Add:
1 block (16 oz) of firm or extra firm tofu drained and patted dry, broken into pieces
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
2 tsp salt
3 TBS lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
2 tsp salt - can add less
1 tsp garlic powder
1 cup packed fresh basil - stems removed
Process until well mixed and desired consistency is achieved. You may need to add water. I usually only use have of this recipe as it is quite rich and flavorful. The other half fits in a ziplock and freezes beautifully. Or you can eat it as a dip with veggies - if you don't mention that it has tofu, no one will know.
Spinach layer
In a large frying pan cook
1/2 large sweet onion chopped
8 mushrooms chopped
2 lbs fresh spinach
Cook onion and mushrooms till onion is transparent, add as much spinach as you can, put a lid on and allow it to wilt. Stir and add more spinach until it is all wilted. Season with salt and Lemon juice. Allow to cool and drain before adding to lasagna.
Put some of the sauce in the bottom of a 9 x 12 pan. place noodles in the bottom. Layer 1/4 of ricotta cheese, then cover with spinach layer, ladel with sauce. Noodles, cheese, spinach, sauce. Noodles, more sauce and you can try some vegan cheese. It's more for looks than anything.
Bake at 325 for 1 1/2 hours.
