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Vegan Oil-Free Cheesy Lasagna with Creamy Basil Sauce

This rich and gooey Vegan Oil-Free Cheesy Lasagna will be a popular item on your holiday table. You might want to make two of them!
Course Main Course
Cuisine American, Italian
Keyword Vegan Oil-Free Cheesy Lasagna with Creamy Basil Sauce

Ingredients

For the Creamy Basil Sauce:

  • 1 cup raw cashews Soak them if you don't have a high powered blender like a VitaMix
  • 2-4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced I'm a garlic lover and I use 4 big cloves
  • 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 1/4-1/2 cup vegetable broth or water
  • 2 cups loosely packed basil leaves
  • 8 oz firm tofu drained, not pressed
  • 1/2+ cup nutritional yeast
  • 1 tsp salt optional
  • 1 tsp onion powder optional

For the Lasagna:

  • 1 10oz package lasagna noodles I use Tinkyáda brand brown rice pasta
  • 4 cups pasta sauce I used about 1.5 jars (25 oz) of Trader Joe's Organic with Mushrooms Spaghetti Sauce to keep it oil-free
  • 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2.5 cups onion, chopped 1/4"
  • 2-3 cups zucchini, chopped 1/4"
  • 3 cups cauliflower, riced
  • 1-2 cups mushrooms, chopped 1/2" I've used white, baby bello and cremini with good results
  • 2 cups spinach or other greens, chopped baby kale and chard work well.
  • 2 patties pre-cooked veggie burger, crumbled optional
  • 1 tsp salt optional
  • 2 tsp oregano
  • 1 tsp thyme

Instructions

  1. If you've soaked the cashews, drain and rinse them. 

  2. Place cashews in the blender and add minced (or pressed through a garlic press) garlic, lemon juice, 1/4 cup broth or water, basil, nutritional yeast, tofu, salt, and onion powder.

  3. Start blender on low and slowly increase speed until everything is incorporated. Add water or broth in small increments if necessary to get it all moving. 

  4. Blend on high until it is very smooth. Set aside while you boil the water and cook the noodles. 

  5. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. In a large pan, dry sauté onions and garlic over medium-low heat until soft and translucent. Add in all the other veggie ingredients and seasonings and sauté for another 15-20 minutes, or until all the liquid is cooked off. Remove from heat.

  6. Follow the instructions on the noodle package for cooking the noodles al dente. Rinse immediately with cold water. I lay them out on parchment paper, but you can leave them in the empty pot. If they stick you can run cold water on them to loosen and separate. 

  7. Add about a cup of pasta sauce to the bottom of your casserole dish. I used a 9"x13" glass dish. Tip dish to spread the sauce to cover the bottom of the dish. 

  8. Add a layer of noodles. Top with about a third of the basil sauce. Top that with half the vegetables. Add another layer of pasta sauce, another layer of noodles and veggie burger crumbles if using. 

  9. Add about 1/2 of the remaining basil sauce, the rest of the vegetables, more pasta sauce and finally, the last of the basil sauce. 

  10. If using the mozzarella, blop it all over the top. Dot with pasta sauce. 

  11. Cover with parchment paper and foil, leaving a vented corner. Bake at 400 degrees for 40-50 minutes and remove covering and bake an additional 10-15 minutes or until the top is bubbling and golden.