Kale & Mushroom Lasagna

The other night I made my first attempt at a vegan lasagna. I am not the biggest fan of "fake" vegan cheeses so I was attracted to this recipe that does not call for any vegan cheese but rather uses tofu and nutritional yeast to make the "cheese" layer. The tofu mixture really does resemble cheese mixtures I have used in previous lasagnas. The texture is very similar...and while you can definitely tell the difference in taste it was still really good.

The recipe is from Quick-Fix Vegan by Robin Roberston.

Ingredients:

1 box no-bake lasagna noodles

2 lbs extra firm tofu, well drained and mashed

8 ounces kale, stems removed and finely chopped

1/2 cup nutritional yeast

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

1.5 teaspoons dried basil

1/2 tsp ground fennel seeds

1/2 tsp dried oregano

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tsp red pepper flakes

6 oz cremini mushrooms, chopped 

4 cups marinara sauce

1/3 cup pine nuts

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, combine the tofu and nutritional yeast. Mash well to combine. Add the parsley, lemon juice, basil, fennel, oregano, 1 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper. Mix well to combine and adjust to taste.
3. Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until softened. Add the kale and season with salt. Cook until wilted, about 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook until softened and any liquid is absorbed, 5 minutes. Set aside.
4. Spread a layer of marinara sauce on the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking pan. Arrange 4 noodles on top of the sauce, overlapping slightly. Spread half of the tofu mixture over the noodles in a thin layer. Spread half the kale mixture. Repeat layering with the sauce, noodles, the remaining tofu mixture, and the remaining kale mixture, ending with the noodles topped with the marinara sauce. Sprinkle top with pine nuts.
5. Cover the lasagna with foil and bake for 45 minutes, until hot throughout. Let stand at least 10 minutes before serving.