Gather round: This lasagna is made for enjoying with loved ones. Hearty, wholesome, full of texture and flavor, eaters of all types will swoon when you serve this classic and compassionate dish. The inspiration for this dish was based on creating a dish that affirmed meat-eaters would enjoy. I wanted to create a magnificent main course that was nutritious and utterly scrumptious to demonstrate that we give up nothing (and gain everything!) when we choose to leave out animal ingredients.
Even though some of the most delicious lasagnas I’ve had included combinations of ingredients like kale, butternut squash, polenta, broccoli, and eggplant, this time I wanted to make something that felt more familiar to people who were wary of “veggie lasagnas”. And though they have their place, processed meat alternatives were also shelved for this recipe. Three things make this dish an absolute winner; the deep-dish approach, the meaty sauce made from whole, plant foods, and the creamy tofu ricotta. The sauce calls for lots of mushrooms that are finely chopped and cooked down until they’re deep, dark, and delicious. The surprise ingredient in the “meat” sauce is cooked farro which adds a toothsome, chewier texture than just mushrooms alone. No-bake lasagna noodles are ubiquitous today, but the old-fashioned kind provide a sturdier noodle barrier between the layers, and there’s no need to boil, just pour boiling water over them and they’ll soften up enough to assemble the lasagna: The oven will do the remainder of the cooking.
Try it once, and I promise, you’ll make it again and again.
To prepare the noodles, bring a kettle or large pot of water to a boil. Arrange noodles in a 9-inch by 13-inch baking dish or casserole. Pour the boiling water over the noodles and let sit to soften.
To make the sauce, heat the oil over medium-high heat in a Dutch oven or large pot. Add the onion and a teaspoon of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes, until the onions start to soften and release their water. Add the chopped mushrooms and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 15 minutes or until the mushrooms have released their water and it has started to evaporate. Add soy sauce, oregano, basil, fennel, and pepper. Stir and continue to cook until the mixture starts to dry out. Add cooked farro, crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, and sugar/maple syrup. Taste and add remaining salt. Simmer, uncovered, for about 20 minutes
To make the ricotta, use your hands to finely crumble tofu in a medium bowl. Add nutritional yeast, onion powder, lemon juice, olive oil, and salt. Mix until well combined.
To assemble the lasagna, ladle several spoonfuls of sauce into the bottom of the lasagna dish. Arrange 5 noodles, overlapping in the dish. Spoon about ⅓ of the ricotta over the noodles and spread evenly. Break sliced cheese into pieces and arrange over the ricotta. Ladle more sauce over the cheese. Repeat three more times. The final layer should be noodles, sauce, and shredded mozzarella cheese.
Cover the dish with foil and bake for about 1 hour. Remove foil during the last 15 minutes of baking. Remove lasagna from the oven and let rest for about 15 minutes before slicing and serving. Serve with any leftover sauce. Store leftovers in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
To prepare the noodles, bring a kettle or large pot of water to a boil. Arrange noodles in a 9-inch by 13-inch baking dish or casserole. Pour the boiling water over the noodles and let sit to soften.
To make the sauce, heat the oil over medium-high heat in a Dutch oven or large pot. Add the onion and a teaspoon of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes, until the onions start to soften and release their water. Add the chopped mushrooms and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 15 minutes or until the mushrooms have released their water and it has started to evaporate. Add soy sauce, oregano, basil, fennel, and pepper. Stir and continue to cook until the mixture starts to dry out. Add cooked farro, crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, and sugar/maple syrup. Taste and add remaining salt. Simmer, uncovered, for about 20 minutes
To make the ricotta, use your hands to finely crumble tofu in a medium bowl. Add nutritional yeast, onion powder, lemon juice, olive oil, and salt. Mix until well combined.
To assemble the lasagna, ladle several spoonfuls of sauce into the bottom of the lasagna dish. Arrange 5 noodles, overlapping in the dish. Spoon about ⅓ of the ricotta over the noodles and spread evenly. Break sliced cheese into pieces and arrange over the ricotta. Ladle more sauce over the cheese. Repeat three more times. The final layer should be noodles, sauce, and shredded mozzarella cheese.
Cover the dish with foil and bake for about 1 hour. Remove foil during the last 15 minutes of baking. Remove lasagna from the oven and let rest for about 15 minutes before slicing and serving. Serve with any leftover sauce. Store leftovers in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
How much carro and how do you cook
Hi Gwedolyn – the recipe calls for 1 1/2 cups cooked farro. Farro is a chewy grain. Look for cooking instructions on the package that it comes it, but in general, it would be about 1/2 cup of farro + 1.5 cups of water (you may need to add more during the cooking, just watch it. Different brands vary). Cook for about 30 minutes!
This looks great. I’d like to make it for friends who don’t eat gluten. What would you substitute for the farrow, please? For the vegan cheeses, are you buying them pre-made or are you making them? If so do you have a recipe? I love that you did not use a meat substitute!
Hi and thanks for reading! This recipe is always a big hit, especially with company, even those who are not vegan.
I chose farro here to add a chewiness to the sauce similar to a meat sauce, but without the meat! For a gluten-free option, you could substitute cooked lentils, sorghum, or steel-cut oatmeal. While I haven’t made the sauce with any of these, the idea is to add texture and heartiness. You could also omit it completely!
As far as the cheese goes, there’s a tofu ricotta recipe within this blog post I believe. We use that in place of dairy ricotta all the time. The sliced cheese and mozzarella are store-bought. I think I used Daiya provolone and possibly VIOLIFE mozzarella.
I hope you enjoy it and reach out directly with any other questions!!
Best,
Linda
Hi and thanks for reading! This recipe is always a big hit, especially with company, even those who are not vegan.
I chose farro here to add a chewiness to the sauce similar to a meat sauce, but without the meat! For a gluten-free option, you could substitute cooked lentils, sorghum, or steel-cut oatmeal. While I haven’t made the sauce with any of these, the idea is to add texture and heartiness. You could also omit it completely!
As far as the cheese goes, there’s a tofu ricotta recipe within this blog post I believe. We use that in place of dairy ricotta all the time. The sliced cheese and mozzarella are store-bought. I think I used Daiya provolone and possibly VIOLIFE mozzarella.
I hope you enjoy it and reach out directly with any other questions!!
Best,
Linda