Vegan Winter Lasagne Recipes

Steps:

• Make the sauce: In a large, heavy saucepan, over medium heat, heat the olive oil. Place the onions in the saucepan and saute them until they are soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic; cook 5 minutes more.
• Place the tomatoes, tomato paste, basil and parsley in the saucepan. Stir well, turn the heat to low and let the sauce simmer covered for 1 hour. Add the salt and pepper.
• While the sauce is cooking bring a large kettle of salted water to a boil. Boil the lasagna noodles for 9 minutes, then drain and rinse well.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Place the tofu blocks in a large bowl. Add the garlic, basil and parsley. Add the salt and pepper, and mash all the ingredients together by squeezing pieces of tofu through your fingers. Mix well.
• Assemble the lasagna: Spread 1 cup of the tomato sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 inch casserole pan. Arrange a single layer of lasagna noodles, sprinkle one-third of the tofu mixture over the noodles. Distribute the spinach evenly over the tofu. Next ladle 1 1/2 cups tomato sauce over the tofu, and top it with another layer of the noodles. Then sprinkle another 1/3 of the tofu mixture over the noodles, top the tofu with 1 1/2 cups tomato sauce, and place a final layer of noodles over the tomato sauce. Finally, top the noodles with the final 1/3 of the tofu, and spread the remaining tomato sauce over everything.
• Cover the pan with foil and bake the lasagna for 30 minutes. Serve hot and enjoy.

Steps:

• Pour 800ml boiling water over the dried porcini and leave for 10 mins until hydrated. Meanwhile pour 1½ tbsp oil into a large saucepan. Add the onion, carrot, celery and a pinch of salt. Cook gently, stirring for 10 mins until soft. Remove the porcini from the liquid, keeping the mushroomy stock and roughly chop. Set both aside.
• Add the garlic and thyme to the pan. Cook for 1 min, then stir in the tomato purée and cook for a minute more. Pour in the red wine, if using, cook until nearly reduced, then add the lentils, reserved mushroom stock and cans of tomatoes. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and leave to simmer with the lid on.
• Meanwhile, heat a large frying pan. Add 1½ tbsp oil, then tip all of the mushrooms into the pan, including the rehydrated ones. Fry until all the water has evaporated and the mushrooms are deep golden brown. Pour in the soy sauce. Give everything a good mix, then scrape the mushrooms into the lentil saucepan.
• Stir in the Marmite, then continue to cook the ragu, stirring occasionally, over a lo -medium heat for 30-45 mins until the lentils are cooked and the sauce is thick and reduced, adding extra water if necessary. Remove the thyme sprigs and season to taste.
• Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. To make the white sauce, heat 3 tbsp olive oil in a pan, whisk in the flour and cook for a couple of minutes to get rid of the raw flour taste, then slowly whisk in the soya milk. Cook out until you have a creamy sauce, about 10 mins. Season to taste, adding a good grating of nutmeg.
• Spread a third of the ragu on the bottom of your ovenproof dish, then top with 6 lasagne sheets, followed by another third of the vegan white sauce, then another third of the ragu. Top with the remaining lasagne sheets, then the remaining ragu and finally, spread over the rest of the white sauce. Sprinkle over the nutritional yeast, if using, and bake for 45 mins-1 hr until the pasta is cooked.

Steps:

• Make the marinara sauce: Heat the olive oil in a pot over medium-high. Add the onion and cook, stirring often, until the onion is soft and translucent, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, for another minute. Stir in the tomato paste, Italian seasoning and red-pepper flakes, then stir in the diced and crushed tomatoes and sugar, if using. Allow the sauce to come to a simmer, then reduce the heat to low and cook for 5 minutes, uncovered. Add salt to taste. You can leave the sauce textured or purée it with an immersion blender, depending on your preference. Remove from heat.
• Make the ricotta: Add the cashews and garlic to a food processor and process until the cashews form a coarse meal, about 1 minute. Stop and scrape down the sides of the processor, then turn the processor back on. While it's running, drizzle in 1/2 cup water and the lemon juice. Process until completely smooth and the texture resembles hummus, another 2 minutes.
• Crumble the block of tofu into the processor, add the nutritional yeast, and season with salt and pepper. Continue processing until the mixture is smooth and resembles ricotta, stopping to scrape the sides of the processor as needed, about 1 minute. Taste and adjust salt and pepper.
• Assemble the lasagna: Heat the oven to 350 degrees and lightly oil a 9-by-13-inch casserole dish. Bring a large, salted pot of water to boil. Cook the lasagna noodles according to package instructions, until they're al dente. (Skip this step if you're using no-boil noodles.)
• Layer 1 scant cup marinara sauce at the bottom of your lasagna dish. Cover it with a layer of 3 to 4 lasagna noodles. Cover the noodles with half the vegan ricotta. Cover the ricotta with another layer of noodles, followed by another cup of marinara and the remaining ricotta. Add a final layer of noodles and the remaining marinara sauce. Bake the lasagna for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the marinara on top is dark and the lasagna is bubbling. Top with torn basil leaves, if desired, and serve.

Steps:

• To make the white sauce, put the milk in a saucepan with the bay leaves and quartered leek. Bring to the boil, then remove from the heat and leave to infuse for 1 hr.
• Strain the milk into a large jug, discarding the leek and bay. Melt 60g butter in the pan, then stir in the flour with a wooden spoon and cook for 2 mins. Stir in the strained milk, a splash at a time - the mix will thicken at first to a doughy paste, but keep adding the milk gradually to avoid getting lumps. When all the milk is incorporated, bring to a gentle simmer, stirring constantly. Bubble for a few minutes until thickened. Season with the nutmeg, mace and some salt and pepper, then remove from the heat and stir in the mozzarella until melted.
• Melt the 1 tbsp butter with the walnut oil in a frying pan over a low heat, then cook the sliced leeks until really soft. Stir in the sage and fry for a further 2 mins. Cook the cabbage in a pan of boiling salted water for 3 mins, then quickly lift out of the pan and into a colander. Cook the kale for 30 seconds in the same pan. Drain, and toss with the cabbage and leeks.
• Butter a deep 2.5-litre baking dish. Spread a quarter of the white sauce into the base of the dish and scatter with a third of the greens, a quarter of the walnuts and 1 tbsp cheese. Top with a layer of lasagne sheets. Repeat twice more to make three layers, then spread the last of the sauce over the final pasta layer. Scatter with the rest of the hard cheese and chill for at least 30 mins, or up to 24 hrs.
• Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Bake the lasagne for about 50 mins until golden and bubbling, then scatter over a few more sage leaves and the remaining walnuts. If the lasagne is already golden and crisp, cover tightly. Return to the oven for 10 mins, then leave to rest for 10 mins before serving.