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- Makes one (9x13-inch) casserole
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My mom has been making a version of this lasagna for years. It is now a favorite of my boys. I serve this with My Caesar Salad from The Starch Solution and a loaf of warm French bread with roasted garlic.
From drmcdougall.com
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Ingredients
For the Tofu Ricotta:
- 1 (12.3-ounce) package silken tofu
- 1 pound fresh water-packed firm tofu
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon parsley flakes
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
- ¼ cup soy milk
For the lasagna:
- 1 recipe Tofu Ricotta
- 1−2 pounds fresh spinach, lightly steamed
- 8 ounces no-boil lasagna noodles
- 7 cups fat-free pasta sauce
- ¼ cup soy parmesan or Parma vegan parmesan
Instructions
- To make the ricotta, combine all ingredients in a food processor and process until fairly smooth. Place into a large bowl, and set aside.
- To make the spinach, steam at least 1 pound of fresh spinach (2 if you really like spinach) for about a minute or two, just until slightly wilted.
- Drain well, then either mix the spinach into the ricotta or layer the spinach over it when assembling the lasagna.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- To assemble the lasagna, spread 1 cup of the pasta sauce over the bottom of the baking dish. Then cover the sauce with a layer of noodles. Next, spread half of the ricotta mixture (and half of the spinach if not mixed into the ricotta) over the noodles, and top with 2 more cups of the sauce. Add another layer of noodles, the rest of the tofu mixture (and spinach if separate), 2 cups more of the sauce, and the rest of the noodles. Spoon the remaining 2 cups of sauce over the noodles (make sure you cover all the edges), and sprinkle some parmesan over the top. Cover with parchment paper and then with foil.
- Bake for 60 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest for 30 minutes before cutting.
- Note: This recipe may be prepared ahead of time and refrigerated. Add about 15 minutes to the baking time.
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Comments (58)
(5 from 32 votes)Best, easy, and healthy Spinach Lasagna I've ever had without any of the guilt! When I close my eyes and take a bite, I'm transported to my childhood when it was made with gobs of cheese and ground beef, but I don't miss those ingredients at all. Pure bliss in every bite. Just load up my plate and eat until I'm satisfied. Have been making this recipe for years. My family never gets tired of it. Thanks Heather McDougall and Forks Over Knives!
What brand of vegan cheese do you recommend? Some don’t taste very good
Is there a substitute for tofu? I’m allergic to soy.
Best Lasagna ever!!! Easy and extremely tasty!!
I have made this several times with both organic whole wheat no boil noodles & GF noodles. Everyone loves it. It’s a crowd favorite!
Please tell me more about the no-boil lasagna noodles! Where do you get them?
Any store has them. I added a thick layer of sautéed mushroom.
Going to make this today! I don't see the serving size or how many servings this makes, where is it on the page? Thanks in advance!
Hi Maria, This recipe makes roughly six servings. (You should be able to cut the 9x13 casserole into 12 pieces.) Thank you! Courtney Davison Editor, Forks Over Knives
Why cover with parchment paper and foil? Looking at the video, removing the parchment paper after cooking removes some of the cheese.
Hi Kathleen, Covering lasagna with parchment paper/foil helps it retain moisture while baking, preventing it from drying out. (This is especially important for plant-based lasagna recipes.) If you're worried about the parchment sticking to the top layer, try using the foil only and tenting it so that there's some headspace above the lasagna. Please let us know how it goes! Thank you, Courtney Davison Editor, Forks Over Knives
Soooo good!!! Of course I doubled the nutritional yeast and garlic and I added 1/2 an onion to the tofu ricotta, plus a sprinkle of crushed red pepper flakes - but seriously delicious and my husband and I are cheese lovers! I also didn’t find it necessary to wilt the spinach as I baked it for 90min using brown rice noodles (I’m celiac). Soooo yummy, will surely make it again!!! Thank you!
I don't enjoy many of the FOK recipes, especially after the work involved with some of them. Gotta give this one 5 stars though! It was pretty simple to put together and incredibly tasty. I had sugar-free, but olive oil-included jars of pasta sauce. And I added a sprinkling of plant-based shredded mozzarella on each layer (for a melty effect :) And I used plant-based parmesan on top. It was so good!!! The tofu layer was delicious, and not that noticeable as a plant-based alternative to ricotta. All-in-all this recipe has everything going for it. I HIGHLY recommend it, and will be making it for myself again over and over.
Just curious, why don’t you like many of the FOK recipes?
I want to make this, but first wonder if I should press the tofu before making the ricotta. The recipe doesn’t even say to drain the tofu so I am confused.
I would also like to know about pressing the tofu. I bought all the ingredients a couple days ago and now I’m not sure what to do. My stores are 30 miles away from me. I can’t afford to mess this up.
Hi Victoria, For this recipe you don't need to press the tofu because the extra moisture will help make the ricotta sauce extra creamy. However, if you want a firmer texture for your "cheese", you could press it and it would still turn out great. We've updated the recipe to mention that the tofu should be drained before combining it in the blender with the other ricotta ingredients. Let us know how it turns out for you!
Certainly drain the tofu. But I used firm and extra firm tofu and there was no need to drain it at all.
Does anyone know the fat content? I am trying to keep my fat down to 10% and limit my saturated fat. With all the tofu, I imagine this is not a low fat meal. THANKS!
I have had this recipe for a few years. I never run out when I get down to one in freezer I make another batch. It is fabulous.
What are the cooking instructions from frozen? Or do you first thaw?
This is a standard for when we need to whip up a WFPB lasagna. It's great with the Bravo sauce, extra veg, or a cauliflower bechamel.
This is so good! It tastes like the real thing. The only ingredient I didn’t use was the soy Parmesan. After wilting the spinach I left it in a wire stainer to strain off the liquid. As directed, I baked it for an hour and let it sit for 30 and when I removed the foil it was perfect. We’ll definitely eat this again.
I appreciate the recipe since I'm a beginner with this way of eating BUT there is zero flavour added in this. This needs lots of oregano, basil, and even a bit of fennel seed. But if a person likes bland food, the recipe will work.
It was just okay. Kinda watery and bland honestly. The reviews had me excited but it just didn’t stack up to others I’ve had
Didn’t use the Parmesan but the tofu ricotta was amazing!!!! The meal was everything!!! Thank you!
You’ve got to make this! So delicious
where is the tofu ricotta recipe? this recipe doesn't link to it.
It’s the 11 ingredients at the beginning of the recipe under the heading FOR THE TOFU RICOTTA:
My family loved it! Hubby was excited to have lasagna for the first time since his bypass surgery almost 3 years ago.
One of my favorite no-cook pasta substitutes: plane slice eggplant and zucchini on the mandolin, dehydrate it, then store it in ziploc bags. It works beautifully in this recipe when preparing food for someone recovering from type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
I added more garlic and some garlic salt to the ricotta (because… garlic). Delish recipe!
My kind of additions!
Loved this one!
Does this freeze well?
Omg! Sooo good! Made this for my first time and was very happy with the results. I chose to add the whole 2lbs of spinach (well a little less) but would probably adjust to add a little less next time. The tofu ricotta was delicious and had a very similiar consistency to real ricotta and I left off the vegan parmesan and topped with chili flakes instead. But the ending results were full of flavor and even better the next day! Saving this recipe.
This is some of the best lasagna I've ever had. Seriously. The best!
I am vegetarian and lactose intolerant and gave up dishes like this a long time ago. I have never written a review on any recipe until today. It was absolutely incredible! This ricotta will now be on everything and anything I can put it on! From the bottom of my cheese craving heart, Thank you!!!
My wife and I have been eating plant based for just over a month now and this is by far the best dish we have eaten.
Made this for non-vegan company a few weeks ago. It was a hit. Having company this Sunday and I'm making it again!
Are we supposed to press the tofu before processing?
I drained the water from the water packed tofu and did not press out additional water. (This works because the no-boil noodles need some moisture.) I followed directions to bake for 60 minutes covered with parchment and foil. After resting for 30 minutes the noodles were perfect. The lasagna was moist and not watery. Hope that helps:)
I was totally skeptical about this recipe, but decided to try it based on the reviews. I am not a fan of tofu and didn't really think it could sub for ricotta. Even as I pulled it out of the oven smelling wonderful, I was still skeptical. I was fully prepared to throw the pan away as yet another plant based experiment fail. Well, glad to say I was wrong. THIS. IS. FANTASTIC. I added sauted mushrooms and onions to the middle layer for some added veggie goodness, but outside of that followed the recipe exactly and it was truly delicious. This recipe did NOT disappoint. Thank you, FOK!
My meat eating husband and picky child both loved this recipe. Blended the spinach into the tofu to hide it from my kid. Wonderful recipe. Thank you!
Great idea on hiding the spinich. Did you still steam it before doing that?
My family LOVES this recipe! The last time I made it I wilted the spinach in a pan instead of steaming it, and it was easier to get it nice and dry. I also used fresh parsley in the ricotta because that's what I had, and I'm going to do it again next time. It also makes pretty garnish for the top. Anyway, make this. It's fabulous.
A huge hit with the family! It is the best lasagna we have had. What is the serving size?
That's the nice thing about eating whole-foods plant-based. Eat until you are full!
Absolutely delicious! Since going plant based over a year ago, the only thing my fiancé has said he missed was a good lasagna. I made this for him and his work buddies and they all LOVED it! All of his coworkers asked for the recipe and the following week they all showed up with this lasagna for lunch. I would highly recommend
I was really surprised how excellent this turned out. It’s one of the best lasagnas I’ve ever had, and definitely the best I’ve ever made.
I had a few issues. I ran out of pasta and had to use almond milk instead of soy, but it still came out yummy.
Can you make this and freeze it?
I'm going to be making a batch of this and freezing a bunch; I would assume it's perfectly fine to freeze it :)
Where do you find a brand of no boil noodles that don’t contain egg?
Love this recipe. I have used frozen spinach successfully (easier/quicker to layer too), and I've added some frozen kale successfully as well (1/2 and 1/2). I alter how much tomato sauce I use based on how thirsty the lasagna noodles I am using are (which is to say I sometimes use less than they recommend). Lastly, because I think it looks better, I like to add the vegan parm on top after it has already baked (I use the kind that is ground up cashews with nooch and spices.)
Great basic recipe. I like to add mushrooms etc for a little extra flavor. SMILE
Wondering if I can double the batch and freeze some of the ricotta?
Delicious lasagna