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Iâm not going to delay you with stories of my personal âvegan journeyâ because I make this recipe even when Iâm not eating vegan. Why? Because its gosh darn delicious, that's why. And youâre here for a recipe, not to hear me rabbit on. So with that said. LETâS GET DOWN TO BIZNESS.
This recipe was inspired by this post by the lovely @heart-to-heart Iâve also posted easy recipe cards and ingredientâs lists at the bottom of this post, because I love you, and I really want you to give this one a try, even if youâre not Vegan!
INGREDIENTS ASSEMBLE!!!
A term I used to use a lot on my old food blog
There are two main elements to this recipe, the âfillingâ and the âcheeseâ. Even though Iâm a red sauce purist, I wouldnât even worry about that bit. Any good sauce from a jar that you like is fine, I prefer a plain marinara so that it doesnât compete with the awesome flavors were about to load this bad boy up with.
You can use baby versions of both the eggplant and bok choi, or their adult counterparts, I just find that they're both a little easier to break down.
First weâve got to cook the veg. Iâd recommend with starting with heating some olive oil and chopped garlic in the bottom of a large pot, and get those mushrooms and eggplant in there first. Theyâre going to take the longest.
PROTIP! Donât forget the salt! Both eggplant and mushrooms have a ton of excess moisture, so salt will add flavor and also draw out their aqueous nature, helping them cook a little more quickly.
When the eggplant and mushrooms are about 3/4 of the way there, meaning theyâre beginning to soften, you can add your bok choi.
I like stack and then roll the leaves and chop them Chiffonade style, because Iâm a professional damnit!!
While the veg is doing its lovely garlicky, olive oil thang in the pot, feel free to reduce the heat to medium and start on your cashew âcheeseâ.
Thereâs absolutely zero way to screw this part up, so let me give you free license now, to make this taste however you prefer. It may take a few blends so get it just the way you like it, but the âcheesyâ notes Iâm looking for usually come through with extra onion powder, salt, and a dash of garlic powder. Again, you probably know what ricotta cheese tastes like so feel free to have a play and express your cheesy self.
Some folks claim that if you have a super high powered blender like a vitamin or bullet you wonât need to soak your cashews over night, but I didnât want to take any chances. If youâre short on time, a good hour or two soak will certainly help as well, it doesnât effect the taste, just the smoothness factor. Follow your cashew dreams, Iâm not here to tell you what to do.
Now itâs time to assemble!
Like any great Megazord or Transformer, there are important steps, SO PAY ATTENTION!
I bought âno boilâ lasagna noodles, (if youâre vegan, check to make sure they werenât made with eggs btw). No-boil basically means theyâre ready to go into your 13x9 baking pan dry without having to pre boil or cook them. Either way, follow the directions on the box. Theyâll guide you on what to do.
Get yourself set up with your sauce, your cheese, and your lovely veggie filling for an assembly line type setup.
1- a layer of sauce goes down in the baking pan- your noodles are going to cook using the moisture of the sauce so weâre going to make sure theyâre covered with every layerâŚ.
2- lay those noodles in any direction that speaks to you, I started long ways. Donât be afraid to use broken pieces and shards. No one will complain and itâll make your lasagna more ârusticâ âoooohhh!
3- Next spread an even layer of veg, for this recipe I was able to make 3layers so ration your distribution accordingly.
4- BLOB TIME- dot blobs of cheese all around, donât worry about spreading them out- the weight of oncoming layers plus the heat of the oven will make everything melt together⌠mmm
5- Your next layer will be, you guessed it pasta except here you'll alternate the direction, (Why? I have no idea, but that's how grandma tought me ARE YOU SAYING MY NONNA IS WRONG!!!?!) then sauce then veg then cheese, repeat until youâre out of ingredients, or youâve reached a height youâre happy with. I like to end with veg and cheese on the top layerâŚ.
At this point you can get creative with a drizzle of olive oil, cracked black pepper, oregano or basil or crushed red pepper if ya dig a little heat, whatever your inner culinary Pollock leads you to create. Cover your masterpiece with tin foil, and bake at 450 for 45 min (or whatever they tell you on your box of pasta)
PROTIP! I remove my tin foil for the last 10-15 minutes of baking to get nice crispy edges and a little browning action on top. COME FOR ME FOOD NETWORK!!!
âŚ. 40-ish AGONIZING MINUTES LATERâŚ.
âŚ. drops mic, walks away.
âŚ. comes back because it smells too good.
I hope you enjoyed, or at least were entertained, this really brought me back to my old food blogging/photography days- if you want more food recipe posts, or have any questions let me know in the comments and Iâll be sure to help ya out.- RECIPE CARDS BELOW!
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Until next time friends!
<3Dayleeo
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