This Hearty Vegan Matzah Lasagna is packed with veggies and a rich tomato sauce layered between matzah and a “ricotta” cheese made from cashews and cauliflower.
Hearty Vegan Matzah Lasagna
Servings
8 Servings
Ingredients
- 6 sheets matzah
- 1 1/4 cups raw cashews soaked overnight or boiled for 15 min
- 1 head of cauliflower leaves and core removed, roughly chopped
- 6 cloves garlic divided
- Juice of 1/2 a lemon
- 1/2-1 cup water
- 1 tablespoon dried rosemary
- Salt
- Pepper
- 1 lb. chopped frozen spinach defrosted and drained
- 5 tablespoons olive oil
- 1-2 medium onions chopped
- 1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon dried basil
- 1 tablespoon oregano
- 4 cups assorted vegetables mushrooms, zucchini, broccoli etc, chopped
- 2 tablespoons coconut aminos only if using mushrooms
Instructions
- First start the sauce. In a large, deep-sided frying pan, sauté 1 onion in the olive oil with a pinch of salt, until they just start to brown. Add 3 cloves of minced garlic, and sauté another minute or two. Add the crushed tomatoes, herbs and salt to taste, then simmer for about 30 minutes, until the sauce is slightly reduced, and has a rich, tomato flavor.
- In the meantime, make the vegan “ricotta.” Add 1 cup cashews, cauliflower, lemon juice, water, 1 clove of garlic, a pinch or two of salt, and half the dried rosemary to a blender or food processor. Blend until the cashews and cauliflower are completely broken down and resemble a thick, ricotta-like spread, scraping the sides when necessary. If it is too thick and you are having trouble blending it, add a bit more water. Taste for salt, then stir in the drained spinach. Set aside. With the remaining 1/4 cup cashews, add the reserved rosemary, 1/2 cup water, an extra squeeze of lemon juice and salt to a blender. Process until smooth and set aside.
- If using the extra vegetables, heat the last two tablespoons of olive oil in another pan. Add the last 2 cloves of garlic, and stir until fragrant. Add the chopped veggies, a pinch of salt, and a touch of black pepper. If using mushrooms and other veggies, I like to sauté the chopped mushrooms separately with an extra chopped onion, then deglaze the pan with a bit of coconut aminos after the mushrooms have browned.
- To assemble: Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a large casserole pan, spread a bit of the tomato sauce on the bottom. Take two sheets of matzah (or however many to essentially cover the bottom of the pan), and wet them by passing them under water running from the tap (no need to soak). Spread the matzah with the cashew cheese, then add the veggies, and more sauce. Repeat until you are out of veggies, reserving a bit of sauce and using the second batch of cashew cheese to layer on top of the last pieces of matzah. Bake about 35-40 minutes, until the top is slightly browned and the sauce is bubbling.
This is vile. The tomato sauce and the vegetables are fine. The cauliflower and cashew mix doesn’t work as a white sauce. The whole mixture is far too wet, and when layered with the matzah and cooked, the whole thing loses structure and becomes a big soggy undefined brick of pap. I love to cook, but this is a disaster of a recipe.
This looks and sounds great. I will make a few adjustments to drop the already low ft BUT Yummm on Friday night. thanks Never thought of matzahs…perfect
Thank you for the vegan recipe
Can’t wait to make it for dinner.