Vegan Zucchini Lasagna

1. Start by soaking your cashews in boiling water, then set aside
2. Slice your zucchini using a mandolin so that they are thin, but still have some body. You don’t want them too thing or they wont hold up in the lasagna. Spread all your slices out on clean kitchen towels and deliberately sprinkle with salt. This will help draw out moisture. You can let them sit with salt until you are ready to assemble the lasagna.
3. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. On a large baking tray, add the tomatoes, quartered onions, garlic cloves then drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Bake until the tomatoes start to split and the onions and garlic begin to brown.
4. Transfer the tomatoes, onions, and garlic to a large stock pot on low. Use an immersion blender to blend everything into a sauce. If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can do this in batches in a regular blender — just be careful, it’s hot! Continue to cook the sauce on low, covered, until you’re ready to assemble the lasagna.
5. In a large sauce pan on medium heat, heat up 2 tbsp olive oil then add the dry lentils. Saute for about 3-4 minuets or until the lentils begin to get a bit toasty. Add 1 tsp salt, 1 tbsp rosemary, 1 tbsp oregano, 1tbsp basil, 2 tsp garlic granules, and 2 tsp onion powder. Saute for another 3-4 minuets. Add 2 cups of water to the mixture, reduce heat to low, and let simmer for about 12 minutes.
6. To a food processor, add the raw walnuts and pulse until they begin to resemble small crumbles.
7. When the lentils are done cooking (they will be soft and most of the water will be absorbed), add the walnuts to the lentils, mix well and remove from heat. Set aside until you’re ready to assemble the lasagna.
8. For the cashew ricotta, add the soaked cashews, 1/4 cup nutritional yeast, lemon juice, 1tsp salt, 1 tsp white pepper, 1 tsp garlic granules, 1 tsp onion powder, and 1 cup of water to a food processor. Blend until smooth, and until the mixture resembles a “ricotta”
9. Transfer the ricotta mixture to a large bowl, and fold in spinach, artichokes, and basil.
10. To assemble the lasagna, start by drizzling olive oil to a 13×9 inch pan. Then add a thin layer of tomato sauce. Then start laying down your zucchini with the long sides matching the long side of the pan. Once there is a full layer of zucchini, add a layer of the cashew ricotta and spread to cover the layer of zucchini. Then, add a layer of walnut lentil meat and spread to cover the cashew layer. Continue layering in this order until you’ve reached the top of your pan.
11. Bake the lasagna for 25 minuets at 400 degrees.
12. While your lasagna is baking, make the vegan mozzarella sauce. Pour the plant milk in a microwave safe dish or measuring cup and warm in the microwave for 1 minute. To a small sauce pan on medium heat, add 4 tbsp butter. Once the butter is melted, add the cassava flour and whisk until well combined. Add the tapioca starch and whisk until well combined. Pour in the plant milk and continue stirring vigorously for about 6 minutes. The mixture will begin to thicken as heat and time does it thing. Once the mixture has thickened up is sticking to the whisk, remove from heat. Add in the nutritional yeast, 1 tsp salt, and nut meg and whisk until well combined.
13. Pull the lasagna out of the oven and pour the vegan mozzarella mixture over the lasagna.
14. Return the pan to the oven on broil for about 3 minutes. Keep an eye on the lasagna on broil, the vegan mozzarella topping will begin to brown and bubble. When this happens, remove from the oven.
15. Let cool for 5-6 minutes, then serve.

Other Tips and tricks

This recipe makes enough for one full lasagna pan plus one 8×8 pan. We love this so we can freeze some for another time. If you’d like to freeze another pan, do not bake the lasagna. Instead after assembling, top the lasagna with the vegan mozzarella sauce and cover with foil to freeze.