Next up is a more
traditional tomato-based lasagna. This was
sooooo easy, and hearty and delicious.
I wanted to add legumes to my lasagna, and was thinking of making my "
Hide The Lentils Tomato Sauce" from
ed&bv. But honestly, as easy as that recipe is, I didn't have it in me this day to open the can of tomatoes and make that sauce from scratch. You all know that feeling! So, I opened a jar of organic pasta sauce, threw it in a pot with about 1/2 cup of red lentils and a few splashes of water (to help the lentils soften), brought it to a boil, then let it simmer covered until the lentils were soft. I went about my business, did some laundry and tidying, and before I knew it (maybe 20
mins) the sauce was ready.
I layered the lentil sauce with the noodles (see all those pretty lentils?!), and kept it as simple as that... no veggies in the lasagna, since I served it with a monster big salad! Not only was this simple, nutritious, and delicious, but the lentils helped give structure to the sauce to hold the portions together (no "
slip-sliiiiiding away").
Try either of these lasagnas and you'll see for yourself just how effortless a vegan lasagna can be.
And, a few tips to keep your lasagna from slip-sliding:
1) Don't add too many water-rich veggies like raw mushrooms or zucchini between the layers. They'll release a lot of moisture through cooking, and make for a runny sauce. If you want to add veggies, cook them down first, either through sauteing or roasting, or use things like sun-dried tomatoes, artichokes, and olives.
2) Use a thicker sauce, or as with my lasagna above, add some lentils to the sauce to thicken it. Don't water down your sauce or otherwise dilute it.
3) You can add some thick purees such as dips to spread on one or more layers in the centre to 'bind' the lasagna. Think of artichoke dip or even hummus... or my 'Rawesome Nut Dip' from ed&bv - this is excellent as a layer in lasagna, and I have a post coming up soon to show it to you!
Mamma mia! Go make some lasagna and eat, drink & be vegan!
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Try either of these lasagnas and you'll see for yourself just how effortless a vegan lasagna can be.
And, a few tips to keep your lasagna from slip-sliding:
1) Don't add too many water-rich veggies like raw mushrooms or zucchini between the layers. They'll release a lot of moisture through cooking, and make for a runny sauce. If you want to add veggies, cook them down first, either through sauteing or roasting, or use things like sun-dried tomatoes, artichokes, and olives.
2) Use a thicker sauce, or as with my lasagna above, add some lentils to the sauce to thicken it. Don't water down your sauce or otherwise dilute it.
3) You can add some thick purees such as dips to spread on one or more layers in the centre to 'bind' the lasagna. Think of artichoke dip or even hummus... or my 'Rawesome Nut Dip' from ed&bv - this is excellent as a layer in lasagna, and I have a post coming up soon to show it to you!
Mamma mia! Go make some lasagna and eat, drink & be vegan!