David found a package of rice lasagna noodles the other day and said, “you know, I am really hungry for lasagna.  Think you can make a vegan version that tastes good?”

Nothing like a challenge!  Especially since lasagna is one of those quick meals that is perfect for a crowd. The trick, of course is to bake it on low heat with lots of liquid so you never have to precook the noodles!  I really have not made this dish since we gave up dairy last year so I figured I just wing it and see what happened.

The place to start was with my more or less standard combination of vegetables (carrots, zucchini, green pepper, onions, garlic and spinach). That was all easy!  The part that took a little thinking was what to use in place of ricotta cheese.

There are hundreds of cheese replacement recipes out on the net. Most of them are cashew based. I don’t know, there is something about the idea of cashew cheese/sour cream that just didn’t seem right. But a challenge is a challenge, so what the hell. . .

I have to say I was impressed!  This is something I would be happy to serve to anyone!  I am also willing to bet they would never know that it wasn’t a traditional lasagna with ricotta.

I took a picture, but due to technical difficulties (I forgot to put the memory card back in the camera), I do not have one.  So am posting this with a substitute picture of the 4 zucchini I picked from the garden this morning and used in this lasagna.

1. Preheat oven at 325 degrees
2. Grate vegetables in the food processor
   • 1/2 onion
   • 1 carrot
   • 1/2 green pepper
   • 4 small zucchini
   • Add other vegetable you may have such as broccoli, cauliflower and other greens
3. Clean food processor and make Cashew Cheese by combining the following in a food processor and puree till smooth
   • 1 cup raw cashews
   • 1 cup water
   • 1/4 cup lemon juice
   • Salt
   • Optional – add a small jar of pimento
4. Sauté vegetables and herbs in olive oil
   • 1/2 chopped onion
   • Garlic to taste
   • 1 Tablespoon chopped fresh Thyme (or 1 Teaspoon dried)
   • 1 Tablespoon chopped fresh Basil (or 1 Teaspoon dried)
   • 2 Teaspoons fresh chopped fresh Oregano (or 1/2 Teaspoon dried)
5. When onions are clear add veggies from step one and cook on high stirring often for 3-4 minutes
6. Add liquids
   1. 2 cans diced tomatoes
   2. 1/2 cup marinara sauce (from my freezer)
7. Simmer for 10 minutes
8. Oil a Bread Pan or other deep pan
9. Layer at least two times as follows
   • Vegetable mix
   • Lasagna noodles
   • Cashew Cheese
   • Spinach
10. Top with Sour Cream
11. Cover with tin foil and bake for 1 hour

I’ll be making this again soon!