As many vegan bloggers before me, I have discovered the magic that is cashew ricotta. Creamy, savory cashew cheese between layers of soft pasta and marinara…I don’t think there’s anything that could make me happier. If I’m being absolutely honest, I only had ricotta once before switching to a vegan lifestyle, but I definitely don’t think I’m missing out on anything.

I love making lasagna because it’s a meal that lasts for days and tastes even better as leftovers. I always used lasagna noodles that require boiling in the past, but we switched to the no boil kind and it makes this meal that much easier.

Like most everything I make, I like to change up the vegetables in this. My only consistency is the spinach and ricotta. Try it with roasted red peppers and portobello mushrooms, or sundried tomatoes and caramelized onions.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup olive oil

8 ounces mushrooms, diced

1 small yellow onion, diced

1 carrot, chopped finely

1/2 red bell pepper, chopped finely

1 stalk celery, chopped finely

1 tsp basil and oregano

1 jar marinara sauce , or 24 ounces homemade

marinara sauce 10 ounc es of no-boil lasagna noodles, or regular lasagna noodles, cooked

1 batch of vegan cheese, or favorite vegan cheese

1 batch of cashew ricotta, recipe below

10 ounces frozen spinach, drained and thawed

Directions:

1. Oil a 9×13 pan with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Heat the rest of the oil over medium heat and sauté mushrooms, onions, garlic, celery, bell pepper, and carrots with basil and oregano until soft. Pour in marinara sauce.

2. Spread a few tablespoons of marinara sauce and a few tablespoons of water in the bottom of the pan. Top with 2-3 lasagna noodles (whatever fits best.)

3. Mix cashew ricotta with thawed and drained spinach. Dollop 1/3 of the cashew ricotta on the noodles and spread to edges of lasagna sheets. Shred cheese directly onto ricotta. Add another layer of noodles and top with vegetable marinara. Repeat alternating layers.

4. Spread marinara on top layer of noodles and shred vegan cheese on top.

5. Bake at 350 ˚ F for 30 minutes or until edges are bubbling and noodles are soft.

Cashew Ricotta

• 1 1/2 cups cashews, soaked overnight

• 1/2 cup almond flour

• 2 tbsp water, or more if necessary.

• 2 cloves garlic

• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast

• 2 tbsp refined coconut oil

• 1 tbsp lemon juice

• ½-1 tsp salt, to taste

1. Blend all ingredients in food processor until smooth, scraping down sides as needed.