Kid Approved: Vegan Tofu Lasagna

What's the Word June?
Today's word is: (mushroom)

I wanted to share a few recipes I've found that work for my family. Being meat-free and dairy-free, it's sometimes really tough to figure out what's for dinner. I know we aren't the only family that eats this way, so if you are, please (please?) share some recipes with me that your kids love, too.

This lasagna is surprisingly easy to make, the kids love it, and I didn't miss the cheese at all. Cheese was the thing I missed the most when we first started cooking dinners this way, so this is important. A lot of vegan lasagna recipes use mushrooms as a main ingredient. Here at the Deneweth House, we are not big fungus fans (at all). I found this recipe in the Whole Foods Market Recipes iPad app and modified it just a teeny little bit. You can also find it here.

( Serves 8 )

Ingredients

Natural cooking spray
1 (14-ounce) package firm tofu, drained
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast (don't skimp on this part, it's important)
1 teaspoon garlic granules
Salt and pepper to taste
2 (25-ounce) jars vegan marinara sauce (We like this kind)
3 bell peppers, cored, seeded and chopped
12 no-boil dried lasagna noodles
Daiya Mozzarella Style Cheese (optional)

Method

Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a (9- x 13-inch) baking dish with cooking spray; set aside.

Wrap tofu in 3 or 4 layers of paper towels and gently press out as much water as possible, changing the paper towels once or twice as needed. Transfer tofu to a large bowl and add yeast, garlic, salt and pepper and mash with a fork. Set tofu mixture aside. Put marinara sauce into a medium pot and bring to a simmer. Add peppers and continue simmering until tender, about 10 minutes.

Spoon enough marinara sauce into prepared dish to cover the bottom and then arrange 4 noodles on top. Spread one-third of the tofu mixture over the noodles and then spoon more sauce over the tofu. Repeat the process 2 more times, ending with sauce. Optional: sprinkle top with Daiya Mozzarella Style Cheese. Cover with foil and bake until noodles are tender, 45 to 60 minutes. Set aside to let rest for 10 minutes and then serve.

This also makes really good leftovers. Yum.

<3, Tabi :D