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Make Vegan Comfort Food Possible With This Classic Lasagna Recipe

Author:

Jamie Schneider

August 31, 2019

Former Senior Beauty & Lifestyle Editor

By Jamie Schneider

Former Senior Beauty & Lifestyle Editor

Jamie Schneider is the former Senior Beauty Editor at mindbodygreen. She has a B.A. in Organizational Studies and English from the University of Michigan, and her work has appeared in Coveteur, The Chill Times, and Wyld Skincare.

Image by Bish Bash Bosh

August 31, 2019

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Lasagna will always be a fan favorite, and this simple mushroom ragu with a rich, creamy béchamel is a real classic. The nutritional yeast gives this vegan dish that cheesy flavor while also adding a significant amount of fiber and vitamin B12 to the meal. A plant-based take on a dairy classic that actually helps gut health and digestion? Sign me up ASAP.

We don't think you should mess with perfection, but you could add a few chili flakes to the top, if you like, for a bit of heat. The ragu and béchamel can be made the day before and kept in the fridge, so you just have to build and bake the final dish the day-of. Sounds perfect for an impromptu dinner party.

Classic Lasagna

Serves 6 to 8

Ingredients:

2 onions
3½ oz. sun-dried tomatoes, plus 2 tbsp. oil from the jar
3 carrots
3 celery sticks
1 sprig fresh rosemary, plus more for garnish
2 sprigs fresh thyme
4 garlic cloves
1½ lb. cremini mushrooms
1¼ cups red wine
1 tbsp. tomato paste
1 tbsp. red miso paste
1 tsp. balsamic vinegar
½ tsp. dried oregano
2 tsp. soy sauce
2 (14.5-oz.) cans diced plum tomatoes
3⅓ cups water
1 lb. oven-ready lasagna sheets
Salt and black pepper
Field greens, for serving

For the béchamel:

½ cup olive oil
1 cup flour
5¼ cups unsweetened plant-based milk
1½ tbsp. nutritional yeast

Kitchen utensils: Food processor; 2 large saucepans, one over medium heat; fine grater or microplane; 10-by-12-inch baking lasagna dish; foil.

Method:

Peel and quarter the onions and blitz them in the food processor until finely chopped. Add the sun-dried tomato oil to the large pan on the heat and sauté the onions, stirring, for 5 to 6 minutes.
Meanwhile, peel the carrots and pulse them in the food processor with the celery until minced. Remove the leaves from the rosemary and thyme and finely chop. Peel and grate the garlic and add it to the pan. Stir for 1 minute. Add the carrot, celery, rosemary, and thyme; reduce the heat slightly, and sauté, stirring occasionally, for 12 to 15 minutes
Meanwhile, thinly slice the sun-dried tomatoes. Pulse the mushrooms in the food processor until finely minced. Add to the pan along with the sun-dried tomatoes. Stir, increase the heat slightly, and sauté, stirring, for 8 to 10 minutes.
Pour in the wine, increase the heat, and stir constantly for 5 to 6 minutes, until nearly all the liquid has evaporated. Add the tomato paste, miso paste, balsamic vinegar, oregano, and soy sauce and stir for 1 minute. Add the diced tomatoes and water. Lower the heat to medium and simmer for 30 minutes. Taste and season.
While it is simmering, make the béchamel. Put the second pan over medium heat and add the olive oil. Add the flour and stir for 3 to 5 minutes. Gradually add the milk, stirring constantly. Add the nutritional yeast and stir until smooth. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer until the béchamel thickens to the consistency of custard. Taste and season. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Now, layer up your lasagna. Spread a quarter of the ragu onto the baking dish. Spoon over a quarter of the béchamel. Cover the lasagna with baking sheets, breaking them if necessary to make a complete layer with no gaps. Repeat three times, reserving some béchamel to cover the top completely. Garnish with a few rosemary leaves. Cover with foil and put on the lowest shelf of the oven. Bake for 50 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for 15 minutes longer. Leave to stand for 10 minutes before serving with the salad greens. The leftovers will taste amazing the next day—simply bring back to piping hot in the oven or microwave!

Recipe excerpted from Bish Bash Bosh! by Henry Firth and Ian Theasby. Copyright © 2019 by Henry Firth and Ian Theasby. Reprinted by permission of William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.