Vegetarian lasagna recipe?

caliking

anybody have a good one?

Photo Egg

That's funny!

caliking

Photo Egg said:

That's funny!

 I'm serious!

Have a vegetarian guest coming over on Saturday. We don't know them quite well enough to ask them to bring a dish to share. Was planning on roasting a chicken for the rest of us, and the lasagna could be our side/her entree.

Photo Egg

The_Stache

Back 30 or 40 years ago, in my vegetarian phase, we used to make a lasagna that very much resembled this recipe.... https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2014/11/food-lab-creamy-cheesy-ultimate-spinach-lasagna-recipe.html.

I think we may have added some type of red sauce to our lasagna as an alternative.  Either way it was good... I may have to make it again.  If I can hunt down my old recipe book I'll get the actual ingredients we used back then.

This is all assuming that your guests are vegetarians and not vegans... in which case... good luck!

caliking

@Photo Egg it may just come to that!

@The_Stache - spinach lasagna sounds good, and I would prefer a red sauce. We’re not big fans of creamy cheesy foods. 

If it’s not too much trouble, would you care to share your recipe? I’d rather make something that’s tried and tested by somebody. 

And if they’re vegan... they can get their own shrubbery and eat in their car  

Photo Egg

I have a friend, not a very good friend, that makes lasagna with Eggplant.
Slices, season with light coat of EVOO, salt and pepper, quick sear on grill or cast iron and layered into lasagna.
I eat more veggies than I used to but still not a fan.

PoppasGrill

There are some good vegan recipes on the bge site. My son and his wife are vegan and I have made several with good results.
They aren’t the “crazy” vegan that won’t eat it if it was prepared near red meat, but they are a little off their rocker.

blind99

I don't have a "recipe" but here's what we do.  Get the real lasagna noodles, the kind you have to boil ahead of time.  Don't use the no-cook ones.  Get any good red sauce you like.  If you have Rao's, get it.  Then you need ricotta cheese, and I like some mozarella too.  For veggies, I like mushrooms and or spinach.  The trick with the veggies is you don't want too much water in them.  Mushrooms you can slice and saute in some salt and butter and drain.  Spinach - I use a package of frozen spinach, thaw it, and press the heck out of it in a strainer to get as much water out as I can.

then layer it all up - thin layer of sauce, layer of noodles, layer of ricotta, layer of veggies, repeat.  I like some mozarella on top so you get that nice stretchy, browned/crispy cheese.

(If you want to decrease the cheese / lactose load, keep the ricotta layers thin, and use Kraft shredded mozarella; can amp up the flavor with good fresh-grated parm)

Cover with aluminum foil and back in the oven at 350, about an hour.  Then take the aluminum foil off and cook until the cheese is starting to brown and bubble.  Sometimes I crank the heat up here to finish off the topping.

You can do this hours ahead of time.  Honestly its better the next day.  Even frozen/reheated is great.

This is amateur stuff compared to biryani but if something doesn't make sense give me a ring.  or better yet my wife, she's doing most of the lasagna these days

gdenby

All the lasagnas I know of have some cheese. I've come across a few recipes that just sprinkle a little parmesan on the top of mushroom and/or spinach lasagna, and I suppose a topping that sub'd some good oil, I'd go w. walnut, and a few sprinkles of nutritional yeast might do OK.

While 1 daughter is vegetarian, and DIL is almost vegan, I refuse to cook tofu, so that's not an option in our house.

Or, how bout a mushroom ravioli casserole baked in red sauce?  Or pierogi in mushroom sauce?

You might guess that given the requirements of the above family members, I've explored lots of dishes that can serve as a main for them, and a side for the rest.

caliking

PoppasGrill said:

There are some good vegan recipes on the bge site. My son and his wife are vegan and I have made several with good results.
They aren’t the “crazy” vegan that won’t eat it if it was prepared near red meat, but they are a little off their rocker.

I'm not stooping to vegan.

 I have standards. Not many, and not very high, but I have some.

DoubleEgger

Seems like a lot of work for one guest. Why not just grill a portobello or eggplant and call it a day? 

caliking

@gdenby - that mushrooms ravioli casserole sounds promising. Have you made it?

DoubleEgger

This is all I can think about. 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=1nIiJLoDh7Y

The_Stache

@The_Stache - spinach lasagna sounds good, and I would prefer a red sauce. We’re not big fans of creamy cheesy foods. 

If it’s not too much trouble, would you care to share your recipe? I’d rather make something that’s tried and tested by somebody. 

And if they’re vegan... they can get their own shrubbery and eat in their car  

@Caliking... still looking but, Hey, it was the 70's... Smoke may have removed some memories!

Back then it probably would have been boiled lasagna noodles (Muellers) layered with a little spinach on each layer a little ricotta, next layer would have been spinach, grated mozarella. Each layer would get a little "bottled" sauce like prego basil tomato.   Sorry I don't have the original recipe but it's really hard to go wrong...  

You could substitute the red sauce of your choice for the creme sauce and still come out OK. 

For my tastes, one of the things I like about lasagna is all of the cheese!

I'll keep searching...

caliking

@blasting99 - see one. Do one. Teach one If you've made it before, that makes you the expert!

Thanks for the step-by-step instructions. Helps a lot. But now for the stoopid questions- 

1. Use the regular lasagna noodles and boil prior to layering in the pan, vs. putting them in uncooked?

2. Do you saute the spinach before the layering step?

2. When you say it can be made ahead, do you mean layer things in the pan, refrigerate, then bake? Or bake, then let it rest for the flavors to develop?

JRWhitee

gdenby

caliking said:

@gdenby - that mushrooms ravioli casserole sounds promising. Have you made it?

I have, but don't have any notes, just recollection. There's 1 place in my vicinity that sells mushroom tortellini from Italy, but they cost a fortune. None of the old Italian shops offer anything other than sausage now. There happens to be a place that makes some of the best pierogi, so I went w. their mushroom filled. The pierogies are par-boiled. Not quite the same as ravioli, which need some boiling. The dough is different too, a bit lighter than something made w. semilina.

Into a buttered pyrex dish, added some simple Prego, and baked till bubbling, then some grated cheese. My daughter ate most of it, 2 helpings, everyone else just had 1 pieroge, which was fine.

Requires a good source, unless one has the time and skills to it.

caliking

Thanks @gdenby. 

Similar question as above - do you parboil or cook the ravioli prior to putting in the dish? Or will they cook in the sauce?

jeffwit

Boil the lasagna noodle according to package directions, drain, and use cooked noodles to make layers. Not sure about the raviolis. 

GaryLange

The back of a Lasagna Noodle box will have a Lasagna Recipe on it that is done without meat. Have been making Lasagna for about 40+ years every Christmas Eve. If you don't add Sausage of any other meat then you have vegetarian Lasagna.

• 1 15-ounce container ricotta cheese
• 2 extra-large eggs
• 2 cups freshly grated pecorino Romano
• ½ cup chopped parsley
• 1 pound mozzarella, grated

16 sheets fresh lasagna noodles

stv8r

why bother lol

tarheelmatt

Take your meat lasagna recipe and remove the meat. Boom. 

johnnyp

This isn’t what you’re asking, but I have a vegan enchiladas recipe that the vegetarians in my life dig. Pretty easy to make and another recipe card for the roladex never hurts. 

Make an enchilada sauce of your choice, then fill the tortillas with steamed, mashed sweet potatoes, black beans and grated yellow squash. 

booksw

This recipe is absolutely delicious and very easy.  I make it a lot and we are not vegetarian or vegan- we just like it.  I will often make it with pasta that is made from lentil flour and then it is legit HEALTHY.  I know there are a lot of haters on here but I am tossing it out there despite the risk

https://www.hummusapien.com/skinny-vegan-lasagna/

caliking

tarheelmatt said:

Take your meat lasagna recipe and remove the meat. Boom. 

I may be too embarrassed to admit that I may not have a go to lasagna recipe

caliking

stv8r said:

why bother lol

Trust me, the thought has crossed my mind. 

I have 4 rules for making friends:
- should read books
- should eat meat
- should drink 
- must have other friends

3/4 usually qualifies. 2/4 can SOMETIMES work, but it’s rough. Being vegetarian is usually an immediate disqualifier. But caliprince doesn’t have any such rules yet, so I have to play along re: his friends. 

tarheelmatt

caliking said:

tarheelmatt said:

Take your meat lasagna recipe and remove the meat. Boom. 

I may be too embarrassed to admit that I may not have a go to lasagna recipe

Well, me neither. 

My wife made a deconstructed lasagna tonight and that was good. 

DMW

caliking said:

stv8r said:

why bother lol

Trust me, the thought has crossed my mind. 

I have 4 rules for making friends:
- should read books
- should eat meat
- should drink 
- must have other friends

3/4 usually qualifies. 2/4 can SOMETIMES work, but it’s rough. Being vegetarian is usually an immediate disqualifier. But caliprince doesn’t have any such rules yet, so I have to play along re: his friends. 

Ah, this is the mom of caliprince's friend. Now this makes sense.

caliking

@johnnyp that sounds quite decent. 

Any seasonings in the filling stuff ? Or just let the enchilada sauce do it's thang? Flour vs. corn tortillas?

caliking

booksw said:

This recipe is absolutely delicious and very easy.  I make it a lot and we are not vegetarian or vegan- we just like it.  I will often make it with pasta that is made from lentil flour and then it is legit HEALTHY.  I know there are a lot of haters on here but I am tossing it out there despite the risk

https://www.hummusapien.com/skinny-vegan-lasagna/

 Thanks for the link. But I need to serve something that has more visual appeal than that dish

(I honestly do appreciate the suggestion).