Chef AJ's Disappearing Lasagna

I finally got around to making this. I had put it off for a while because I knew it was going to take a loooooong time and I was having bad memories of staying up very late Christmas Eve to prepare the Engine 2 Raise the Roof Lasagna for Christmas one year. (Delicious, but not really appreciated by SAD-eaters which was disappointing).

I made the various components over the course of a couple of days: no oil marinara sauce in the morning (are there commercial no-oil brands by the way?), kale dip (made with spinach) in the afternoon, saucy mushrooms and faux parmesan (I used walnuts though) in the evening.

Then the following day, I assembled everything and baked it for one hour.

It was quite good! But, a little too salty for me. I am not sure whether this was because I used full-sodium tamari (all I had), or that possibly the marinara sauce I made was too acidic (it had a lot of vinegar in it). I served it on a bed of spinach, but actually found myself adding more spinach to it in order to cut the salty flavor.

Chef AJ's Disappearing Lasagna

2 boxes no-boil rice lasagna noodles (I used 1 box of whole wheat and just made sure I covered each noodle with sauce so it would cook properly)
6 cups no-oil marinara sauce

Kale Dip:
1 box extra firm tofu, drained and wrapped in paper towel to remove excess moisture or 2 15 oz. cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed (I used 1 19 oz box of firm tofu)
2 oz fresh basil leaves
1 cup pine nuts, raw cashews, or hemp seeds (I used cashews)
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup low-sodium miso
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
2 pounds frozen chopped spinach or 1 pound frozen chopped kale (I used 2 lbs frozen spinach)

Saucy Mushrooms:
2 pounds sliced mushrooms
2 garlic cloves
1/4 cup tamari
1 large red onion, diced

Faux Parmesan:
1 cup raw cashews or almonds (I used walnuts for the omega-3)
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
1 T salt-free seasoning

4 oz can sliced olives, rinsed and drained (optional)

Faux Parmesan:
In a food processor, grind 1 cup raw cashews or almonds, 1/2 cup nutritional yeast and 1 Tbsp of salt-free seasoning, until a powdery mixture is achieved. If you like it more chunky, process less.

Kale Dip:
Make the filling in a food processor fitted with the "S" blade by adding tofu, basil, garlic, lemon juice, miso, nutritional yeast, nuts, and red pepper flakes. Purée until smooth. Add drained spinach or kale and process again.

Saucy Mushrooms:
In a large non-stick sauté pan, sauté chopped onion in 2 Tbsp water or broth until translucent, about 8 minutes, adding more water if necessary. Add garlic, mushrooms, and tamari and sauté until browned. Taste mixture, adding more garlic and/or tamari according to your taste. Cook until mushrooms appear to be glazed and there is no more liquid left in pan.

Pour 3 cups of the sauce in a 9" x 13" lasagna pan. Place one layer of noodles on top. Cover noodles with half of tofu/spinach mix, then with half of mushroom mix. Place another layer of noodles on top and add remaining halves of tofu and mush. Place one more layer of noodles on top and smother evenly with remaining sauce. Sprinkle olives on top of sauce and sprinkle with faux parmesan. (I omitted the olives and only used about 1/3 of the faux parmesan that the recipe made.)

Bake uncovered 375 degrees for one hour. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving.

Notes: If you have time, marinate sliced mushrooms in tamari several hours in advance. Make sure top layer of noodles are fully covered with sauce.

Verdict: Very time-consuming (that was no surprise) but delicious! I would make it again for a special occasion but I can't see myself making this on a regular basis because of the time needed. I might just make the individual components like the kale dip and saucy mushrooms for other applications, which might also help me figure out what was too salty in the overall dish. This might be my favorite plant-based lasagna so far!