Receta Meatless Monday: Gluten and Dairy Free Lasagna
Meatless Monday: Gluten and Dairy Free Lasagna
Due to our impending move, I've been trying to use up food in my pantry. I was amused to find three types of lasagna noodles - gluten free, whole wheat and no cook - in the cupboard. This has inspired me to make a Meatless Monday lasagna dish for those of you who are gluten free and avoiding dairy products.
If you’re Italian-American, and make lasagna for Thanksgiving, this is also a perfect dish if you have family members or friends who have milk allergies or who are vegan. I’ve created this recipe to fit into a large square Ziploc® VersaGlass™ container. Double it to fit into a regular lasagna pan.
I was pleasantly surprised how well this lasagna turned out. The "ricotta" layer was delicious and tasted like the real thing. The kids agreed and asked for seconds!
Finally, while the Nutritional Yeast Cheezy Sauce is yummy, it’s a bit odd and unattractive looking. (That’s why I photographed it this way instead of showing you a neatly cut slice.) Even after cooking, it’s still partially liquid and the color isn’t quite the same as melted mozzarella. Instead, you may want to use a vegan, casein free almond, rice or soy cheese to cover the lasagna before cooking.
Gluten and Dairy Free Lasagna
Based on recipes from Tofu Cookery by Louise Hagler
Serves 4
Ingredients:
2 cups of your favorite spaghetti sauce, either homemade or from a jar
1 recipe for Ricotta-Style Filing (see below)
6 to 9 gluten free lasagna noodles, cooked and drained
1 recipe for Nutritional Yeast Cheezy Sauce (see below)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Build layers in your large square Ziploc Versaglass container starting with half of the spaghetti sauce
Add a layer of noodles.
Add a layer of all the Ricotta-Style Filing.
Add a second layer of noodles.
Top with remaining spaghetti sauce.
Cover the lasagna with the Nutritional Yeast Cheezy Sauce.
Tightly cover the pan with foil (NOT the plastic lid!) and bake for 30-35 minutes.
Let the lasagna cool for at least 15 minutes before serving.
Ricotta-Style Filling
Ingredients:
- 1 pound firm tofu
- 1 1/4 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 1/4 teaspoon stevia
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 clove garlic, minced
Directions:
Combine ingredients in a food processor or blender.
Blend until a fine, grainy texture similar to ricotta cheese is formed. Do not over process or your filling will be too runny.
Nutritional Yeast Cheezy Sauce
Ingredients:
1 cups unsweetened soy milk
3 tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes
1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch or tapioca starch
3/4 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons olive oil
Directions:
Stir together with a whisk all the ingredients except for the olive oil in a 1 to 2-quart saucepan.
Bring to a boil over medium heat, whisking or stirring constantly.
When the sauce begins to thicken, add in olive oil and whisk until blended.