Lasagna

Mmmm, lasagna.

That’s about all I have to say about that.

I prepare the three aspects at once (the sauce, the bolognese, the pasta) and then quickly bake it in a deep dish.

In place of mince you can:

Crumble or mash vegan sausages (my preference)
Use vegetables and beans
Blend up sausages, a handful of nuts, a tin of drained beans 
Use blended nuts
Try vegan mince
Experiment with textured vegetable protein (TVP)
Swap for tinned, drained, brown lentils

A note on savoury yeast (also known as nutritional yeast):

There is a yummy kind of savoury yeast, and a substandard kind. Do not be fooled. Do not waste your money on the crappy kind, because you will regret it. Also, do not get bakers yeast confused with savoury/nutritional yeast.

Avoid the type sold in bulk bins – the stuff that looks flaky. It tastes as it smells – it’s too strong and not cheesy at all. The good kind looks like this. I know it’s called “flakes” but these are more like tiny little light-yellow “bits”. It is indeed the superior product. If you have any more questions I’m happy to answer them directly.

INGREDIENTS

Bolognese
Mince substitute, as above
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 tins of chopped tomatoes
Mushrooms, spinach or other vegetables, chopped
A pinch of salt
1 tablespoon oil

Cheese Sauce
6 teaspoons margarine
6 teaspoons flour
2 & 1/4 cups soy milk
1/2 to 1 cup nutritional yeast
2 teaspoon mustard
Lots of salt to taste

Pasta
Lasagna pasta, sheets or smaller pieces

Topping
Two pieces of toast, blended into breadcrumbs (or breadcrumbs).

INSTRUCTIONS

You want to get three things going at once. I drop my pasta into the rice cooker and pre-cook it, this means I don’t have to wait around, or be disappointed when it doesn’t cook through. Meanwhile, prepare the bolognese. In oil, fry onion, garlic and mince substitute. Add vegetables and chopped tomatoes (drain away excess juice) and heat until vegetables are cooked. Then, quickly prepare the cheese sauce. But first, listen up. You can never have enough cheese sauce. If you can make a larger batch then do. If you don’t use it all on the lasagna, I’m sure you can refrigerate the rest and enjoy it later. Drop margarine into a pot, stir in flour, then slowly stir in soy milk, ensuring no lumps form. Then add all additional ingredients and cook until thick.

Now the fun part! Stacking! Add half the bolognese to the base of a deep dish. Cover with a layer of pasta. Drizzle over half the cheese sauce. Follow with another layer of bolognese, another layer of pasta and another of cheese. Sprinkle bread crumbs on top, maybe add a dash of pepper, then bake until golden.

♥