Oh man, this recipe is SO GOOD. I'm telling you, it's so filling yet doesn't have a single noodle in it. Nope, not here. This one has eggplant, spinach, tomatoes, garlic, basil and vegan cheese. And before you panic and leave the site, I promise you that the vegan cheese actually melts. And bubbles. Like I said, SO GOOD.
Yields: 2 large servings
1 medium eggplant
5 oz vegan mozzarella cheese (we used Follow Your Heart brand)
1 cup spinach
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 can tomato paste
1 tbsp dried basil (or 1/2 cup fresh, chopped)
1 tbsp panko breadcrumbs (optional)
1 tsp olive oil (optional)
1 medium eggplant
5 oz vegan mozzarella cheese (we used Follow Your Heart brand)
1 cup spinach
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 can tomato paste
1 tbsp dried basil (or 1/2 cup fresh, chopped)
1 tbsp panko breadcrumbs (optional)
1 tsp olive oil (optional)
- Start by making your sauce. Empty the can of tomato paste into a saucepan, add one can worth of water and stir until mixed completely. Add in your garlic and basil and let simmer on low for about 10-15 minutes.
- While your sauce is cooking, take your eggplant and cut it into thin strips, from top to bottom. You can leave the skin on or remove it, whichever you prefer.
- In a skillet on medium, heat each piece of eggplant, on both sides. You only need about a minute on each side and you don't need to use oil here. The goal is just to remove some of the moisture so that it doesn't cause the lasagna to be watery.
- When your sauce is done and your eggplant is ready, you can take your pan and start layering ingredients. I first used a tiny bit of coconut oil to grease the pan (~1/4 teaspoon) then laid eggplant, sauce, spinach, vegan cheese & sauce - in that order. I repeated that layering two more times and it all fit in a 9x13 casserole dish.
- Cover with tinfoil and bake for 20 minutes at 375 degrees Fahrenheit. (If you're not ready to cook this yet, you can stick it in the fridge for later. I made this on my lunch break and it was nice to just relax after work and not prep dinner.)
- Optional: Remove the tinfoil and sprinkle a mixture of panko breadcrumbs and seasoning (we did basil and garlic salt) on top of the lasagna. Drizzle the olive oil on top of the breadcrumb mixture and return to the oven on broil for about 5 minutes, or until it gets brown and bubbly. It's vegan cheese, but broil makes it behave just like regular cheese. It's amazing and delicious. Watch it closely though - broil can make things happen quickly and every oven is different.
- Let cool for 5-10 minutes then dig in. Enjoy!
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