Last night I had the pleasure of having dinner with a group of people taking a Civil Rights Tour through the South. The menu for the night was barbecued pork sandwiches and pork-and-beans, the idea being to give them a little taste of local cuisine (which revolves around pork, apparently). The only problem: Several of the 30 participants were vegetarian. When the planners of the dinner realized this, a call went out for vegan dishes, and I was happy to oblige with my potluck standard, Easy Spinach and Mushroom Lasagna.
I’ve been making this recipe for years, and I can’t bring myself to change it. I keep thinking I should do something to fancy it up, but it’s my daughter’s all-time favorite food, so I never want to risk ruining a batch. (This is a kid who has written several essays this year about her love for lasagna; her hero is Garfield.) Recipes for vegan lasagna abound, and I’m sure you can find fancier, richer tasting versions, but for sheer easiness of preparation and basic yumminess, this one can’t be beat. You don’t need to pre-cook the lasagna noodles, and you can make it super-easy by using jarred spaghetti sauce.
Easy Spinach and Mushroom Lasagna
(printer-friendly version)
1/2 lb fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 tsp. chopped garlic
2 tbsp. water
2 26-oz jars of spaghetti sauce (or your favorite pasta sauce)
9 lasagna noodles (regular lasagna noodles, uncooked)
Soy Parmesan (optional)
Sliced black olives (optional)
Filling:
10 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed
1 lb tofu (firm, reduced-fat recommended–not silken!)
1 tsp. salt (optional)
2 tbsp. nutritional yeast (adds a cheesy taste)
1 1/2 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. basil
1/2 tsp. rosemary, crushed
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
Sauté the mushrooms and garlic over medium heat in the 2 tbsp. water until tender; cover between stirring to keep them from drying out. Remove from heat and add the spaghetti sauce.
Place the tofu and thawed spinach in the food processor and process briefly. Add the remaining filling ingredients to the processor and blend until smooth. (You may do this without a food processor by using a potato masher on the tofu.)
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Spread half of the sauce in the bottom of a 9×12-inch pan. Place a layer of noodles over the sauce, using three dry noodles and leaving a little space in between them. Spread half of the tofu mixture on the noodles (I drop it by spoonfuls and then spread it). Cover with another layer of 3 noodles and then spread the remaining tofu mixture over them. Top with a final layer of noodles, and pour the remaining sauce over this. Cover the dish tightly with foil, and bake for 30 minutes. Then, remove the foil and bake for another 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with soy Parmesan and sliced black olives if you want. The lasagna will cut better if you allow it to cool for 15 minutes before serving.
Makes about 9 servings. Nutritional breakdown will change depending on the exact ingredients you use. Using regular (not light) tofu and Classico Mushroom & Ripe Olive Pasta Sauce (with 60 calories and 1 gram of fat per 1/2 cup) and no optional ingredients, one serving provides 453 Calories (kcal); 5g Total Fat; (10% calories from fat); 20g Protein; 83g Carbohydrate; 0mg Cholesterol; 546mg Sodium; 9g Fiber. Weight Watchers Flex Points: 9.
The lasagna seemed to be a hit at last night’s dinner. The pan returned home empty (and not just because E. ate 4 pieces!) I regret that I never got the opportunity to find out who the vegetarians in the group were, but it felt good just to know that they were there.
Tags: vegan recipes vegetarian cooking food fat-free
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{ 40 comments… read them below or add one }
okay so im assuming you can just blender the tofu and spinach?, if you don't have a food processer?
and for the tofu, your suppose to press the water out or something like that right? and how do you go about doing that?
im sorry if these sound like stupid questions, but im a teen vegan and not the greatest in the kitchen. and im also wary of tofu because anytime i've used it outside of stirfry its turned out not so great…
so any help is appreciated
If your blender is strong enough, you can process it in that, but it may get bogged down in some blenders. If that happens, I recommend just using a potato masher or fork to mash the tofu; then add the spinach and seasonings. You don't have to press the water out of the tofu, just drain off what it's packed in, but I do recommend squeezing some of the water out of the spinach after it's thawed.
alrighty, thanks a lot that help tons!
One day I was making lasagna and had extra eggplant that needed to be eaten so I substituted the pasta with the eggplant…and it was superb!!! I cut the eggplant length-wise and layered just like you would the pasta.
This looks fabulous. I'm allergic to soy, and I am trying to think of vegan replacement for the tofu. Any suggestions?
Chloe, I have used mashed white beans instead, and it's pretty good. I suggest coarsely mashing them by hand, though, and not using a food processor, which tends to turn them to glue.
I've been lurking your pages for a while now, Susan, and I've seen some really nice dishes, and a few I've tried. I've never been so excited to try something, though!
I've NEVER made a lasagna in my life. They're HUGE and I'm just one person, so it never made sense. However, you've made this look so easy and so yummy, I'll be making my first one next week. I picked up most of the ingredients today, that I don't already have. I'll be getting one other thing maybe tomorrow. Then I try to make it next Tuesday. I'll cut it into smaller pieces and freeze what's left over (please tell me if freezing is a bad idea!)
I'm mostly vegan (I have this thing for honey) and enjoy cooking, so I should really enjoy this! Anyway, thanks for sharing your recipes here!
Can someone please explain what nutritional yeast is, and where one can get it? I live in Montreal, do you think it would be available here? If not, can you think of any substitutes? (I'll use actual cheese if I have to, I just want to know what kind), Thank you.
Anonymous in Montreal…
I bought some nutritional yeast today to make this lasagna for tonight – I got it from this health food store on the corner of Parc and Sherbrooke. However, I'm 99% sure that Le Frigo Vert would have it cheaper and in bulk!
Susan,
My fiance just made this and it was INCREDIBLE! I ate waaay too much and I really didn't want to stop. Thank you!!
– your faithful vegan friends from the Netherlands
I've made two recipes of yours in 3 days and they were both incredibly good and will definitley become staples in our house. Thank you so much!
Hi Susan,
I just made this, and it was wonderful! My omni dad only stopped dishing out the praises to dish out another helping (and another..and another…and another!). I think it's a better idea *not* to tell him that the "really-good ricotta" was actually my beloved tofu
Thanks again,
Lexi
P.s. I'm so torn on which recipe (from your site) to make next –they all look so good! Any recommendations/personal favorites that I should take into mind?
I cooked this last night and it was a big hit. Well me and my omni boyfriend. We loved it. I never liked ricotta,so I never made or bought lasagna. I would definitely cook this for my relatives.
Thank you!
Just another comment in praise of this dish – I made it for my parents, husband, sister, and grandma, all total meat eaters who are used to our family's classic meat and cheese lasagna. They loved it. Thanks so much for creating and sharing these recpies!
More praise……I just love this recipe. I have made it 3 times and it came out perfect each time. I use the oven ready lasagna noodles and also put soy mozzarella in the layers. Delicious and really easy to make!!!! Thanks for sharing this recipe with us!
My family loved this lasagna. My 16 yo ate it and then I asked how she liked the cheese. She said she liked it and then I told her it was tofu. She was shocked!
It is delicious!
This looks awesome. I don't do as much vegan cooking as I probably should. I'm going to adapt by vegetarian spinach lasagna using some of the tricks in your recipe. Thanks!
My 9 year old daughter decided to become a vegetarian about a year and a half ago. I've been checking out your blog for a couple of months now, but haven't gotten a chance to make anything until today. Our "traditional" Easter dinner was not so traditional with this lasagna, but it was oh so good. I couldn't find the nutritional yeast, but omitted it and it was still great. Thanks for posting recipes that both the meat eaters and non meat eaters in my family can enjoy!
Thank you so much for this recipe! It came out A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. By far the best part of the dish was the tofu/spinach filling. It was so delicious and incredibly resembled ricotta. Ahhh I could go on and on about this, (I'll spare you the reading). But I must say, my meat-and-potatoes dad LOVED it, (he's getting more used to his daughter's vegan cooking lol). Thank you so much, great job!
This dish is currently in the oven! Hoping it turns out okay! The pretend ricotta was quite dry looking, so I added a splash of soy milk- hope it turns out okay >.<
As I am only cooking for one (my vegetarian fiance won't eat mushrooms, spinach, tofu or tomatoes, so this recipe is a no-go), I've quartered the recipe and I am having it with just garlic bread, but I was wondering if it would work if I froze some? Should I cook it and then freeze it, or make it up, and then freeze it, and cook it when I want? And I should I defrost over-night before cooking? And what about re-freezing the spinach? HELP SUSAN! Sorry for the million and one questions, I've just never made a lasagne before, and as I'm a student I haven't got a lot of experience with cooking (though I do have more than my omnivorous counter-parts it seems).
Vicky, you can cook it, cut it into servings, and freeze them individually. Then, when you’re ready to eat them, you can either let them thaw out in the fridge for about a day before warming up or just microwave or oven-heat them until they are heated through. If you mean should you re-freeze the thawed spinach, I would say no–it’s generally thought not to be dangerous to refreeze foods. I hope you enjoy it!
Thanks for your advice Susan, and this delicious recipe! It turned out great, and I’ll definately be making it again, in larger quantities so I can freeze it. As this was such a success, I think I’ll take a look at your other recipes and see if there’s anything my pizza and chips fiance might eat!
I recently made this for my husband (who is a HUGE meat and potatoes guy (I’m a new found vegan), but will always order the lasagna at a restaurant) and he absolutely LOVED it. He actually looked forward to the leftovers that he took to work! I had a simple variation, I added chopped broccoli (about 2 cups worth) in with the mushrooms – I try to add as many veggies to food as possible. I think next time I’ll try adding some carrots and maybe zucchini. Thank you so much for the awesome recipes, I am trying to find recipes both my husband and I can enjoy and this one was exactly that!! And, now I know I can freeze some for later!
Really good and great as frozen “TV dinners”. Have made it several times. I used Trader Joe’s Fat-Free Spaghetti Sauce (which does not seem to be available at all their stores).
Boy, oh boy, I just tried this recipe last night and it’s just fabulous. I have been searching for a great lasagna recipe sans the cheese, and happily my search is over! It’s just delish and so easy to make. You have saved my cheese-lovin’ life. I think this vegan thing may just work.
Someone mentioned not being able to find nutritional yeast and I wanted to share crushed walnuts as a really yummy alternative. I throw them on pizza or lasagna in the last five minutes and it adds a fatty nuttiness (esp. good on my pickled red onion, spinach, mushroom pizza) without all the calories of cheese – a little bit goes a long way b/c they have so much flavor.
so I don’t have to cook the lasagna noodles beforehand??
that would really make my life easier!!
No need to cook the lasagna noodles. Happy to make your life easier!
How do you recommend freezing this (if at all)?
Thanks!
I cut it into serving pieces and freeze them in individual freezer dishes.
LOVE LOVE LOVE this recipe! I have referred it to at least 15 people who want to do a meatless lasagna for various reasons. I’ve served this at about 6 dinner parties and will continue to do so. Try not to skip the nutritional yeast. It adds a nice cheesy flavor and is loaded with nutrients.
Thanks Susan!
This is the second recipe of yours I’ve made this week. This one was a hit as well! My 13 month old gobbled it up! My husband, who doesn’t care for lasagna because he dislikes ricotta, gave it two thumbs up! I enjoyed it as well and didn’t miss the cheese (I am a recovering cheese addict.) I’m planning on adding more mushrooms next time and perhaps reducing the amount of sauce. Thanks for another wonderful recipe to add to my collection. Looking forward to making many more recipes from your site!
I absolutely loved this.
The second time I made it, though, I made a teensy alteration: I only used one and a half jars of sauce rather than two (I found two was just slightly more saucy than I like). That combined with mixing the spinach in before it had completely thawed still served to cook the noodles.
Many thanks for adding to my “what to serve to relatives who are scared of vegan food” repertoire.
I just made this and it’s soooo delicious. I did make a few tweaks:
I left out the cayenne pepper, I don’t like spicy at all. I added one teaspoon of fennel, I love the flavor and it really enhances Italian dishes. I added one package of Daiya vegan mozzarella, half of it over the first tofu layer and half over the top with some chopped black olives. It is so flavorful. I suspect E might enjoy this version, it is very cheesy tasting.
We had a half pound of farmers market portabella mushrooms to use up, and my boyfriend requested mushroom lasagna. I said, “You realize if I’m cooking, it will be vegan? It will probably have something scary like tofu in.” He said he was cool with this, so I decided to give your recipe a try. It has officially passed my most challenging test for a good vegan recipe: the boyfriend gave me permission to make it again, AND went back for seconds. You get bonus points because he’s gobbling up the leftovers two or three slices at a time. Thank you for giving me one more recipe to add to my list of things I can cook for us!
I tried the recipe last friday and it was amazing. My Texan boyfriend loved it and ate most of the Lasagna, poor me. I made another batch today and added a bit of the sauce to the tofu layers and it’s nice, I like it saucier
I will try some other recipe of yours when the HUGE (you need to learn from your mistakes) Lasagna is finished.
Thanks so much for this recipe. It was delicious. I don’t usually use tofu and was skeptical but this tasted great. I don’t like mushrooms so I substituted asparagas and onions for the mushrooms. I held up and sliced beautifully. This will definetly be one of our new favorites.
I have made My Favorite Lasagna twice and I have to say family members that came to visit who are not Vegan absolutely loved it. I will continue to make this delish and delightful lasagna for my family. If anyone visiting this site is wondering if they should attempt this meal, please do so, you wont regret it.
Delicious! This is a solid recipe for lasagna that is highly customizable. I made it exactly as the recipe stated this time, and it was so good that I had it for breakfast the next day. This one is going straight to my recipe box. Next time, I may try adding some homemade vegan pesto and more veggies.
I made this for me and my vegetarian mum and we both loved it! Which is a difference as my mum often doesn’t like my vegan meals. It is surprisingly so quick to prepare and is very easy, making it a great meal to make after coming in from work. It was really tasty and tasted even better microwaved the next day! Next time I’m definitely adding more mushrooms (I didn’t have enough that the recipe stated) and using more sauce as I only used one jar
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