Vegetarian Lasagna: A Crowd-Pleasing Recipe
Be warned, though. This vegetarian spinach and mushroom lasagna is so good your guests may ask for it again and again—for every potluck, for every holiday feast. They’ll get those puppy dog eyes when they look at you and say, “Oh, how about that veggie lasagna, it’s so good, and everyone can eat it—could you bring that?” And you’ll be slightly annoyed because, perhaps you were hoping to squeeze by with a simple potato salad, even though you signed up for a main. But then you’ll think about how good this lasagna is and how much you want some too, and then it’s just an excellent excuse to make it again.
Vegetarian Lasagna for All
Now, you may ask, why a vegetarian lasagna? A veggie lasagna can be especially helpful around holiday meals when you are trying to figure out what to serve cousin Judy and uncle Joe who won’t eat turkey, goose, roast beef, or whatever the main meat dish is of the meal. It’s doubly helpful the days after the big feast when you still have friends and relatives around who need to be fed, and you don’t want to serve leftover turkey for every meal. This vegetarian lasagna fits that bill, too, in that it is so filled with meaty shiitake and cremini mushrooms, spinach, and ricotta and mozzarella cheeses, your meat-eating guests will be fighting for seconds along with the vegetarians. Hopefully, they’ll remember to leave some for you!
How To Freeze Vegetarian Lasagna
You can freeze this lasagna baked or unbaked. In either case, line the lasagna pan with foil so that once the lasagna freezes through, you can easily lift it out. That way, you’re not keeping the pan in the freezer, too. Unbaked lasagna: In the foil-lined pan, assemble the lasagna as directed, but don’t bake it. Cool, then cover with foil. Once it’s frozen solid, lift it out of the pan, wrap with an additional layer of foil, and freeze for up to 1 month.When you’re ready to bake, unwrap it from the foil and put it back in its original pan. Cover the top with foil and defrost in the refrigerator overnight. Bake as directed in Step 6, allowing an additional 10 to 20 minutes. Baked lasagna: In the foil-lined pan, assemble the lasagna and bake as directed in Step 6. Cool completely, cover with foil, and freeze it until solid. Then lift it out of the pan, wrap it an additional layer of foil, and freeze for up to 1 month. When you’re ready to reheat it, unwrap it and put it back in its original pan. Cover the top with foil (you can reuse the foil use used for wrapping) and defrost in the refrigerator overnight. Reheat covered in foil at 350°F until bubbly again.
Using Fresh Spinach in Lasagna
To substitute fresh spinach for the frozen spinach called for in the ingredients, you’ll need 2 to 3 pounds of fresh spinach to produce 3 cups of chopped, cooked spinach. Soak the fresh spinach leaves in cold water to dislodge any dirt. Remove the from the water and place the wet spinach in a pan, put a lid on, and steam over medium high heat until wilted, about 3 to 4 minutes. You can either chop the spinach before or after you steam it.
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Use high quality tomato sauce for best results. If fresh basil is not available for layering in the casserole, add 2 teaspoons of dried basil to the sauce.
1 1/2 pounds cremini mushrooms, roughly chopped 1/2 pound shiitake mushrooms, roughly chopped 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt 1 generous cup chopped onions 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for oiling the noodles 4 cloves garlic, chopped (about 4 teaspoons) 1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste 2 cups prepared tomato sauce, divided 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes 1 cup water 1 tablespoon dried thyme 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes 1 tablespoon sugar
For the lasagna:
2 (10-ounce) boxes frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed in clean towel for excess moisture 1 pound lasagna noodles (16 to 20 noodles) 1 (15 or 16-ounce) container ricotta cheese 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil 1/4 pound shredded pecorino or Parmesan cheese (about 1 cup) 1 pound shredded mozzarella cheese (about 4 cups)
Sprinkle salt over the mushrooms. The mushrooms will sizzle and then start to release water. (Note that you are not adding fat at this point to the pan; this method of cooking mushrooms in their own moisture is called “dry sautéing.) Once the mushrooms start to release water into the pan, stir in the chopped onions. Cook until the mushrooms are no longer releasing moisture and the mushroom water has boiled away, about 5 minutes more. Stir in the tomato paste, cook for a minute longer. Reserve 1 cup of the tomato sauce (it will go in the bottom of the casserole dish), and put the remaining cup of tomato sauce into the pot with the mushrooms. Add the large can of crushed tomatoes and one cup of water. Stir in the thyme, sugar, and red pepper flakes. (If you are using dried basil instead of fresh, add it now.) Bring to a simmer, then lower the heat and simmer on a low simmer, for 20 minutes. Spread the one cup of reserved tomato sauce over the bottom of a large (preferably 10- x 15-inch) casserole dish. (If your casserole dish is smaller, you may need to add another layer as you go through this step.) When the noodles are ready (al dente, cooked through but still firm to the bite), drain the noodles in a colander, and rinse them to cool them with cold water. As you rinse them, gently separate them with your fingers so they don’t stick to each other. Prepare a couple large cookie sheets or baking sheets by spreading a tablespoon of olive oil over the baking sheets. Place the lasagna noodles on the sheets, gently coating them with a bit of that olive oil, and spreading them out. This will help keep them from sticking to each other while you finish the sauce and prepare the layered casserole. Place a layer of lasagna noodles down over the tomato sauce, slightly overlapping. (For our 10x15-inch dish, we ultimately fit 3 layers of 6 noodles each, with 2 extra noodles on which to nosh.) Sprinkle half of the ricotta cheese over the noodles, and half of the defrosted, drained, and squeezed out spinach over the ricotta. Sprinkle half of the mozzarella cheese over the spinach, and just a quarter of the pecorino cheese. Then spoon 1/3 of your mushroom sauce over the mozzarella. Sprinkle half of the fresh basil over the sauce. Layer your final layer of lasagna noodles over the sauce. Spread the remaining sauce over the lasagna noodles, and sprinkle with the remaining pecorino or parmesan cheese. Bake at 350°F for 25 minutes, then remove the foil and bake uncovered for an additional 25 minutes. Take the lasagna out of the oven when done and let it rest 10 minutes before cutting to serve. Once made, the lasagna will last a week in the fridge. Did you love the recipe? Leave us stars below?
