Vegan Eggplant Lasagna Recipes

Steps:

• Cashew "Cheese" Filling.
• Soak 2 cups raw cashews in 6 cups of water for at least 24 hours. Rinse and drain. Using your food processor or blender, blend the remaining cup of water with the soaked and drained cashews until you reach the consistency of ricotta cheese. Add more water if necessary. Add to the cashew mixture the 2 Tbls. of vinegar,1/2 teaspoons black pepper, 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1 Tbls. Italian seasoning. Add more seasonings to taste. Meanwhile, bring a very large stockpot full of water to boil. When water is boiling add 3 bunches of rinsed kale greens (be sure take off the twist ties!) Completely submerse the greens in the water. Blanche kale greens for 5 minutes or until bright green and soft. Drain greens and (do not burn yourself!) cut greens off tough stems and chop into small pieces. Squeeze out excess water with your hands (there will be quite a bit). Add chopped kale greens to the cashew mixture. Stir together.
• Eggplant "Noodles".
• Cut the ends off of 2 large eggplant. Slice into at least 10 slices total. If you wind up with more, that is great too! Rub the 2 Tbls. of salt onto the eggplant slices and let set in the refrigerator for at least 5 hours. (This will draw some of the moisture out of the eggplant. ) After your eggplant slices have sat for a few hours, wash off the salt and pat dry with towels. Coat eggplant slices with melted coconut oil or olive oil. Put on a baking sheet or two and bake in a 400 degree oven for 35 - 45 minutes or until fork soft.
• Assembling the lasagna.
• Heat the oven to 350 degrees. In an 8 x 10 pan, spoon out a bit of the pasta sauce into the pan. Then layer 5 eggplant slices. (You may have to cut the pieces to make them fit.) Layer half of the cashew /kale mixture over the eggplant slices. Spoon half of the remaining pasta sauce over the cashew/kale mixture. Then layer the remaining eggplant slices. Layer the remaining cashew/kale mixture. Spoon the remaining pasta sauce on top. Cover with foil or a silicone cover and bake @ 350 degrees for 35- 45 minutes or until bubbly. Enjoy!

Steps:

• Make the pesto cashew cream cubes: In a blender, combine the cashews, olive oil, basil, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, salt, onion powder, garlic powder, pepper, and garlic. Blend until smooth.
• Grease an ice cube tray with nonstick spray. Spoon the pesto into the cups in the tray. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze until the cubes are firm, at least 4 hours or up to 3 days.
• Make the lasagna: Heat a large pot over medium-high heat. Add ¼ cup (60 ml) of olive oil to the pot and swirl to evenly coat. Add the eggplant and cook, stirring occasionally, until very soft and caramelized, 30 minutes. Transfer the eggplant to a bowl and set aside.
• Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the pot. Then, add the carrot, celery, and onion, and cook, stirring, until softened and starting to caramelize, 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
• Add the wine and cook, stirring, until completely evaporated, about 4 minutes.
• Add the tomato paste and garlic, and cook, stirring, until lightly caramelized, about 2 minutes over medium heat.
• Stir in the reserved eggplant, vegetable stock, and crushed tomatoes and stir to combine.
• Remove the pesto cubes from the ice cube tray, and immediately distribute the frozen pesto cubes throughout the eggplant sauce.
• Using your fingers or a pair of tongs, insert the noodle pieces vertically in the sauce around the pot. Cover the pot.
• Reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook for 18 minutes, then uncover the pot and use a spatula to push down the exposed noodles so they are covered in sauce. Cover and cook for 18 minutes more, until the noodles are tender.
• Uncover and sprinkle the mozzarella over the top of the lasagna. Cover again and cook until the cheese is melted, about 5 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat.
• Sprinkle the lasagna with parsley and serve with garlic bread alongside.
• Enjoy!