Plant-Based Zucchini Lasagna is a delicious vegetable-packed meal that’s topped with a creamy cashew cheese and guaranteed to become a favorite. Interventional trials have shown that eating nuts improves artery function, and nut consumption may also improve blood sugar control, lower cholesterol, suppress inflammation, reduce oxidative stress, and feed our friendly gut flora.
Daily Dozen Cruciferous Vegetables, Greens, Herbs and Spices, Nuts and Seeds, Other Vegetables
Ingredients
For the Zucchini Noodles:
4medium zucchini
For the Mushroom Mix:
24ouncesmushrooms, diced
2medium onions, diced
1large red pepper, diced
1tablespoonsmoked paprika
2teaspoonsonion powder
Kale:
1bunch (300 g) kale, chopped
For the Tomato Sauce:
28ouncescan salt-free crushed or chopped tomatoes
6ouncescan salt-free tomato paste
1teaspoondried basil
1teaspoondried oregano
½teaspoondried thyme
For the Cheese Sauce:
2cupsraw cashews
3cloves garlic
1cupwater
½cupnutritional yeast
¼ cuplemon juice
¼ cupwhite wine vinegar
2tablespoonsof salt-free stone-ground mustard
Instructions
For Zucchini Noodles:
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Using a Mandolin, carefully slice the zucchini lengthwise to make lasagna “noodles.” Place the zucchini slices on lined baking sheets, and bake for about 15 minutes. (This takes some of the moisture out of the zucchini so the lasagna isn’t watery.)
For Mushroom Mix:
In a large pan, combine all of the mushroom mix ingredients and cook until the vegetables are soft. (Since mushrooms and onions release water as they cook, you may want to drain off some water if it isn’t cooking off.)
Kale:
In another pan, add a few tablespoons of water and the chopped kale. Cook down the kale until it is wilted. Remove from the heat. Once the kale has cooled, squeeze out any excess water.
For the Tomato Sauce:
Add all of the tomato sauce ingredients in a blender, and process lightly to keep some texture. Set aside in a bowl.
For the Cheese Sauce:
Combine all of the cheese sauce ingredients in a blender, and blend until smooth. Set aside in a bowl.
Lasagna:
In a large glass baking dish, layer the zucchini noodles, tomato sauce, kale, and mushroom mixture. Repeat this process until all of those ingredients are used. Then, pour the cheese sauce on top for the final layer. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until the cashew cheese is slightly browned. Remove from the oven, and allow to cool for at least 20 minutes before slicing and serving.