Lasagna verde
Lasagna verde
A verdant lasagna, creamy and vibrant. I wanted to create a very specific lasagna, one that is rich and luscious, yet still light. To achieve this, I called upon the tofu cream recipe from Tenderheart, which makes a velvety, fluffy sauce, without the need for actual cream or thickeners. The tofu does it all - it gives body, a whisper of sweetness, an airy texture. I’ve added a generous amount of baby spinach to the creamd tofu, which delivers a bright green hue and bolsters the vegetable content of this dish.
If you can’t get fresh or frozen fava, substitute with peas, edamame beans or a leafy green like chopped, blanched chard or kale. I used gluten free fresh lasagna sheets (so so good!) and a fresh cashew milk mozzarella (though other vegan cheeses would work too) making this both gluten free and vegan. Feel free to use dairy mozzarella and wheat-based lasagna sheets.
I finished the lasagna off under a hot grill. This scorches the top, adding a hint of smokiness which is a contrast to the vibrant greenness of this dish. The charred top is completely optional and it is fine without it.
Serves 4
Ingredients
- 250g (9 ounces) fresh lasagna sheets (thawed from frozen)
- 250g (9 ounces) shelled fresh or frozen fava beans (called broad beans in Australia)
- 125g (1/2 cup) vegan pesto (store-bought is fine)
- 150g (about 9 ounces) vegan or dairy fresh mozzarella
- extra virgin olive oil
- sea salt and black pepper
Spinach tofu cream (makes just over 3 cups)
- 425g (15 ounces) extra firm tofu, broken into large chunks
- 1 clove garlic, roughly chopped
- 4 teaspoons nutritional yeast (or grated parmesan cheese)
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 140g (about 5 ounces) baby spinach
Bring a pot of salted water to the boil. Add the fava beans and blanch for 1 1/2 - 2 minutes until just tender. Drain and refresh under cold water until cool. Drain again.
To make the tofu cream, add the tofu, garlic nutritional yeast, salt and 180ml (3/4 cup) of water to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Add the spinach leaves and blitz until completely smooth. Depending upon your tofu, you may need a bit more water to make it smooth and pourable.
Preheat oven to 180˚C / 350˚F.
In a large baking dish that measures about 25cm x 35cm (10 inch x 14 inch), drizzle with olive oil and spread about 1/4 of the spinach tofu cream on the base. Top with 1 layer of lasagna sheets. Top with some of the tofu cream, half of the fava beans, 1/3 of the pesto, and 1/3 of the mozzella. Top with another layer of lasagna sheets. Repeat by adding half of the remaining tofu cream, all of the remaining fava beans, half of the remaining pesto, and half of the remaining mozzarella. Finish with a final layer of lasagna sheets, the remaining tofu cream, the remaining pesto and the remaining cheese. Drizzle with olive oil and bake for 30-40 minutes, until the lasagna sheets are tender, and it is bubbling around the sides and slightly golden on top.
If you’d like a charred top like mine, switch the oven to grill/broil function at highest setting (mine was 220˚C / 450˚F) and scorch the top for 2-4 minutes, watching it closely, until you see singed patches on top.
Remove from oven and allow to sit for 10 minutes before serving.