Tofu Ricotta Lasagna

Let’s start by saying that never in a MILLION years did I think I would make a vegan version of lasagna. I just love cheese far too much to consider it, but I’ve been toying with the idea of making tofu ricotta for quite some time, and last night was finally the night.

The concept is pretty simple – you press the tofu, crumble it with a fork, add in some seasonings of your choice (I used garlic, chives, and salt) and then use it in place of ricotta in lasagna, stuffed shells, or calzones. The execution was also super simple, but what I wasn’t sure about was the taste.

And let me tell you – it is DELICIOUS. If you didn’t tell someone it was tofu, they would never know. The texture and flavor are spot on, and the amount of “ricotta” you get compared to what you would get with regular or part-skim will blow your mind. Since I used light tofu, the whole block, which crumbled into about 2 cups, was only 6pts+!

Tofu Ricotta Lasagna

• Prep time: 15 minutes
• Cook time: 45 minutes
• Entire recipe yields 28 pts+, or four 7pt+ servings
• Printable recipe here.

Ingredients:

• 1 jar marinara sauce
• 4 oz. no boil lasagna noodles (2 servings)
• 1 package spinach
• ~ 1/4 cup chopped chives
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 block firm lite tofu, pressed
• 2 oz. light mozzarella cheese

First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Then, take your pressed tofu and get ready to crumble it with a fork.

It is easier than I expected it to be – the tofu crumbles very easily and basically falls apart.

After the tofu is crumbled, add in the garlic, chives and salt.

And then mix it until it’s combined.

And your tofu ricotta is done. Set it aside.

The last step before layering the lasagna is to cook the spinach. I don’t have a microwave yet, otherwise I would have done it in there, so I used a pan instead.

It never ceases to amaze me how a whole bag of spinach cooks down to this:

Crazy. Now you’re ready for the fun part – assembling the lasagna.

I always put sauce at the bottom.

Then noodles and spinach.

Then ricotta.

Then repeat until it’s all done. Top with 2 oz of part-skim shredded mozzarella cheese. I picked up this vegan ALMOND cheese the other day at Whole Foods, because it was on sale for $1.99 and the regular cheese was way more expensive.

It’s not bad and melts really well considering. Vegan cheese does kind of skeeve me out though, not going to lie.

Cover the lasagna with tin foil.

And bake it at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. Turn the heat up to 425 and bake for another 10-15 until the top is golden brown.. or as brown as vegan cheese will get.

If you can bare it, let it sit for 5-10 minutes so it sets before digging in. 1/4 of it is a LARGE serving, so you can definitely break it into more if you you feel it.

Honestly, I was shocked with how good it is. If you served it to someone without telling them it had tofu in it, they would have no idea. OR, if you have someone who swears they hate tofu, make this, and don’t tell them until they’re asking for seconds.

Have you ever tried vegan cheese before? Love it, hate it, can’t get enough? Which kind did you try?

I’ve heard Daiya is the best, but it’s always way too expensive for me at the store. If I were sensitive to dairy I’m sure I could make due, especially now that I discovered tofu ricotta!