Epic Lasagna

Instructions

Roast the eggplant: Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 450°F (230°C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Peel the eggplant and remove the top. Thinly slice the eggplant, about ¼ inch thick, and transfer to the baking sheet. Drizzle olive oil evenly over the slices and evenly sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for 15 minutes, until soft and tender. Set the eggplant aside and reduce the oven down to 400°F (200°C) for the lasagna.

Slice the vegetables and mushrooms: While the eggplant roasts, prepare the vegetables and mushrooms. Peel and slice the carrots very thinly and thinly slice the zucchini into rounds. Note: It is important to slice them thinly so that they become tender while cooking. Lastly, remove the stems from the mushrooms and thinly slice. Set everything aside. 

Cook the meat filling: Place a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the olive oil and a pinch of salt. Sauté the onion until soft, stirring every so often, about 5 minutes. Toss in the garlic and another small pinch of salt. Cook for 1 minute, stirring occasionally. Add in the whole sausage links and use a spatula to chop them into a crumble. Continue to cook on medium-high, stirring every so often, until browned, about 10 minutes. Add the red wine vinegar and tamari and mix well. Transfer the meat filling to a bowl and set aside to cool. Return the skillet back to the stove top to cook the greens.

Sauté the greens: In the same skillet (without wiping it out), reduce the heat to medium and add the greens, nutritional yeast, salt, pepper, and red wine vinegar. Mix well and cook for 2-3 minutes, until greens are wilted and juicy, making sure to scrape up any of the tidbits at the bottom of the pan. Place greens in a bowl and set aside. 

Prepare the tofu ricotta: In a large bowl, add the cashew butter, soft cheese, olive oil, lemon juice and zest, and mix until smooth and creamy. Crumble the tofu with your hands into the bowl, until the texture of ricotta is created. Then add the parsley, thyme, garlic powder, nutritional yeast, red pepper flakes, sea salt, and black pepper. Mix well to combine and season with more salt, to taste. Set aside.

Soak the noodles: Remove the parchment paper from the baking sheet and spread a thin layer of olive oil on the bottom. Arrange the lasagna noodles in an even layer (it's ok if they overlap a bit). Pour boiling water over the noodles and let them sit for 5 minutes. Note: The goal of this step is to just barely wet the noodles, giving them a head start before cooking in the oven. 

Assemble the lasagna: In a deep lasagna baking dish, add the tomato paste and ladle in a large scoop of the marinara. Mix and spread well to cover the bottom. Add a layer of 3 noodles, a light spreading of marinara, and then an even layer of the roasted eggplant slices. Then spread over the meat filling with another light covering of marinara sauce. Add another layer of 3 noodles, a light spreading of marinara, and dollop scoops of the ricotta over the noodles. Gently spread into an even layer. Next, add another layer of 3 noodles and a light spreading of marinara. Then spread the greens and the mushrooms evenly over top. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkling of sea salt and add thin layer of marinara. Next, add another layer of 3 noodles, a light spreading of marinara and an even layer of the sliced carrots and another thin layer of marinara. Add 3 more noodles over top, a light spreading of marinara, and one single layer of the zucchini rounds. Lastly, place the final layer of noodles over the zucchini and spread over the remaining marinara.  Sprinkle over the plant-based cheese shreds and cover tightly with foil. Note: You will need to use two sheets of foil to cover each half of the dish, creating a dome shape so that it is not touching the cheese. The goal here is to create a tent-like structure which will trap steam and help to bake the lasagna while also helping the cheese to melt. 

Bake: Bake for 40 minutes at 400°F covered with foil. While that bakes, mix together the breadcrumb mixture into a small bowl until well-combined. After 40 minutes, sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the melted cheese, along with the cherry tomatoes and olives. Bake uncovered to finish, about 20-30 minutes, or until a knife slides into the center easily (you may have to push this time depending on your oven). Note: If you'd like to make the top more brown, you can place it under the broiler towards the end for about 5 minutes. Let sit for 20 minutes before serving. 

Serve: Using a sharp knife, cut into large pieces and use a big spatula to transfer to desired plates. Enjoy immediately!