Vegan Roasted Vegetable Lasagna

I love a good home made lasagna.  Especially one filled with lots of roasted veggies with a nice savory tomato sauce and ricotta filling in between the layers.  My Dad got me a pasta machine a few years back, and I have always enjoyed making my own noodles for it as well.  It is kind of fun being like a little kid putting the dough through the machine, but instead having it be edible and not play dough.  I have made a version of veggie lasagna many times in the past, but it has always been filled with lots of ricotta and cheese.  This weekend I was having my boyfriend Dave over for dinner and wanted to make something delicious like lasagna.  However, it being after the holidays, and me cooking more vegan dishes lately I decided to veganize my original lasagna recipe, using tofu in place of the ricotta and non-dairy cheese.  Also, Dave doesn't tolerate dairy well, so I thought if it turned out it could be something I could make again.  Maybe it was a risk making something that was this much of an experiment when having a dinner guest, but I figured, worst case scenario we would have to go out to eat somewhere.  But that wasn't needed, there were no kitchen disasters or me throwing away something inedible.  On the contrary, the lasagna turned out much better than I expected! 

The tofu enhanced with nutritional yeast and miso, also filled with herbs and lots of garlic and onions was a dead ringer for ricotta! The roasted vegetables I had added were a nice addition as well adding flecks of color throughout the lasagna.  I enjoyed it very much, it was so warm and comforting, and of course I had wonderful company to enjoy it with!  Dave told me it was the best lasagna he had ever eaten, which meant a whole heck of a lot to me!  I don't know if I would say it was the best, having sampled a lot of decadent cheesy lasagna in my life, but as far as vegan goes it was awesome.  I have shared the recipe below if you are interested in some damn good vegan lasagna! 

Vegan Roasted Vegetable Lasagna

Serves 6

Roasted Vegetables:

2 large carrots, thinly sliced on the diagonal

2 cups broccoli, cut into small florettes
10 mushrooms sliced
olive oil

Sauce:

1 Tbsp olive oil
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 28 oz can fire roasted crushed tomatoes
1 15 oz can tomato puree
1 Tbsp dried basil
1 Tbsp dried oregano
1 Tbsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp dried fennel seeds
1 tsp sea salt (or to taste)
freshly ground pepper to taste
Filling:
1 large onion
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 12 oz box silken tofu, pureed
2 10 oz bricks extra firm tofu, crumbled
1/4 cup white miso
1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp dried basil
1 Tbsp dried oregano
1 Tbsp dried parsley
1 tsp sea salt (or to taste)
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
a large pinch of nutmeg
8 oz Daiya mozzarella (or other vegan shredded mozzarella)
Assembly:
12 oz vegan fresh lasagna noodles, or 1 12 oz pkg whole wheat lasagna noodles
8 oz Daiya mozzarella (or other vegan shredded mozzarella)

For roasted vegetables, preheat the oven to 475 degrees, and line a sheet pan with foil.  Toss vegetables with just enough olive oil to coat, and spread out on sheet.  Roast until tender and starting to brown at the edges.  Remove from the oven and set aside. 
To make sauce, add 1 Tbsp olive oil to a medium saucepan on medium heat, and saute garlic and red pepper flakes until fragrant, about 1 minute.  Add balsamic vinegar, tomatoes, herbs, and sea salt and black pepper to taste.  Bring to a simmer and cook for about 15-20 minutes to allow the flavors to develop.  Taste for seasoning, season with more salt if necessary and set aside. 
Meanwhile, to make "ricotta" filling, heat a medium skillet over medium heat.  Add 1 Tbsp olive oil, and onions, and saute until softened, about 5 minutes.  Place onion in a large bowl, and combine with other filling ingredients, and mix until well blended.  
To assemble lasagna, spray a 9x13 inch deep pan with non-stick spray.  Spoon a little sauce over then bottom of the pan, then cover the bottom with a layer of lasagna noodles, then 1/3 of the "ricotta", then 1/3 of the roasted veggies.  Spoon a little sauce, about 2/3 of a cup over the veggies, then top with another layer of noodles, half the remaining ricotta, 1/2 the remaining veggies, and a little more sauce.  Cover with another layer of noodles, the remaining ricotta and veggies and a little more sauce.  Top with a layer of noodles, the rest of the sauce, and sprinkle 8 oz shredded "mozzarella" over the top.  In a 375 degree oven, bake the lasagna, covered with foil for 45 minutes, or until bubbly, then uncover and bake another 10-15 minutes to melt the cheese.  Remove from the oven and let sit 10-15 minutes, then cut into 6 pieces and serve!