Courgette lasagne with vegan ricotta -

I don’t eat pasta often, but I have a special love for lasagne. How not love them baked in the oven while vegetables melt, releasing their tastes and aromas? It’s the perfect Sunday lunch. In this particular recipe, the special ingredient is vegan ricotta cheese made from tofu, lemon and basil, and it truly is more tasty and aromatic than béchamel. Tofu is produced by soya and is a complete source of protein. It’s also rich in iron, calcium, manganese, selenium and phosphorus. The cheese is replaced by nutritional yeast which apart from being a complete source of protein, it’s also a rich source of B12, which is especially important to our system and sadly is not found often in plant diets. So don’t hesitate in using a lot! I also used lasagne made from spelt: Spelt, otherwise known as dinkel flour, has been grown for 5000 years. The legend says that Germans and Romans consumed it to gain strength before a battle. Even if it contains gluten (not suitable for those who suffer from coeliac) it’s a much less quantity than that included in regular flour. Its low gluten content, low glycaemic levels and its rich nutritional profile gives spelt a well-deserved space in biological shops’ shelves. In specific, spelt has high levels of niacin vitamin (which prevents cardiovascular diseases), manganese and phosphorus. It’s also a very good source of fibre. It’s a complex carbohydrate that releases its energy slowly, lengthening the feeling of saturation. For a gluten free version of this recipe, you can try replacing lasagne with courgette slices, which will make your dish even lighter and unique.

Ingredients:

For the vegan ricotta:

1 pack of silken tofu
3 spoons nutritional yeast
½ cup fresh basil
2 tsp oregano
Juice from 1 lemon
Zest from half a lemon
1 spoon of olive oil
Salt and pepper
Half a cup of water

For the lasagne:

1 pack of tomato sauce
2 courgettes chopped in thin slices
12 lasagne leaves, regular or spelt

Preparation:

Place the ricotta ingredients (apart from water) in a food processor and blend. If the mixture is too dense, add some water. It should have a thin texture similar to that of béchamel, and not be too much like a liquid.
Pre heat the oven at 180 degrees Celsius
In a big tray, spread a spoon of tomato soup on the base and a lasagne layer on top until all of the tray is covered.
Spread a layer of vegan ricotta, another layer of tomato sauce and a layer of zucchini, stuck to one another.
Repeat with a layer of lasagne, ricotta, tomato sauce and zucchini until you cover the whole tray.
The last two layers should be zucchini and tomato sauce.
If you want, you can put some feta cheese grated in small pieces on the last layer.
Cover with a Sanitas foil, ideally with the greaseproof side facing the food, and bake in the oven for about 45 minutes.
Remove the aluminium foil and cook for another 15 minutes until the top layer turns a bit brown.
Let it cool for about 15 minutes and cut into large square pieces