Vegetable Tofu Lasagna (Don’t Fear the Tofu!)

If you like food then you’ll love this lasagna. Not only is it absolutely scrumptious but it’s also better for you than traditional lasagna with meat and tons of cheese. Ok, well this has some cheese in it, but if you’re counting calories then just leave it out and it’s still just as delicious! This is an adaptation from some book I borrowed from someone, somewhere. I really wish I could remember where the original recipe came from! I usually write down my favorite recipes on 3×5 cards and then make changes as I see fit.

When I made it to take pictures for this post, it was really late at night since the day just kind of got away from us and we didn’t eat dinner until 9:00 at night. Actually, we didn’t eat dinner until 10:30pm because I completely forgot that this little dish takes a while to bake. If you’re looking for a super quick meal, then don’t pick this one because it bakes for an hour and fifteen minutes! The prep isn’t too bad, but trust me it’s well worth the wait.

My point though, is that when I made the lasagna for this post, I didn’t add in some things that I usually do. The pictures will be missing a few things, but even making it the way I did it turned out amazing. If you have a meat loving husband (or are one yourself) don’t fear, because this dish will definitely satisfy anyone on a meatless night.

“Tofu! Ahh!” I promise it’s not that scary. When I first started cooking with tofu I didn’t really know much about it, or what to do with it. Check out the tips below for a little info on tofu.

The stuff you need to have:

 1. 1 cup finely chopped onions

2. 1 clove of garlic, minced

3. 2 zucchini, thinly sliced

4. 1 8oz package of mushrooms

5. 1 tablespoon olive oil, or your cooking oil of choice

6. A dash of salt and pepper

7. 1 jar tomato-alfredo pasta sauce. H.E.B. brand is my favorite, but you can really use any type/flavor that you want.

8. ¾ package medium-hard tofu. Don’t be afraid of tofu! I gave you a couple little tofu tips below.

9. 2 eggs

10. About 12 non-boil lasagna noodles

11. 2 cups of your favorite shredded cheese

12. Parmesan cheese for topping.

How you make it:

 1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit

2. Heat oil in a large pan

3. Add onions and garlic; sauté about 3 minutes, stirring continuously.

4. Add mushrooms, zucchini, salt and pepper. Cover and cook about 10 minutes or until they’re slightly cooked, stirring occasionally.

5. While veggies are cooking, mix together the tofu and eggs in a bowl

6. In a 9×9 inch baking dish, spread ½ cup sauce on the bottom.

7. Layer the lasagna like this:

3 noodles

1/3 tofu and egg mixture

1/3 veggie mixture

1/2 cup of sauce

-Shredded cheese

You can use your imagination for the cheese, since I didn’t actually put any on this time.

Continue this pattern until all of the tofu/veggies are used up. Finish with noodles on top,       followed by the rest of the pasta sauce. Make sure that the sauce is fully covering the noodles so they don’t burn!

8. Cover pan with foil and bake for 1 hour. Remove foil and bake for an additional 15 minutes, uncovered. If you like, top with parmesean cheese for the last 15 minutes of baking. Wait about 20 minutes after removing from oven to serve!

Enjoy!

Tips:

1. When shopping for tofu for this dish, make sure you don’t get silken or soft. A medium-hard, or firm tofu works best in this recipe. Silken is best for soups, while firm tofu is better for heartier meals.

2. When you get a package of tofu, it will most likely be in just a big square. Just eye what ¾ of the package looks like, take a knife and just slice it! Mash it up with a fork a little bit before throwing the eggs in, then mix until well blended.

3. Counting calories? Skip the cheese. I put cheese on half of the lasagna since my husband loves it, but skip it for myself.

4. I love the tomato-alfredo sauce in this lasagna. If you can’t find any, try making your own! Just get a jar of tomato pasta sauce, a jar of alfredo and mix the two together!  

 

If anyone likes bell peppers and wants to tinker with the recipe, I’ve always been curious what it would taste like with some sautéed bell peppers thrown in. If you decide to be adventurous and try it that way please leave a comment and let me know how it tastes!

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