Living Lasagna
Mmmmm Mama Mia! This dish just amazes both me and Bob. It takes a bit of prep and time to put it together, but if you can grab your partner and spend some quality time together in the kitchen, it’s an enjoyable experience. There are a few tweaks that we would make next time. We would make way more cheese, for starters. So far, everyone who has tasted it really seems to like it but they say it needs more cheese. So next time we will double the recipe. If you have extra afterward, it will be great to have on hand as a cheese spread. We would also add a bit more seasoning to the cheese. We seem to really like strong flavors.
We have more family coming over to try it today so I will let you know how that goes. My Uncle Billy is a huge lasagna lover so we are really being tested. :) The recipe makes one 7 x 7-inch dish.
We doubled the recipe and it made for us one 7-inch round Springform pan and a loaf pan Springform pan. Putting the layers together was so exciting because all of the food layers are just so vibrant with color. Remember we starting eating with our eyes. One other wonderful benefit of making this is throwing it in the dehydrator … it makes for a wonderful, homey, comfort-food smell in the house. Please don’t be intimidated by all the different components . Take them one at a time, each one will teach you new skills that can be used in future recipes. You will learn the art of wilting spinach which will resemble cooked spinach. You will learn how to marinate veggies to heighten the flavor and also give it that cooked appearance. This technique alone can be used to create all sorts of future recipes! You will learn how to make “zucchini noodles” and trust me, you will get excited over this and use it over and over when creating new dishes. You will learn how to make raw “cheese” and that alone is a huge versatile food. This is a teaching recipe. And in the end you will be proud of this wonderful comfort food dish that you will set in the center of the table in front of your loved ones.
Living Lasagna Yield: One 7 x 7-inch casserole (4-6 servings)
Almond Ricotta Layers
Ingredients: yields 1 cup
Preparation:
- In a medium bowl combine the prepared almond cheese, miso, onion, nutritional yeast, garlic, nutmeg and pepper. Mix well and set aside.
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Mushroom Layers
Ingredients:
- 16 mushrooms, washed and sliced; your choice
- 1 tsp Tamari or sea salt
- 2 tsp cold-pressed olive oil
- Pinch of pepper
Preparation:
- Wash and dry each mushroom. Make sure to remove all of the dirt. Don’t soak them in water. Use a damp paper towel to wipe each one off.
- Toss the mushrooms in the Tamari, olive oil, and pepper.
- Set aside for at least 10 minutes.
- Drain well and gently squeeze to remove excess liquid.
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Noodle layers
Ingredients:
- 2 large zucchini, sliced 1/16” thick lengthwise
- sea salt
Preparation:
- Slice the zucchini into even slices. I recommend one like this.
- Place the zucchini slices on a dehydrator tray lined with a nonstick reflex sheet, and dehydrate at 105 degrees for an hour, to soften.
- OR, soak for 1 hour in a salt-water brine, then drain well and towel dry.
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Spinach Layer
Ingredients:
Preparation:
- Wash the spinach leaves and place them in a salad spinner to release the water on it. You can also place the wet spinach on a dry paper towel and blot the excess water off.
- Place the spinach in a food processor, fitted with the “S” blade until it is ground, but not overly processed. You want to still be able to identify it and not make a paste out of it.
- Squeeze out the excess moisture from the spinach and set aside in a bowl. This is important. You don’t want the spinach “soupy” causing puddles of liquid in your lasagna.
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Marinara Sauce
Ingredients:
- 6 Roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped (6 cups worth)
- 1/2 cup sun-dried tomato powder
- 1 1/2 Tbsp finely minced onion
- 1 1/2 tsp crushed garlic
- 1 1/2 Tbsp minced fresh basil leaves
- 1 1/2 Tbsp minced fresh oregano
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- Pinch of pepper
Preparation:
- If you can’t find tomato powder and don’t want to order it, you can make your own. Dehydrate tomato slices till very dry and grind to a powder in a spice/coffee grinder.
- To remove the seeds, cut the tomato in half and with a sharp small spoon, scoop out the seeds. Leaving the seeds in the tomato will cause the sauce to be to watery. Place the Roma tomatoes in a colander to allow any remaining liquid to drain, (Drink the wonderful juice or add it to another recipe.)
- When the tomatoes are thoroughly drained, put them in a food processor outfitted with the “S” blade, and pulse to chop. Do not over process; the mixture should be slightly chunky, like a salsa.
- Add the sun-dried tomato powder, onion, garlic, basil, oregano, salt, and pepper, and pulse to mix.
- Let the sauce sit for at least 10 minutes before assembling the lasagna, to allow it to thicken. If the sauce is too wet, drain off a little of the juice.
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Assembly:
- Spread a layer of marinara sauce in the bottom of the pan of your liking, and place a layer of the softened zucchini noodles on top.
- Spread another layer of sauce over the zucchini, then a layer of the mushrooms, and press, using a spatula.
- On top of the mushrooms, put a thin layer of cheese, followed by a layer of spinach. Press firmly and continue layering. Begin with the zucchini, then the sauce, mushrooms, cheese and spinach. Press firmly between all layers.
- Create a least one more layer of each item and finish with a final layer of sauce, dotted with cheese.
Serving:
- Serve immediately at room temperature or warmed slightly in a dehydrator set at 145 degrees for 30 minutes to 2 hours.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge up to 2 days.
Grocery Helper
Miso
- A traditional Japanese seasoning produced by fermenting rice, barley and/or soybeans, with salt and the fungus kōjikin a.k.a “koji”. Most people are familiar with the traditional Japanese soup by the same name, but there are many uses for, and a wide variety of, salty, buttery miso. It makes flavorful sauces, salad dressings and marinades. Miso has been commonly recommended as a B12 source for vegans. It also contains the trace minerals zinc, manganese, and copper. Look for unpasteurized, naturally fermented miso in the refrigerated section of your local Asian market or health food store.
- WholeFoods carries this as well.
Posted on Monday, November 22nd, 2010 at 12:42 am. Filed under: Main and Side Dishes Tags: Gluten Free, Refined Sugar Free, Soy Free, Vegan RSS 2.0 feed.
First, this turned out soooo much better than I ever expected…really! For years, my specialty was lasagna, and it was always my family’s favorite dish for a special occasion. Even after we became vegetarian, I made a fabulous lasagna with lots of veggies, and lots of cheese! Now that I’m raw, I had given up hope of ever finding something to come close to that level of comfort and tastiness. This truly did. I am glad I had a friend to help prepare this, as it is rather daunting the first time. I was worried because I couldn’t find sun dried tomato powder so just used sun dried tomatoes, but all in all, it went smoothly and we had a great time making it. The biggest surprise was the ricotta…yummy! I’m excited to experiment with more cheese. Oh, and did I mention how completely beautiful it is to cut in to? Thank you so much! I can’t wait to make this again.
I am soooo thrilled that you made this and LOVED it! Making this dish for the first time can seem over whelming but once you make it, it gets easier as you start to understand all the steps. Regarding the sun-dried tomato powder…first of all, great job on substituting! Secondly, I usually find this powder in health food stores in their spice bulk section. I have made my own as well in the past. I simply dehydrated sliced tomatoes and then ground them up.
amie sue
we made this.
it is absolutely AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We LOVED IT!
best meal and best lasagna I’ve ever had.
Oh WOW! I am so glad that you all enjoyed it!! Thank you for sharing. :)
Are there any non-soy alternaties to miso?
Morning Chris,
Yes indeed there are non-soy miso’s! I can’t eat soy myself, so I have researched this. Here is a post that I did a while back.
http://nouveauraw.com/?p=3821
Happy day! amie sue
Another excellent recipe!! I love that there was virtually no oil or added sugars.
Good morning Catherine,
I am thrilled that you made this recipe. It can seem intimidating to people because of all the components, but once you make it once it isn’t so bad. So many neat techniques come from making it too. Have a wonderful day!
Please can you tell me where to buy a tall springform pan. I have looked everywhere.
Gail,
I used a 7″ pan that I got from Amazon. http://astore.amazon.com/nouraw-20/detail/B000237FS0 If you are ever looking for some of the equipment pieces that I use, refer to my Amazon store. I try to upload to it everything that I use so people can see what I recommend. :) I LOVE, ADORE all Springform pans. hehe They are better than any shoe collection if you ask me. :)
I absolutely love your website!!!! I’ve already made your Cheese Nips and Raspberry Chia Porridge; they were so delicious! I am currently fermenting my Almond Cheese for the Lasagna that I’m making today, it’s snowing outside and I’m in the mood for some comfort food :-). In your directions for the Spinach you say “wash and spun dry” what does the Spun dry mean? Thank you very much and for sharing your recipes and being an inspiration to those looking to incorporate Raw Living Foods in their diet :-)
Hello Dani, You are selecting some of my all time favorite recipes already. hehe The Living Lasagna is perfect for this time of year. Spun dry? Means to wash the spinach and then dry it. Referring to a salad spinner which you can see here as to what I use. http://astore.amazon.com/nouraw-20/detail/B0000VHFP2. If you don’t have one of these, you can blot the leaves with dry paper towels. The main thing is that you don’t want a lot of water draining off or it can make a soupy mess in your lasagna. I hope this helps! amie sue
One more question: I noticed that in your picture of the finished lasagna you have something crumbled on top of it, is that Nutritional Yeast?
The top has a crumble layer of the “ricotta cheese” on it.
Okay, I know I said last question but I noticed that under the directions for the Marinara Sauce you say “6 Roma Tomatoes Seeded and Chopped,” does that mean that you want the seeds to be removed?
Dani,
Yes, after you slice the tomato open, use a small spoon and scrape out the seeds. The seeds will create to much liquid in the sauce.
Im sooo nervous Im gonna try my luck this week with this live lasagna and bread stix recipe ~ wish me luck ! lol looks soooo good I cant resist~ Thanks for posting so many delicious recipes and can you explain how to convert cooked recipes ~ like replacements for baking powders soda and such ~ thanks
Hello Queen! You can do it!! Keep in mind… break it down into steps so you don’t get overwhelmed. EAch step is going to teach new techniques that you can use when creating new dishes… so don’t rush through it. :) It may seem like a lot of steps for the first time when making it. Most of all, have fun, dance a little and enjoy! I am rooting for you and I am patiently waiting to see how it goes for you. I am here if you have questions through the process and I will do my best to answer in a timely fashion. Blessings, amie sue
I made this yesterday for my husband’s birthday, and it is truly one of those ‘labor of love’ dishes, but so worth it! He doesn’t quite embrace the whole raw movement, but he was really pleasantly surprised with this, and went back for seconds! I ran out of marinara sauce so I topped it off with the extra spinach and it was still beautiful to behold. I seemed to have plenty of the cheese, and the taste was spot-on for me. I also used dried basil and oregano, and went wild with the oregano. I have oregano cravings that are probably particular to me, so it didn’t come off as overpowering. Thanks so much for the ‘teaching recipe’. It was fun to challenge myself and win over family members :).
I applaud you Rebecca! It sounds like it turned out amazing. I do know it is a labor of love but you really learn a lot of different techniques. So good job! I am so excited for you. Have a blessed evening and thank you for sharing that… it made my night. amie sue
I have been using your website for a couple of months now and I just love it. Your Living Lasagna is the best lasagna I have ever had. I am so glad your web=site is back up again. I have become addicted to your recipes and just about had a panic attack when your web=site wasn’t working. I have tried a several recipes and love them all. I am always looking to try something else. Thank you for all the effort you put in tho make this a truly informative and wonderful web-site. God Bless
Thank you Karen. I was into panic mode myself. These is the second time that my site has been in the way of those darn virus’ and each time my stomach flip-flops till it is up and running. I can’t even get to my recipes when this happens. Shew! Happy to hear that you are enjoying the site. Have a blessed day! amie sue