Finger-Licken Lasagna

This is the much friendlier version of my absolute favorite meal as a child. I don't know if the nostalgia is caused by the smell of the baking pasta, the sounds of my mom working in the kitchen like a pro, or if it's the actual act of EATING this mildly italian masterpiece, but this dish elicits so many warm and cozy happy feelings in me that I couldn't keep the secret all to my self any longer.

Now, this recipe is not the exact replica of my mothers seeing as how I was raised omnivorous (CLOSE to carnivorous!) and her recipe called for mounds of mozzarella, ricotta and ground sausage.

My recipe replaces the sausage with mushrooms, zucchini and eggplant!
The mozzarella is booted out by DAIYA vegan mozzarella!
The sauce is a home brewed variety I particularly LOVE for baked pasta dishes!

She's saucey....

She's Messy....

She's a little ooey, gooey, cheeeeeesy........ (Minus the cow secretions, naturally)

She's a damn good italian dish that you can basically make any time of year with any vegetable in season!

The Saucy Sauce


-8 big fat tomatos
-2 tsp salt
-2 tsp oregano
-a handfull fresh basil chopped up
-3 garlic cloves smooshed

The Guts


-1 box whole wheat lasagna noodles
-1 large eggplant (sliced into 1/2 inch thick rounds roasted with a little olive oil)
-4 medium zucchinis (sliced into 1/4 inch rounds)
-2 cups sliced mushrooms
-4 cups fresh spinach leaves
-2 cloves garlic finely minced

-1/2 cup red wine of choice

The Assembly


(Preheat oven to 350F)
To make the sauce, cut your tomatoes into quarters and arrange skin side down onto a lightly oiled, rimmed cookie sheet. Lightly salt them and throw a few garlic cloves (smooshed with the side of your biggest baddest knife to release their flavors) into the pan. Roasting the garlic is important. If you try and throw it into the food processor RAW with the roasted tomatos, your sauce will be OVERCOME with spicy garlic flavor. Roast the tomatos for approximately 30-40 minutes depending on your oven and your tomato sizes. They should be darker red and wrinkly. Once they are done, let them cool slightly and throw them into your food processor with the garlic and the 1/2 cup red wine of choice. You can really process the living hell out of these tomatos, OR you can choose to let it be chunky. I leave it chunky for texture. Pour out the sauce into a nice, heavy bottomed sauce pan and throw in the chopped up basil and the oregano. Put the sauce on medium-low heat while you prepare the rest of the guts.

NOW is the time to boil the noodles! Make sure they are al dente so they don't get ripped while your handling them in the assembly of the dish!

Take your lasagna pan and put about 1/4 cup of your sauce in the pan and smear it around to cover the entire pan bottom. Lay down a layer of noodles.
This part is fun because the layering is really very simple. You can quite literally layer the fillings however you want but just make sure the sauce and the Vegan cheese together because when they melt together  it is absolutely heavenly.

Make sure you finish off the top with a layer of noodles, a BUNCH of sauce and a sprinkling of cheese!

Throw the whole thing in the oven for about 30 minutes at 350 degrees or until the top of melted and a little crispy!

Enjoy.

XOXO

V.V.