Vegan Lasagna alla Bolognese

Truly a lasagne you can serve to everyone. “Meaty” and creamy yet totally vegan! Add a salad and glass of wine and dinner is ready. Adaped from seriouseats.com

Components

  • Vegan Seitan and Mushroom Ragu Bolognese

  • Vegan Bechamel Sauce

Ingredients

  • 1 lb (450 grams) dry lasagna noodles (egg-free) cooked about 2 minutes less than package instructions indicate, drained and set aside in ice water

  • olive oil

Directions

  • Make the Vegan Seitan and Mushroom Ragu Bolognese and Vegan Bechamel Sauce.

  • Stir 1/2 cup (120 ml) of the Vegan Bechamel Sauce into the Vegan Seitan and Mushroom Ragu Bolognese. Set aside.

  • Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. (220 degrees C.)

  • Lighly oil the bottom of a 9- by 13-inch baking dish, then cover the bottom of the pan with a layer of drained and patted-dry lasagna sheets.

  • Spread a thin, even layer of Bolognese on top of the pasta, then drizzle lightly with some of the remaining Bechamel. Repeat the pasta, Bolognese, and Bechamel layers until the pan is full, taking care to end with a layer of Bolgnese and Bechamel.

  • Place the baking dish on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until browned and bubbling, about 25 minutes. Let the lasagne rest another 20 minutes before cutting and serving.

↓ This is a component-based recipe. ↓

Vegan Seitan and Mushroom Ragu Bolognese

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup (60 ml) extra-virgin olive oil

  • 1 medium onion (about 12 oz/340 grams), finely minced

  • 1 large carrot (about 8 oz/225 grams), finely minced

  • 3 ribs celery (about 6 oz/170 grams), finely minced

  • 5 medium cloves of garlic, finely minced (about x tablespoons)

  • 1 lb. (450 grams) cemini mushrooms, stems discarded and caps crumbled by hand into pea-size morsels

  • 1 lb. (450 grams) seitan, drained and crumbled by hand into pea-size morsels

  • 1 tablespoon (15 ml) tomato paste

  • 1-1/2 cups (355 ml) dry red wine

  • 1, 28 oz (795 grams) can peeled whole tomatoes, pureed or crushed by hand

  • 1/4 cup (60 ml) red (aka) miso

  • 2 tablespoons (30 ml) refined neutral coconut oil (or another neutral oil like canola, safflower or peanut)

  • 2 teaspoons (10 ml) dark soy sauce (or regular soy sauce)

  • 1 large dried Turkish bay leaf (or 1 small California bay leaf)

  • 3-4 fresh sage leaves (or 1 teaspoon dried sage)

  • 1 sprig fresh rosemary (or 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary)

  • Kosher salt

  • Freshly ground black pepper

  • Freshly grated nutmeg

Directions

  • Heat a dutch oven or other large, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, add the olive oil. Heat until shimmering. Add the onion, carrot, and celery. Cook, stirring and scraping frequently, until the onion is just beginning to turn golden, about 7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute more.

  • Add the mushrooms and seitan. Cook, stirring and scraping frequently, until the water in the mushrooms and seitan evaporates and a light brown film begins to develop on the bottom of the pot, about x minutes.

  • Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 30 seconds. Add the wine, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the wine has nearly evaporated and no longer smells of alcohol, about 5 minutes.

  • Stir in the pureed tomatoes, miso, coconut oil, soy sauce, bay leaf, sage, and rosemary. Bring the mixture back to a simmer and cook until the sauce has reduced and thickened, about 30 minutes.

  • Discard the bay leaf. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Stir in a few scrapings of nutmeg.

  • At this point, the sauce can be refrigerated in a tightly sealed container for about a week or frozen for up to 3 months. Reheat before proceeding to make Vegan Lasagna alla Bolognese.

Vegan Bechamel Sauce

Ingredients

  • 2 cups (475 ml) unsweetened almond or oat milk

  • 1 Turkish bay leaf (or 1/2 small California bay leaf)

  • 5 sprigs fresh thyme

  • 10 whole black peppercorns

  • 3 medium cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed

  • 3 tablespoons (45 ml) refined neutral coconut oil (or other neutral oil like safflower, canola or peanut)

  • 3 tablspoons (25 grams) all-purpose flour

  • pinch freshly grated nutmeg

  • Kosher salt

  • freshly ground black pepper

Directions

  • In a small saucepan, combine the almond milk, bay leaf, thyme, peppercorns, and garlic; bring to simmer over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to maintain a bare simmer for 20 minutes. Using a small strainer placed over a heat-proof measuring cup, strain the infused almond milk and discard the aromatics. Set aside. This mixture can be made ahead of time and refrigerated.

  • Heat the coconut oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the flour and cook, whisking slowly but continuously, until the flour is cooked and no longer smells raw, about 2 minutes. Do not allow the flour to brown.

  • While whisking continuously, very slowly add the infused almond milk in a thin stream to the cooked flour mixture. At first the sauce will get very thick, very fast, but continue whisking (into the corners of the pan!) and the sauce will thin out once all the infused almond milk is added.

  • While slowly and continuously whisking, allow the sauce to come to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low, continue whisking slowly, until the sauce coats the back of a wooden spoon, about 3 minutes. (You should be able to drag a line through the sauce on the back of the spoon.)Remove from the heat.

  • Season to taste with nutmeg, salt, abd freshly ground black pepper.

  • Use immediately for lasagna or other recipe, or transfer to an air-tight container and lay a piece of plastic film directly on the surface of the sauce. Cover with the container’s lid and refrigerate for up to 3 days. The sauce can be reheated to a thinner consistency in a microwave oven on medium or in a small saucepan over low heat while stirring continuously. If the sauce is too thick after having been reheated, add a bit more almond milk to thin.