Instead of pasta, make lasagna layers of grilled tofu and vegetables. With oven-baked tomato sauce, this dish is so simple and tasty and is the perfect way to enjoy this wonderful sauce.
Ingrediants - Serves 4
300g (10½oz) firm tofu or silken firm
1 eggplant (aubergine), cut into thin rounds
2 zucchini (courgette), cut in half, then thinly sliced
Rice flour or potato flour (starch), to coat the tofu for dusting
Olive oil, for frying
Salt and pepper, to taste
150g (5oz) dairy-free mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced
Roasted tomato sauce
5 to 6 tomatoes (about 600g/21oz) cut in half
2 garlic cloves
1 large onion, peeled and sliced
1 small carrot (about 75g/2½oz), chopped
1 stalk celery (about 100g/3½oz), chopped
1 tablespoon dried oregano
60ml (2fl oz) olive oil
2 bay leaves
Salt and pepper, to taste
8 fresh basil leaves
Super easy gluten and dairy-free béchamel
60g (2oz) glutinous rice flour (sweet rice flour)
600ml (21oz) soymilk
1 teaspoon MSG-free vegetable stock powder
⅔ teaspoon sea salt
Pinch of nutmeg
Pinch of white pepper
1. Place tofu on a tilted chopping board and let stand for 10 minutes.
2. Cut the tofu in half lengthways and slice into 1cm thick pieces.
3. Preheat the oven at 160°C (320°F).
4. Line a baking dish with baking sheet.
5. Place all ingredients for tomato sauce, except fresh basil, in a lined baking dish and toss to combine. Arrange tomato with the skin side is face up so after cooking you can remove the tomato skin easily.
6. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until tomatoes are collapsed, skins are winkled and golden brown, and the juices are flowing.
7. Remove tomato skins and bay leaves with tongs. Cool down.
8. Meanwhile, pat the surface of the tofu with kitchen paper. Sprinkle salt and pepper on both sides of tofu.
9. Heat a chargrill pan over a high heat. Drizzle the eggplant, zucchini and tofu with the olive oil. Chargrill eggplant and zucchini in batches for 2 minutes each side, or until lightly charred and tender. Do the same with the tofu. Remove and set aside.
10. To make béchamel sauce, put glutinous rice flour into a bowl and add ⅓ of soymilk slowly— mix very well with a whisk.
11. Add the rest of soymilk and mix.
12. Strain the mixture into saucepan and heat over a medium heat.
13. Add the stock powder, sea salt, nutmeg and pepper, stir occasionally and cook until thick.
14. For the tomato sauce, place the roasted vegetables and basil in a blender or food processor and process until smooth. Season to taste.
15. To assemble the lasagna in 2 layers, spray a baking dish with oil. Spread ⅓ of tomato sauce over the base of the dish, top with vegetables, then ¼ of the béchamel sauce.
16. Place ⅓ of the tomato sauce on top of that, to begin the second layer, followed by all the tofu. Finish the layer with the remaining béchamel and cheese. Place lasagna in a pre-heated oven at 180°C (350°F) and bake for 20 to 30 minutes.
Tip
This dish is a little bit runny compared to traditional lasagna. If you can cook this individually, in small baking dishes, it would be less messy. If you do it this way, you should be able to make 4 small baking dishes. For vegetarians, use pizza cheese or mozzarella.