MAKES 8 SERVINGS
Pantry Essentials: NUTS, TAMARI, VEGGIE BROTH
I’ve definitely enjoyed some pretty great plant-based lasagnas at restaurants where the chef swaps in vegetables for the noodles. But when I make lasagna at home, I want it to be as close as possible to the kind I grew up with. It has to be saucy and hearty. It has to spend some serious time in the oven. And, most important, it has to have noodles! This recipe checks all of those boxes and is just as delicious as the “real thing.”
Olive, grape seed, or coconut oil, or veggie broth for sautéing
3 garlic cloves, minced
16 ounces mushrooms, chopped (you can use a mix of different mushrooms)
1 tablespoon tamari or coconut aminos
1 teaspoon dried thyme
¾ cup raw cashews, soaked for a few hours (overnight is best), drained
1 cup veggie broth
2 big handfuls spinach
10 ounces gluten-free lasagna noodles (I use Tinkyada’s brown rice version)
4 cups marinara sauce, store-bought (a 32 oz jar) or homemade
Nutritional yeast (optional)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
In a large skillet, heat a glug of oil or veggie broth over medium. When the pan is hot, add the garlic and sauté until it becomes fragrant. This will take about a minute. Add the mushrooms, tamari, and thyme. Cook, stirring every minute or so, for 6 to 8 minutes or until the mushrooms release their water and a little broth starts to form.
Combine the cashews and veggie broth in a high-speed blender and blend until the mixture is completely smooth. This might take up to 5 minutes, depending on the speed and power of your blender. Pour the cashew sauce into the pan with the mushrooms. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for a couple minutes to let the sauce thicken, stirring frequently. Throw in the spinach and stir for another minute.
Prepare the lasagna noodles according to the package instructions. Make sure to do this after your mushroom sauce is ready to go, so the noodles don’t sit for too long and start sticking together.
Spread a third of the marinara sauce on the bottom of an 8-by-11-inch baking dish. Add a layer of noodles. Cover the noodles with half of the mushroom cream. Add a layer of noodles. Use another third of the marinara to cover these noodles. Add the remaining mushroom cream. Add the last layer of noodles and cover it with the remaining marinara sauce.
Cover the lasagna with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil, add a sprinkle of nutritional yeast over the top, if you like, and bake for another 15 minutes. Let the lasagna rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Notes from the Field: Being Social
If you decide to truly commit to eating one plant-based meal a day or even go all in and eat three plant-based meals a day, you might find social situations to be challenging at first. I’m going to walk you through a couple of tricks that always work for me.
Out and About
Going out to dinner can feel like an emotional roller coaster in the beginning. If your friends are supportive, they’ll survey the menu before you even get a chance to sit down. They’ll excitedly point out all the things you can eat. “Look, Jessica! They have salad!” They’ll stop the waiter as he’s rushing by and scream, “Excuse me! She’s VEEEE-GAAAAN. Is there anything she can eat?” Or they’ll look at you with sympathy, grab your arm, and say, “Are you OK? Will you be able to find something to eat?”
It’s pretty sweet, how much people care about your well-being. But if you’re like me, the last thing you want to do is make a big deal or call attention to your food choices in the middle of a restaurant. We just want to eat like everyone else.
To make sure my diet doesn’t cause a scene, I always try to choose the restaurant. Whether it’s with a client or friends, as soon as the email chain starts shifting to where we should eat, I jump in with three options. I make sure none of these are 100 percent plant-based (unless my dining companions are too). Most important, since I’ve chosen three places, my dining companions get to weigh in, too. Knowing there will be options for every person’s food needs makes it easier on everyone, including the waiter.
Life of the (Dinner) Party
I never like to hurt anyone’s feelings. Especially when they’ve put time and love into preparing food for me. One of the worst experiences I had when I first changed my diet was going to a dinner party and not being able to eat anything the host made. As the rest of the party was diving in, I stared at a few pieces of iceberg lettuce on a salad plate, trying to act like it was the best iceberg lettuce I’d ever had. I could tell my host felt really bad. I kept telling her, “It’s OK! I had a huge lunch!” But my stomach was growling so hard, and I couldn’t wait to get home to eat.
These days, before I go to any dinner party, I always ask if I can bring something. I don’t make a big deal or even mention my dietary needs—I simply say that I’d love to contribute to the meal. Most hosts jump at the chance of delegating a dish or a course to someone else. I make sure that whatever I bring isn’t too healthy-looking, and I never introduce a dish by all the things that it’s not—announcing your dish is gluten-, dairy-, soy-, and refined-sugar-free is a surefire way to kill the mood with non-planty eaters.
At holidays, my family has put me in charge of the sides. I usually make mashed potatoes and gravy, some veggies, stuffing, and Johnny Marzetti. Which is exactly what we used to eat before I shifted to a plant-based diet. I get to enjoy a meal with my family and celebrate together, and I never feel like the odd man out with my “special” food.