Tomato sauce mixed with sheets of pasta, add in the fact that it’s vegan (shock full of nutritious veggies) and super easy to make – we’ve got a winner! This is the Vegan Lasagna That Pretty Much Cooks Itself.
Every weekend, usually on a Sunday afternoon, I pile the kitchen counter high with ingredients and get to work preparing food for the week. I like to make a big dish of something tasty that I can divide into boxes and bring to work for lunch, and have ready when I get home from work to eat for dinner.
I have a couple of requirements when it comes to my food prep: it’s got be quick and easy to cook, make a lot of food so that it’ll stretch several days worth of lunches and dinners, and require minimal amount of pots, pans and utensils (so I don’t have to tackle a mountain of dishes). I rarely (if ever) follow a recipe, I’m very much a “throw something together” kind of girl, and I prefer to scour the pantry for whatever needs using up and mix together some magic out of that.
Vegan Lasagna That Pretty Much Cooks Itself
A dish that covers all my requirements is lasagna. I can throw almost anything into it, cartons of beans, veggies needing to be used up, spices, herbs, onions and tomatoes. I pop everything in a pot and let it simmer for 40 minutes while I get up to other things. Then quick in a pan, layered with sheets of pasta and in the oven it goes to, once again, cook itself for half an hour while I tend to other things. Easy peasy!
Have I convinced you that this Vegan Lasagna That Pretty Much Cooks Itself is something you need to make this week? I hope so!
Vegan Lasagna That Pretty Much Cooks Itself
Ingredients
400 grams / 14 oz vegan/vegetarian mince (if you can’t get hold of this you can substitute mixed beans and lentils)
1 can mixed beans/peas/lentils
250 g / 9 oz frozen mixed vegetables (broccoli, zucchini, peppers and the like)
2 cans (800 grams / 28 oz) crushed tomatoes
250 grams / 9 oz cherry tomatoes, chopped
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1 stock cube
1-2 cups of water
salt & pepper
1 package lasagna pasta sheets (I used lentil pasta sheets)
Method
- In a large pot over medium high heat, combine all the ingredients for the sauce, adding enough water to give it something to simmer in.
- Let the sauce come to a simmer and then lower the heat slightly.
- Let it simmer for 30-40 minutes, stirring every once in a while.
- Once the sauce has come together and your onion and other vegetables are soft, remove from heat and pre-heat the oven to 200 C / 392 F.
- Cover the bottom of a large dish with a couple of spoonfuls of the sauce, then press enough pasta sheets down to cover it. Spoon a generous amount of sauce over the sheets. Repeat this process until you’ve used up all your sauce or the dish is full.
- Bake in the middle rack of the oven for 30-35 minutes, checking it now and then to make sure the top isn’t burning (if it’s getting too dark, cover the top in tinfoil).
- Remove and let cool. Cut into squares and enjoy straight away or transfer to boxes for lunches and dinners for the week.
So easy.
