I am super excited to share this recipe as a follow-up to last week's Everyday Veggie-Loaded Ragu share. For forever, it was a no-brainer to make a lasagna later the same week I make up a big batch of my go-to ragu. I literally don't know a single person who doesn't like lasagna, do you? But when we began limiting dairy and gluten consumption (among other things) at the end of 2016, it seemed our lasagna days were over.
Bye bye.
Or so I thought.
Since December 2016, I have been on an endless (sometimes frustrating) quest to find new things we can eat, to replace all of the things given up at the family dinner table. Things such as cheese and cream and pasta - aka the ESSENTIALS in a lasagna.
Luckily, I made a life-changing discovery of using nuts as a dairy / cheese substitute. It does sound super weird, but it has actually been used this way (by vegans in particular) for years. Soaked to soften and blended with water, nuts (such as almonds, cashews, macadamia, etc) can be transformed into a smooth and velvety consistency that is surprisingly and delightfully creamy. My friends are most likely tired of hearing me rave about how much I love (am obsessed with) nut milks and my nut milk coffee creamer. The 'cashew béchamel' in this dairy-free lasagna is a thicker nut milk ("cream") used in place of the cream-based béchamel sauce and melted cheese in traditional lasagna. It lends a luscious creaminess to the lasagna that would otherwise be missing in a dairy-free lasagna! I also found a fantastic brown rice lasagna noodle to make it gluten-free too!
My husband says this lasagna is just as satisfying as the one I used to make, if not better. It also has the upside of not making you feel heavy and lethargic afterwards, which a cheese-loaded one might. As for the girls, well, they still ask for seconds and thirds and basically didn't notice that my lasagna is now cheese / dairy-free. This either means:
a. they have the numbest palate in the world,
b. they're too polite to criticize the lack of cheese even though they miss it (ha! have you met a 3 year old lately? they do not know how to spare feelings), OR
c. this version is as scrumptious as the 'real deal'.
Well you know what they say. In multiple choice, the answer is always c. Whether that is true or not, this version has in fact become 'the real deal' lasagna in our house. Try and let me know if you agree!
MAKE IN ADVANCE:
CASHEW CREAM can be made in advance and stored refrigerated in a tightly-covered container for 5-6 days.
BAKE FROM FROZEN: Lasagna can be assembled and frozen. Use an oven-safe, freezer-safe dish and tightly wrap it up. I like to put a layer of foil followed by one or two layers of plastic wrap. Label with content and date. It can be frozen for at least a month or so and reheated directly from the freezer in the oven. Remove the plastic wrap layers and loosen the foil layer so that it forms a loose tent. Bake until the filling is completely heated through and sizzling (a meat thermometer inserted in the middle should read 165f). This may take 60 minutes or more. For the last 10 minutes, remove the foil completely so the top can get a nice brown.
VEGAN VERSION: Sub in your favorite veggie pasta sauce instead of meat ragu.
Lasagna with Cashew Béchamel
{ gluten-free, dairy-free }
Recipe makes one 8" x 10" lasagna or serves 4-5.
INGREDIENTS
For the cashew 'béchamel' cream:
1 C raw unsalted cashews, soaked 3 hours minimum (see Method below and why soak nuts here)
1/2 tsp kosher salt
Small handful of fresh parsley leaves
For the lasagna:
1 280g package dry rice lasagna noodles (I use this brand which has great texture when cooked)
5 C Everyday Veggie-Loaded Ragu (or your favorite pasta sauce)
METHOD
1. Soak cashews with approximately double the amount of water for 3-4 hours or overnight, whichever is more convenient. Drain and rinse very well in fresh water. Place in blender with about 3/4C fresh water and the salt and blend until smooth.
2. Preheat oven to 350f. Boil lasagna noodles according to package instructions but under cook at least 2 minutes or so since lasagna will be going into the oven. You may want to do the noodles in batches depending how large your pot is. Drain and lay not touching each other to avoid sticking (I park them on a large wooden cutting boards).
3. Begin assembling the layers in an approx 8" x 10" rectangular oven-safe dish. Begin with a thin layer of sauce on the bottom of the dish (use about 3/4C), followed by 3 strips of noodles, 1C of sauce, 1/3C of cashew cream and 3 more strips of lasagna noodles. Continue this way until you have 4 layers of noodles. There should be about 1 1/4C of sauce as well as just over 1/3C of cashew cream to generously cover the top. For the cashew cream, I like to drop blobs of it all over and then smoosh it around just a tiny bit with the back of the spoon. I like the way it looks that way. :)
4. Bake the lasagna for about 30 minutes or until thoroughly heated through and the top is just starting to brown. Allow it to sit a few minutes before cutting and serving.
Enjoy and thank you for reading! xx
