Vegan Lasagna

Happy Tuesday everyone! Yesterday, I made an AMAZING Vegan Lasagna and thought I would document it for my own records and give you all a chance to try it out! I wish I would have taken notes step by step and taken photos. I'll be sure to do that on my next big dish endeavor!

JACKIE'S VEGAN LASAGNA

This recipe makes one 9x13inch pan full with about 2.5 lasagna noodles left over. 

It produced 6 large servings and came out at about $3.00 per serving. 

It's not a super cheap dish, but oh boy is it delicious!

Ingredients
1 zuchini
1 yellow summer squash
Baby Spinach
1/2 Sweet Onion
2 medium size tomatoes (one the vine taste the best!)
1 25oz jar tomato sauce (I used Simple truth organic Mushroom Pasta Sauce)
8oz Daiya deliciously dairy free mozzarella style shreds
14oz Lightlife Gimme Lean Ground Sausage Style Veggie Protein
1 box 100% Whole Wheat Lasagna (13.25oz)
Parsley Flakes
Ground (Cayenne) Red Pepper
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (for sauteing)

 Here are some photos of the ingredients you might need to see 

in order to recognize them in a grocery store!

First, fully immerse the Lasagna noodles to soak in cool to room temperature water.
You may leave these soaking while preparing other ingredients.
(I left mine soaking for about 45 minutes, 15 minutes recommended for nonwhole wheat pasta.)
Next, thinly slice Zucchini and yellow squash.
Saute in olive oil over medium heat, just to cook half way.
Put on a large plate and set aside.
Wipe out pan with a paper towel.
Cube both tomatoes to desired size.
Dice onion and about 1/4 cup spinach. Set aside to use as a topping garnish.
Open roll of Lightlife Gimme Lean Ground Sausage and cook in your saute pan as if you were browning ground hamburger. Cook until lightly browned and separated/easy to crumble. It will be a little sticky and won't taste great plain. However, it's a PERFECT match for this lasagna applied in context!

Drain noodles and place on a large plate, gently. Dry out pan if you used it to soak your noodles.

TIME TO BUILD!

Cover the bottom of the pan in thin layer of tomato sauce.
(Careful! The 1 jar has to last you through the whole lasagna!)
Lay down your first layer of lasagna noodles.
Apply another very light coating of tomato sauce to keep the lasagna moist.
Go down each noodle, placing rows of randomly selected Zucchini and Yellow Squash slices.
Go over the top of the squash with rows of Baby Spinach Leaves.
(Apply as many as your family will let you get away with!)
Crumble 1/2 the sausage over the top, dispersing evenly.
1/4 of the Mozzarella Style Shreds Sprinkled evenly.

Cover with another layer of Lasagna Noodles.

Coating of Tomato Sauce.
Remaining Zucchini and Yellow Squash.
The rest of the Veggie Sausage.
Both diced tomatoes.
1/4 of the Mozzarella Style Shreds.

Cover with the last layer of Lasagna Noodles

Top with the remaining Tomato Sauce.
Sprinkle diced spinach.
Remainder of the Mozzarella Style Shreds (1/2 bag)
Sprinkle diced Sweet Onion.
Apply Parsley Flakes and Ground (Cayenne) Red Pepper to taste.

I prepared this in the morning, covered it and put it in the fridge for the noodles to soak up flavor and for the seasonings to really get a chance to intermingle. When I got home from work, I covered it with foil, poked some fork holes in the top, and popped it in the oven at 400 Degrees F for 50 minutes.

Buen Provecho!