Submitted by: David Grappo
Recipe by: David Grappo

Servings: 6-8

This recipe adapts and modifies the ingredients and techniques in Susan Voisin’s “My Favorite Lasagna” recipe (on this website) and Neal Pinckney’s “Lasagna Romana” recipe from his Healthy Heart Handbook. My wife Anne came up with the garbanzo substitution for tofu. For the adventurous, consider substituting other beans such as pinto, black or white. Alternatively, skip the beans entirely and get a great result using a pound of cooked winter squash such as butternut or acorn instead.

Vegetables:

0.5 cup or so chopped onion
2 peeled and shredded carrots (optional)
0.5 lb chopped mushrooms
3 cloves chopped garlic (optional)
0.25 cup chopped olives (optional)
10 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed
1 lb cooked garbanzo beans, or one can, drained

Tomato Sauce:

Mix 40-50 oz. more or less of any canned and/or bottled/jar tomato products. Crushed tomatoes or any sauce will be the right texture. If you use a can of diced or sliced tomatoes, balance it with a can of paste to reduce watering down of the sauce mix. If you use a preseasoned sauce, you can reduce the added seasonings.

Seasonings: (more or less to taste)

2 tbs nutritional yeast (optional)
1 tsp salt
0.5 tsp black pepper
1.5 tsp oregano
2 tsp basil
dash of cayenne (optional)
1 tsp Mrs. Dash or similar herb mix (optional)
1 tsp crushed rosemary
0.25 cup chopped parsley

Braising liquids:

0.25 cups of any non-fat liquid. Water, broth, soy sauce, beer, wine, or tequila will all do fine. Use more liquid if needed to keep vegetables from sticking to the pan.

Noodles

Use 9 lasagna noodles if you use a standard 9x12x2 inch pan. Bigger pans need more noodles to get “total noodle coverage.” Don’t pre-cook the noodles even if using whole wheat noodles. They fully cook and absorb liquid during the baking process.

Cooking Directions:

Assembling and preparing ingredients for lasagna can take about an hour, but the results are worth the effort. Start by preparing the vegetables and seasonings as indicated above.

Braise the onions and carrots in the liquid for about 5 minutes, then add the mushrooms and garlic and continue to braise for another 3-4 minutes until the mushrooms are soft. Add all the tomato sauce to the onion-mushroom mix. Continue to heat at low to medium. In a separate bowl, mash the garbanzos into a paste; then mix the spinach and olives into the garbanzos. Mix the seasonings together; then mix them into either the sauce or the tofu mix, or into both.

Pour half the tomato mix into the bottom of a 9x12x2 pan. Greasing is not necessary. Cover with a first layer of 3 noodles. Spread half the garbanzo mix over the noodles. Cover with a second layer of 3 noodles. Spread the rest of the garbanzo mix on top. Cover with the third layer of 3 noodles. Pour the remainder of the tomato sauce on top. Set your pan on a large cookie tray (to catch drippings – it’s easier to clean the tray than the bottom of your oven). Rest a sheet of aluminum foil on top of all to stop spattering. Bake for 50 minutes or so in a preheated 350-degree oven. Let cool for 10-15 minutes.

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