Almost Vegan Eggplant Lasagna

Adapted from NYT’s Eggplant Lasagna recipe and Food with Feeling’s tofu ricotta.

Scraped ice off the windshield this morning, ushering in the winter. Wanted to make some comfort food and picked up an eggplant at the produce market. I have made the tofu ricotta before and it works well in baked dishes. From there, I improvised an eggplant lasagna with what I had on hand based on these two recipes.

Ingredients

For tofu ricotta:

• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 1 medium sweet onion, chopped
• 4 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
• 14 ounces of extra firm tofu, drained and lightly pressed of excess moisture
• 1 1/2 tablespoons of lemon juice
• 1 1/2 tablespoons of nutritional yeast
• 1 teaspoon of fine sea salt, plus more to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon of pepper

For eggplant lasagna:

• 1¼pounds eggplant, sliced and roasted
• 2T extra virgin olive oil, plus additional for drizzling
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 8 ounces ricotta cheese (see tofu ricotta recipe)
• 1 egg (this is why it’s almost vegan. Replace with plant based binder for fullly vegan)
• 2tablespoons water
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 2 C (or one jar) marinara sauce
• ½ pound no-boil lasagna noodles (made mine with shells)
• Chopped fresh basil
• 4 ounces fresh mozzarella, shredded (used So Delicious mozzarella style shreds)
• 4 ounces (1 cup) freshly grated Parmesan (used nutritional yeast)

Instructions

For tofu ricotta

1. In a medium skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Once hot, add in the onion and cook for 5 minutes until they start to turn translucent. Add in the garlic and continue to saute for an additional 2 minutes.
2. Add the onion and garlic mixture to the bowl of a food processor and add in the remaining ingredients. Pulse for a few times so that the ingredients are fully combined but the ricotta still has a bit of chunks and texture to it.

For eggplant lasagna:

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and brush the foil lightly with olive oil. Slice the eggplant ⅓ inch thick, sprinkle with salt and toss with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Place on the baking sheet and roast 15 to 20 minutes, until the slices are lightly colored on the bottom and soft to the tip of a knife. Remove from the oven, and carefully fold the foil over and crimp the edges together. Let the eggplant cool and steam in the foil packet for 20 minutes. Set aside and turn the oven down to 350 degrees.
2. Lightly oil a rectangular baking dish. Blend the ricotta cheese with the egg, water, cinnamon, and salt and pepper to taste. Set aside ½ cup of tomato sauce and 3 tablespoons of Parmesan to make sure you have enough for the top layer of the lasagna.
3. Spread a small spoonful of tomato sauce in a thin layer over the bottom of the baking dish. Top with a layer of lasagna noodles. Top the noodles with a thin layer of ricotta. Spoon on a few dollops then spread it with an offset or a rubber spatula. Top the ricotta with half the eggplant, and sprinkle basil and half the mozzarella over the eggplant. Top with a layer of tomato sauce and a layer of Parmesan. Repeat the layers, then add a final layer of lasagna noodles topped with ricotta if any remains, and most importantly with the tomato sauce and Parmesan you set aside. Drizzle a little bit of olive oil over the top.
4. Cover the baking dish tightly with foil and place in the oven. Bake 40 minutes, until the noodles are tender and the mixture is bubbling. Remove from the heat and allow to sit for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.