My Grandma Whalen started making vegetarian lasagna to accompany the traditional prime rib at Christmas dinner once Auntie Rae became a vegetarian in the mid-1980s. She followed the Jane Brody cookbook and used ricotta cheese and wheat noodles. I used Grandma’s vegetarian lasagna recipe whenever I hosted Christmas dinner up until 2020. That year, I invited my new friend, Jenn, who followed a gluten- and dairy-free diet. When I told her about my vegetarian lasagna tradition, she suggested sweet potato and eggplant “noodles” and cashew “cheese” to make the recipe match her dietary needs. The much-loved family favorite became even better with Jenn’s changes, and now I make it year-round. –Sparkleblaster
The cheese:
- Soak 1 cup raw cashews overnight
- Drain soaked cashews, add ½ cup fresh water and 1 tbsp coconut oil, blend until smooth, adding more water as needed (I often double this to make sure I have enough because I like it cheesy. You can use leftover cheese for all kinds of other stuff.)
The noodles:
- 1 or 2 eggplants and 2-3 sweet potatoes, long + skinny work best, eyeball enough to make three layers in a 9 x 13 pan
- Thin slice, coat with oil, bake at 400° for 10-15 min (enough to soften but not brown)
The seasoning:
(I keep this premade in my spice cabinet, ala Grandma Whalen. We call it AHA herb mix. If you don’t have some of the ingredients on hand, make it without, and it will be fine! i.e., I never use mace ‘cause I never have it, and I rarely have savory.)
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon of each of the following ground seasonings:
- basil
- thyme
- parsley
- savory
- mace
- onion powder
- black pepper
- sage
(If you use dried leaves, it’s 1 ½ teaspoons of basil, parsley, and sage, and 1 ¼ teaspoon of thyme and savory; grind all)
Mix everything together to create the AHA
The veggies:
- 1 ½ cups chopped onion
- 2+ large garlic cloves, finely minced (2 teaspoons)
- 6 ounces mushrooms, coarsely chopped
- 3 tablespoons sherry
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 large stalks
- broccoli, chopped (about 4 c), stems and flowerets
- ½ pound spinach, washed well and chopped (about 2 c packed)
- ½-1½ teaspoon AHA herb mix (I use at least a full teaspoon)
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley or 1 tablespoon dried parsley
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3 cups tomato sauce (store-bought or your own special recipe)
In a large pan, sauté the onion, garlic, and mushrooms in sherry and butter until the vegetables are soft. Add the chopped broccoli, spinach, AHA herb mix, parsley, pepper, and salt. Stir to combine, reduce heat, cover pan, and simmer the mixture for about 5 minutes or until the broccoli is tender-crisp.
Assembly:
In a 9 x 13 baking pan, spread ½ cup of tomato sauce on the bottom. Arrange three strips of sweet potato “noodles” to cover the bottom of the pan. Spread half of the cheese, then half of the veggies, and then 1 cup of tomato sauce. Add another layer of sweet potato “noodles” followed by a cheese layer, a veggie layer, and 1 cup of tomato sauce. End with a layer of eggplant “noodles” topped with the remaining ½ cup of tomato sauce. Sprinkle the top with additional cheese. Bake at 375° for 25 minutes. Let stand for about 10 minutes before serving.
