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Every once in a while, I change things up in our household when it comes to what we eat. Last spring, we ate almost exclusively a plant-based diet. Things have come a long way from my early days of dabbling with veganism. There are so many great-tasting products on the market to make it easier to skip the animal proteins. There are also many resources for very delicious tasting recipes. One of my favorite cookbook authors is Isa Chandra Moskowitz. Her recipes never disappoint, and I now own many of her books to go to on days we want to go meatless.

One recipe that I have enjoyed is for Roasted Cauliflower Ricotta Lasagna. The original came from Isa’s Appetite for Reduction book. I changed it up to suit my taste and pantry. This recipe is excellent for people who are afraid to try tofu, because it’s just that good, or cannot tolerate dairy in their diet. The mixture of roasted cauliflower and tofu plus seasonings makes a delicious replacement for ricotta found in more traditional lasagnas. I like to add mushrooms because I love them, and they add a ‘meaty’ component. Or try the Beyond Hot Italian Sausage. It is also good and makes the dish even more hearty.

Lasagna with Roasted Cauliflower Filling

Serves Six Generously or Eight With Just Enough

Ingredients

• 1 16-ounces frozen cauliflower florets or medium-size head of cauliflower cut up in 1-inch pieces
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• ½ teaspoon favorite seasoning for roasting veggies, I use a combo of salt, pepper, and granulated garlic
• 1 pound firm tofu
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons dry basil
• ½ teaspoon salt
• Ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 jar your favorite pasta sauce
• 9 ready-bake lasagna noodles, that’s most of a box

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Spread cauliflower out on cookie sheet lined with parchment if you have it, drizzle with oil and sprinkle with seasoning. Bake 10-15 minutes and flip cauliflower pieces and return to oven of another 10 minutes or so, until lightly browned and tender.
3. Crumble tofu into the food processor. Add cauliflower and pulse a few times until it has a uniform consistency. Add lemon juice, basil, and pepper. Pulse a couple of more time to combine.
4. In a 9×13 inch baking pan, pour a thin layer of pasta sauce in bottom. Lay 3 uncooked noodles side-by-side in pan. Spread 1/3 of cauliflower ricotta on top of noodles. Cover with about 1/3 of remaining sauce.
5. Repeat with another layer of noodles, ‘ricotta,’ and sauce.
6. The last layer will be noodles, sauce, and then ‘ricotta.’
7. Cover with foil, place in oven and bake for 30 minutes. Then remove foil and bake for 10-15 minutes more until top is slightly browned.
8. Remove from oven and allow to sit for 5-10 minutes. 

Note: Since most days I only cook for two, I decided to use smaller baking dishes and divide the lasagna into thirds. That gave me one to cook and two to put away in the freezer for later. 

WW Friends, The Smart Points for this dish 6 for the generous serving. Enjoy!

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Lasagna: Really just spaghetti-flavored cake.