Lasagna was a HUGE favorite in my house growing up. My mom used to make it a few times a month and I always looked forward to it. Since going dairy and egg free, I've missed out on this delicious dinner so much. I've tried making lasagna using tofu "ricotta". Let me just say that if you like the taste of poster paint, then you would probably like tofu as a cheese substitute. But, since my family doesn't have to same appetite as a curious kindergartener, I had to come up with a different cheesy-like alternative.
Have you heard of the word ROUX?( It's pronounced "ROO") It's basically a fatty substance such as oil or butter mixed with flour that's cooked for a few minutes and whisked into some liquid to form a thick, creamy sauce. That is just the base. You can add seasonings, unsweetened almond milk, broths, mustards, or vinegars to mix up the taste. I was rushed making this lasagna yesterday so I didn't take pictures of making the roux, but I will make another post later with pictures.
My husband and kids were pleasantly surprised by this lasagna, considering how awful the last tofu one was. I'm not promising this tastes JUST like traditional lasagna, but it's MUCH better than using tofu and it's amazing considering there's no dairy or eggs in it! Also, the spinach blends in smoothly to add an extra punch of vitamins...my kids didn't even know spinach was in there!
Have you heard of the word ROUX?( It's pronounced "ROO") It's basically a fatty substance such as oil or butter mixed with flour that's cooked for a few minutes and whisked into some liquid to form a thick, creamy sauce. That is just the base. You can add seasonings, unsweetened almond milk, broths, mustards, or vinegars to mix up the taste. I was rushed making this lasagna yesterday so I didn't take pictures of making the roux, but I will make another post later with pictures.
My husband and kids were pleasantly surprised by this lasagna, considering how awful the last tofu one was. I'm not promising this tastes JUST like traditional lasagna, but it's MUCH better than using tofu and it's amazing considering there's no dairy or eggs in it! Also, the spinach blends in smoothly to add an extra punch of vitamins...my kids didn't even know spinach was in there!
Dairy Free Lasagna
1 lb. bulk sausage (I used homemade deer sausage)
1 can Hunt's Garlic & Herb spaghetti sauce
1 tbsp. dried Italian seasoning
1 1/2 cups warm water
9 uncooked whole wheat lasagna noodles
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup flour
3 cups chicken broth
1 tsp. seasoned salt
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tbsp. Mrs. Dash Onion & Herb No Salt seasoning
2 tbsp. rice vinegar
8 cups baby spinach
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a skillet over medium high heat, scramble fry sausage until browned. Add spaghetti sauce, seasoning and water. Simmer for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a medium sized pot over medium high heat, heat olive oil. When it ripples, whisk in flour. Whisk and cook for 2 minutes. Mixture will be somewhat dry. Slowly add chicken broth, whisking the whole time. Turn heat up to high until mixture boils and thickens. Add seasoned salt, garlic powder, onion & herb seasoning and rice vinegar. Stir together, turn off heat and set aside.
Pour one cup of sauce into the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan. Lay 3 noodles length wise and cover with 1/3 of sauce. Sprinkle 1/3 of spinach over sauce and spoon 1/3 of roux over spinach. Lay 3 more noodles down and repeat layers until you've used all ingredients. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let rest for at least 10 minutes before enjoying!
*The reason I recommend Hunt's Garlic & Herb spaghetti sauce is because they don't add cheese into their sauce like a lot of other brands. Use any kind of spaghetti sauce, but be careful when shopping for spaghetti sauces and always check labels.
1 can Hunt's Garlic & Herb spaghetti sauce
1 tbsp. dried Italian seasoning
1 1/2 cups warm water
9 uncooked whole wheat lasagna noodles
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup flour
3 cups chicken broth
1 tsp. seasoned salt
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tbsp. Mrs. Dash Onion & Herb No Salt seasoning
2 tbsp. rice vinegar
8 cups baby spinach
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a skillet over medium high heat, scramble fry sausage until browned. Add spaghetti sauce, seasoning and water. Simmer for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a medium sized pot over medium high heat, heat olive oil. When it ripples, whisk in flour. Whisk and cook for 2 minutes. Mixture will be somewhat dry. Slowly add chicken broth, whisking the whole time. Turn heat up to high until mixture boils and thickens. Add seasoned salt, garlic powder, onion & herb seasoning and rice vinegar. Stir together, turn off heat and set aside.
Pour one cup of sauce into the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan. Lay 3 noodles length wise and cover with 1/3 of sauce. Sprinkle 1/3 of spinach over sauce and spoon 1/3 of roux over spinach. Lay 3 more noodles down and repeat layers until you've used all ingredients. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let rest for at least 10 minutes before enjoying!
*The reason I recommend Hunt's Garlic & Herb spaghetti sauce is because they don't add cheese into their sauce like a lot of other brands. Use any kind of spaghetti sauce, but be careful when shopping for spaghetti sauces and always check labels.