• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • About
    • The story behind the name
    • My Journey to Veganism
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Sponsor

Fried Dandelions — Plant Based Recipes

Kid tested, family friendly, allergy safe vegan recipes!

  • Recipes
    • Appetizer
    • Beverage
    • Breakfast
    • Dessert
    • Entree
    • Kid-Friendly
    • Lunch
    • Salad
    • Side Dish
    • Snack
  • Food Allergies
  • Shop
    • Fried Dandelions’ Favorites
    • Veganize Me
    • Let It Snow E-Book
  • Articles
    • Vegan Resource Articles
    • Guest Posts & Press

Eas(ier) Lasagna

October 13, 2012 By Sarah Leave a Comment

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest

Last night I made lasagna for dinner. I hadn’t made a vegan version yet, as I wasn’t really sure what I was going to do about the cheese. Then last week, while making a recipe from Chloe’s Kitchen, I came up with an idea. She had a pine nut spread that used garlic and lemon, and used it as a replacement for ricotta in an Italian dish. I tinkered with the ingredients to make it work for this dish and it tasted great. Now, I wouldn’t go as far as saying that this pine nut spread is a cheese. Let’s face it, its just not! But it is delicious! Let’s call things what they really are and think of it more like a creamy pesto spread.

Its been a hectic week, and my little guy is still sick, so I worked to make this a quick and easy, but really healthy dish. Ok, you’re right, lasagna is never “easy,” but this is easier for sure. Quick prep and lots of downtime. I used jarred sauce and no-boil noodles. I quickly sautéed some veggies, pureed my pesto nut spread, washed some fresh kale and layered it all together. Into the oven for 45 minutes while I played with my little buddy and dinner was ready!

Eas(ier) Lasagna
1 package no-boil lasagna noodles
1 jar marinara sauce (or make your own)
veggies, diced small, to sauté (I used 2 small zucchinis, 1 medium yellow squash, and about 1 ½ cups of mushrooms)
olive oil
oregano
salt and pepper
pesto nut spread, recipe below, can be made in advance
3 c raw kale or spinach (about half of a large bundle)
½ – 1 c panko bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 375.

Sauté vegies in olive oil until a bit tender, add salt and pepper, and a sprinkle of oregano and cook a minute longer.

Place about 1 cup of marinara sauce on the bottom of a large oven proof dish. Place a layer of no-boil noodles over top to cover, breaking as needed to fit. Spread a third of the nut mixture on top of the noodles. Then place a third of the veggies on top, a third of the kale, and then another thin layer of read sauce, about a quarter of what’s remaining in the jar. Repeat twice, and then top with 1 more layer of noodles, followed by the rest of the red sauce. Sprinkle liberally with bread crumbs.

layers of veggies ready to meld together

Cover tightly with foil and place in oven. The foil is essential for the no-boil noodles—they need the steam to cook thoroughly, without it they will stay crispy. Remove foil after 45 minutes and let the top crisp up for a minute. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes before cutting to keep all of the layers together. Enjoy!

Pesto Nut Spread
1 c cashews
½ c pine nuts
1 roasted head of garlic, or 2 cloves raw if pressed for time
juice of 1 lemon
½ c water, or more to desired consistency
1 ½ oz fresh basil (about 1 c packed leaves)
3 T nutritional yeast (optional)
salt and pepper to taste

Place nuts in saucepan and cover with water. Boil for 10 minutes and drain. Add to food processor with remaining ingredients and puree until smooth (will need to run for a few minutes).


Filed Under: Entree, Recipe Tagged With: cashews, kale, lasagna, mushrooms, panko, pasta, pine nuts, tomato, zucchini

Previous Post: « Mujadara—Middle Eastern Rice Pilaf
Next Post: Pumpkin Gnocchi »

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

  • Bloglovin
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

FREE DELIVERY!

Sign up to receive new blog posts hand delivered to your inbox! PLUS you'll receive a free downloadable kitchen art print when you subscribe!

Hi! I'm Sarah.

Welcome to my corner of the internet, where I share family friendly vegan recipes with an allergy safe spin. I'm so glad you're here! Read more about Sarah »

Instagram

Are you on Facebook?

Footer

Affiliate Notice

This site contains affiliate links, which means I earn a small commission if you make a purchase through those links. I only recommend brands I personally use and trust. Thanks for supporting Fried Dandelions!

Copyright Notice

Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Sarah De la Cruz and Fried Dandelions with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

PRIVACY POLICY

Please click here to view Privacy Policy.

Copyright © 2025 Fried Dandelions · CONTACT · ABOUT

MENU
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Recipes
  • About Me
    • The story behind the name
    • My Journey to Veganism
  • Contact Me
  • Articles
    • Guest Posts & Press
    • Reviews
    • Vegan Resource Articles
  • Food Allergies
  • Shop
    • Fried Dandelions’ Favorites
    • Veganize Me
    • Let It Snow E-book
  • Sponsor