Kale Lasagna Diavolo with vegan Tofu Ricotta

This is my first attempt at writing a recipe, so bear with me and if you need any clarification, please let me know!

When Barb at That Was Vegan? posted a recipe for tofu ricotta, I knew I had to try it in a lasagna recipe I had made before. This Kale Lasagna Diavolo recipe came from the Jan/Feb 2011 issue of Vegetarian Times. Robert is a huge fan of lasagna and this recipe is easy to throw together and fairly healthy. The chili flakes infused the sauce with just the right amount of heat. Of course, you can always add more to adjust to your particular taste; I happen to prefer to be able to still feel things on my tongue after I eat them 🙂 I also love that this dish is made in an 8×8 pan; perfect for a dinner for two.

Barb’s Tofu Ricotta recipe can be found here. The only adjustments I made were adding some fresh rosemary, tarragon, and parsley to the mix (about a tablespoon worth), and that was only because I needed to use them up before they died. I must say, I loved the smell of this ricotta as it cooked and frankly, I thought it tasted better than non-vegan ricotta anyway.

I made a few changes to the lasagna recipe as well. I used no-bake lasagna noodles and when I made this in the past, 2 cups of tomato puree just was not enough. I think the no-bake noodles soak up way more of this sauce than the recipe writers thought because it came out way too dry. So I upped the amount to 3 cups. Even then, there was not a lot of sauce leftover so next time I might go up to 4 cups. I tend to like my pasta saucy, especially with lasagna, so if you make it this way you might find 3 cups adequate or even 2 if you use cooked noodles. Also, I assume tomato puree means tomato sauce, so that’s what I used (3- 8oz cans).

I had a quarter of a white onion left over that needed using so I finely diced that and sautéed it a bit before adding the garlic. It added a nice depth of flavor, I think.

I omitted the goat cheese and parmesan. I know they make vegan parm, but I don’t use parm that often, so I figured leaving it out wouldn’t hurt anything. Of course add it if you have it!

Kale Lasagna Diavolo with Vegan Tofu Ricotta (adapted from a Vegetarian Times recipe, found here)

• 1 tsp. olive oil, plus more for oiling      pan
• 1 8-oz. bunch kale, stems removed
• 1 batch of the Best Tofu Ricotta, or      15oz of vegan ricotta of your choice
• 2 cloves garlic, minced (2 tsp.)
• ¼ white onion, diced
• 3  cups prepared tomato purée
• 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 6 lasagna noodles, cooked and drained,      or 6 no-cook lasagna noodles

Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat 8-inch square baking pan with oil.

2. Cook kale in large pot of boiling salted water 2 minutes. Drain, and rinse under cold water until cool enough to handle. Thoroughly wring out kale, then chop. Season with salt and pepper, if desired, and set aside.

3. Heat 1 tsp. oil in small saucepan over medium-low heat. Add onion and cook until translucent, then add garlic and cook 15 seconds, or until fragrant. Add tomato purée and red pepper flakes; simmer 5 minutes, or until thickened.

4. Spread 1 cup sauce in prepared baking pan. Place 2 lasagna noodles on top of sauce. Top with half of cheese mixture, half of kale, and 1 cup sauce. Top with two more noodles, remaining cheese, and remaining kale. Top with remaining lasagna noodles, and cover with remaining sauce. Bake 35-40 minutes.

I didn’t think to take a picture before eating, and there were no leftovers, but that should attest to how good it was! Anyway, mine looked pretty much like this anyway:

I have to think that even though the original recipe was fairly healthy, this version is even better since it uses tofu instead of ricotta and goat cheese, but I’m no nutritionist. Just trust me when I say that I can easliy make this for dinner with no grumbles about not using ‘real’ cheese.

---