How do you make the best vegan lasagne? Everything you need to know, from making dairy-free ricotta cheese and recipes to try.
With interchanging layers of noodles, melty cheese, bechamel, and tomato sauce, lasagne is one of the world’s most perfect foods. You can customize it with vegetables or meaty crumbles and it’s a reliable meal for potlucks and make-ahead weeknight dinners. No worries — this traditionally non-vegan tray of pure comfort is easy to make vegan.
A Brief History of Lasagne
Lasagne is one of Italy’s oldest dishes. According to Italy Magazine, making pasta — boiling a simple mixture of flour and water — dates back to the Middle Ages. These flat, wide noodles, called lagana, were one of the most popular ways to eat pasta. Lasagne was an indulgent dish, even centuries ago. Italian friar Salimbene di Adam described one of his colleagues eating lasagne in 1284: “I’ve never seen anyone stuffing himself on lasagna with cheese so pleasurably and so fully as him.”
It wasn’t until the 1880s in Naples that tomato became integral to lasagne recipes. And it didn’t become the multi-layered feast that it is today until Francesco Zambrini from Bologna introduced it in the 19th century.
As ancient as lasagne is, the modern version was popularized by Italian-American immigrants. Every family had its own special way of serving lasagne, customizing it with sausage, family recipes for tomato sauce, ground beef, and vegetables. Today’s lasagne features layers of flat pasta made with eggs, ragù sauce, and béchamel baked until the top is crispy. But, again — every family has their own way of doing things. It’s part of the beauty of lasagne.
What Is Ricotta Cheese?
Ricotta is a light, spongey, tangy cheese that gets between layers of savoury sauce and lasagne noodles. According to Bon Appétit, ricotta is a whey cheese. In traditional cheese making, milk is separated into curds — the solid part — and whey, the liquid left behind. Leftover whey is repurposed to make ricotta by heating it up with a splash of whole milk and vinegar or citrus juice. The small number of curds left behind to coagulate and once big enough, are strained through a cheesecloth. The soft, crumbly cheese left is ricotta.
Ricotta is used in manicotti, lasagne, baked ziti, stuffed shells, as a spread, and on pizza. The cream filling in cannoli is usually made from ricotta. Although ricotta is made with dairy, it’s easy to make a vegan version using nuts or tofu.
Best Vegan Cheese for Lasagne
So, what’s the best dairy-free cheese for lasagne? Most lasagne recipes include ricotta, mozzarella, and a sprinkling of parmesan. There are store-bought versions available for all three. Try Tofutti or Kite Hill for vegan ricotta. You can also make your own from tofu or cashews. This recipe from Veggies Don’t Bite uses cauliflower, cashews, and almonds.
For mozzarella, try Daiya, Miyoko’s Creamery, or Follow Your Heart. Cashews — blended up with dairy-free milk, nutritional yeast, and tapioca starch — make for a stretchy dairy-free mozzarella. Greek brand Violife makes a vegan parmesan block that grates like the real thing. Go Veggie makes vegan parm that comes in a shaker. You can also use nutritional yeast or make your own, like this cashew-based recipe. Hemp seeds are good for a nut-free version, like in this hemp parmesan recipe.
Want to kick it up a notch further? Try adding vegan meat crumbles. Brands that make them include Gardein, Beyond Meat, Boca, and MorningStar Farms. You could also use textured vegetable protein (TVP), an old school plant-based protein that’s cheap and has a meaty texture. When gathering ingredients to make your own vegan lasagne, look for egg-free noodles. You can get them from brands like Whole Foods 365, Banza, Explore Cuisine, San Giorgio, and Tinkyada.
Best Vegan Lasagne Recipes
Looking to make your own vegan lasagne? Look no further. Here are seven recipes to try. Follow this link...
No comments:
Post a Comment