Spinach & Artichoke Lasagna Rolls with White Sauce

While this recipe makes 8-9 rolls, you could easily double the recipe and make a big casserole dish to eat like regular lasagna to serve a big crowd. Adding miso and tofu to the filling gives you ricotta-like texture without taking away from all of the spinach and artichoke flavor loaded into the mixture.  While a creamy white sauce tastes absolutely perfect, try a marinara sauce or even a pesto for different variations.

Two Years Ago Today Deconstructed Tacos

Baby spinach, artichoke hearts, garlic and cheesy tofu are cooked together and rolled up in sheets of lasagna to create the cutest little rolls of traditional white lasagna. Serve with a thick, cashew based cream sauce and a green salad.

Cashew Cream Sauce
1 cup raw cashews (soaked and drained for 6 hours if you do not have a high powered blender)
1/2 cup almond milk
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
2 tbl tahini
2 garlic cloves, smashed
salt and pepper, to taste

 Combine all of the ingredients in a blender and blend for 4-5 minutes until thick and creamy. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Add more almond milk or water to thin out the sauce if it gets too thick when you heat it up.

Spinach & Artichoke Lasagna Rolls
serves 3
10 sheets of lasagna pasta
2 tbl extra virgin olive oil
1 small yellow onion, small dice
1-15oz can artichoke hearts, drained and rinsed
3 garlic cloves, minced
12 oz extra firm tofu, drained and rinsed
6 oz baby spinach leaves
salt and pepper
2 tbl white miso
1/4 tsp nutmeg

Preheat the oven to 350.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add the pasta. Cook for 12 minutes, drain and let cool.
While the pasta is cooking, saute the onion and artichoke hearts in olive oil until tender and fragrant, 7 minutes. Add the garlic and crumble in the tofu. Add the spinach in handfuls until it is wilted down and can all fit in the pan. Season with salt, pepper, miso and nutmeg. Saute the mixture over medium-high heat for 15 minutes until the tofu is cooked through.
Transfer the mixture to a food processor and pulse a few times to break down the mixture until it is spreadable, but not completely mushy.
Lay the strips of pasta on the counter and spread the filling over the entire piece of each strip.
Spoon some white sauce on the bottom of a small casserole dish and pack the lasagna rolls in tightly, seam side down.
Bake for 30 minutes and serve with warm cashew sauce on top.

White Lasagna

I want to take a photo class called "How to take pictures of casseroles and make them look appetizing" because so far I have not had much luck!
Regardless, this is my twist on lasagna using thinly sliced potato instead of pasta. Of course you could use pasta instead with the same cooking time, but why not try something new? The filling is hearty and filled with fresh herbs and tons of texture. If you are not a fan of white sauce or don't like vegan cheese, try making this with my marinara recipe for a more traditional take. The ingredients list seems long but this recipe can be made in a single saute pan, making clean up a breeze. Just follow the directions, making each layer one at a time. Scroll to the bottom of this recipe for easy swaps to make this lasagna gluten free.

Caramelized cremini mushrooms, onions and sage layered between thin potato slices, creamy white cheese sauce and crispy seitan with spinach, oven baked until golden brown and bubbly.

White Lasagna
serves 3-4
6 tbl extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 small white onion, half moons
3 cup thinly sliced cremini mushrooms
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp dried sage
1/2 tsp salt
8 oz ground seitan
1 tbl fresh thyme
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups baby spinach
salt and pepper
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 cup vegetable broth
2 tbl ap flour
1 garlic clove, minced
2 cups unsweetened almond milk
1 cup vegan mozzarella cheese (Daiya) plus 1/4 cup for sprinkling
2 large russet potatoes, skin on

In a large saute pan, heat 1 tbl of oil and saute the onions over medium heat until soft and translucent, 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms, pepper, sage and 1 more tbl of oil and raise the heat to medium high. Saute for 7 minutes until the mushrooms are caramelized and browned. Now salt to taste and transfer this mixture to a plate.
Add 2 tbl of oil to the pan and brown the seitan with salt, pepper and thyme. Add the garlic, spinach, red pepper flakes and vegetable broth and cook until the spinach has wilted completely and the broth has evaporated. Transfer the seitan mixture to a plate.
Add the remaining 2 tbl of oil to the saute pan. Sprinkle in 2 tbl of flour and whisk into a smooth paste, cook over medium low heat for 1 minute to get rid of that raw flour flavor. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more while whisking. While still whisking, pour in the almond milk and stir into a smooth cream sauce. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Add the cheese and whisk until the cheese has melted. Add the vegetable broth to thin the sauce down a bit. Taste and season if necessary.
Slice the potatoes as thin as you can, or use a mandolin and preheat the oven to 350. Assemble in a loaf pan so the lasagna is really tall and thick.
Spread a bit of sauce on the bottom of the loaf pan to lightly coat. Line the bottom with two layers of potato, cut the potatoes to ensure they don't overlap and are in an even layer. Spread half of the seitan mixture over the potatoes. Top with 2 more layers of potato. Spread half of the cheese mixture over the potatoes. Top with 2 more layers of potato. Add all of the mushroom layer next and top with 2 more layers of potato. Add the rest of the seitan mix and 2 more layers of potato on top. Press to compact everything down tightly and pour the remaining cheese sauce on top. Cover with foil and bake for 90 minutes. Remove the foil, sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup cheese and bake 10 minutes more until browned and bubbly. Let rest for a bit before serving.

*For gluten free White Lasagna, substitute equal parts seitan with tempeh and replace 2 tbl of flour in the white sauce with 1 tbl cornstarch.