As Latinos we assume comfort food can’t have a healthy twist…but it can!

When we think of Latino cooking, vegan doesn’t usually come to mind.  But if you’re thinking of moving toward a healthier diet and trying something new that still has the flavor of home this holiday – now is the time!  Here’s a Latino-style vegan lasagna that’s as flavorful as it is healthy, in moderation of course.

Here’s a few reasons why this meal is great to make:

• One of the best comfort foods: If you’re looking for something hearty, filling and delicious for your belly this is it! It’s a healthier version of the comfort meal you won’t mind indulging in.
• It’s shareable: This vegan lasagna serves 9 so you can have it on the table, warm from the oven, in just an hour to share with your family.
• Great for leftovers: Leftovers for this dish tastes the same if not better than the day before because the ingredients marinate over night. That means a delicious lunch and dinner for the next day or even longer depending on your portions.

Ingredients

Everything here is pretty standard, and should look similar to a traditional lasagna recipe, but there are a couple of vegan changes:

• 16 Lasagna sheets
• 3 cups Vegan Mozzarella (Miyokos or Daiya)
• 2 cups Vegan Ricotta (Tofutti, or simple truth)
• 9-12oz Vegan meat crumbles (Beyond meat)
• 1 Medium size onion (diced)
• 1 Medium size pepper (diced)
• 1 ½ Jar Organic Tomato Sauce
• Garlic (4 cloves minced)
• 2 tablespoons Olive Oil
• Handful of Cilantro
• Basil leaves
• Ground pepper to taste
• Vegetarian Bouillon – 2 tbsp (Better than Bouillon)
• Optional – add eggplant, broccoli or mushrooms

Cooking instructions:

1. Preheat Oven to 350 Degrees F and Cook the Noodles.
2. Sauté the veggies:While pasta is boiling (it took 10 minutes for me) heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the onion, peppers and garlic, and sauté for about 5 minutes, until onions are translucent and fragrant. Add the vegetable bouillon and pepper and cook for another 10 minutes.
3. Cook the Vegan Meat:Add in the vegan meat crumbles and stir to combine. Cook for about 3 minutes. Reduce heat to medium low, add in all the tomato sauces and stir to combine.  Add the cilantro and let it cook for about 3 minutes. Depending on your taste may need to add a bit more vegetable bouillon at this point.  Remove from heat and set aside.
4. Start Building the Lasagna:In a 13” x 9” pan, add a thin layer of the marinara sauce mixture on the bottom and spread with a spatula to create an even bottom layer. Cover the bottom with about 4 lasagna noodles lengthwise, overlapping a bit. This will be your first layer. Pad the sides with noodles, you may need to cut to adjust and fit.
5. Continue Building:Next add some of the marinara sauce mixture (just ensure you have enough for 4 even layers) and then 1/3 of the vegan ricotta, and about 1/3 of the remaining vegan mozzarella on top of the ricotta. Repeat layers until you’ve reached the top layer. Add the remaining sauce on top then sprinkle/spread the previously set aside 1 cup vegan mozzarella over it.
6. Bake:Cover the pan with foil and bake in the oven for 30 minutes covered. Then take off the foil and low broil for about 3-5 minutes to brown the cheese on top. Top with basil, and allow to set on the counter for about 10 minutes before cutting into slices. Cut into 9 or 12 even slices.

Serve and enjoy!

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