Many of my recipes involve recreating favorite dishes from my pre-vegan days, and this one is no different. Having Italian heritage, lasagna was one of my favorites. Since it is a more labor-intensive dish than most, it tended to be something we had only once in a while or for a special occasion. My recreation involves a few shortcuts.
The first is that to make the sauce, instead of simmering the tomatoes, I roasted them in the oven to really bring out the flavor and then added a red bell pepper into the mix for a little bit of sweetness. The next thing was to create rolls instead of the traditional layered lasagna. Honestly, I'm not sure if this saved any time but it sure did make a nice presentation.
What's great about this version is that you're getting 8-9g of plant based protein from the tofu cheese but zero cholesterol. This is a hearty, homemade dish that will give you all the flavors of a traditional lasagna but made healthy and cruelty-free.
The first is that to make the sauce, instead of simmering the tomatoes, I roasted them in the oven to really bring out the flavor and then added a red bell pepper into the mix for a little bit of sweetness. The next thing was to create rolls instead of the traditional layered lasagna. Honestly, I'm not sure if this saved any time but it sure did make a nice presentation.
What's great about this version is that you're getting 8-9g of plant based protein from the tofu cheese but zero cholesterol. This is a hearty, homemade dish that will give you all the flavors of a traditional lasagna but made healthy and cruelty-free.
Vegan Italian Recipes: Zucchini Eggplant Lasagna Rolls
YIELDS
12 rolls
PREP TIME
COOK TIME
TOTAL TIME
- 1 large eggplant
- 1 large zucchini
- Sauce:
- 2 tomatoes
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- to taste sea salt
- Tofu Cheese:
- 1 (14 oz) block firm tofu
- 1/3 cup nutritional yeast
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning, dried
- 1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 lemon, juiced
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Line a baking sheet with foil, cut tomatoes and red pepper into quarters, drizzle with olive oil, and place in the oven for 30 minutes.
3. While the tomatoes and peppers are in the oven, slice the eggplant and zucchini. Sprinkle sea salt on both sides of the eggplant slices and let sit for 10-15 minutes to draw the moisture out.
4. Lay the vegetable slices on a greased baking sheet and place in the oven; bake for 20 min, turning once halfway through.
5. As all the vegetables are in the oven, take the ingredients for the cheese, add them to the food processor, and pulse until well combined. Set aside.
6. Take the vegetables out of the oven. Let eggplant and zucchini cool. Add the tomatoes and pepper into the blender. Season and blend until smooth.
7. Add a scoop of tofu cheese to the end of the vegetable strips and roll them up.
8. Pour a small amount of the sauce into the bottom of a baking dish. Arrange lasagna rolls and then top with more sauce. Bake for 20 more minutes.
2. Line a baking sheet with foil, cut tomatoes and red pepper into quarters, drizzle with olive oil, and place in the oven for 30 minutes.
3. While the tomatoes and peppers are in the oven, slice the eggplant and zucchini. Sprinkle sea salt on both sides of the eggplant slices and let sit for 10-15 minutes to draw the moisture out.
4. Lay the vegetable slices on a greased baking sheet and place in the oven; bake for 20 min, turning once halfway through.
5. As all the vegetables are in the oven, take the ingredients for the cheese, add them to the food processor, and pulse until well combined. Set aside.
6. Take the vegetables out of the oven. Let eggplant and zucchini cool. Add the tomatoes and pepper into the blender. Season and blend until smooth.
7. Add a scoop of tofu cheese to the end of the vegetable strips and roll them up.
8. Pour a small amount of the sauce into the bottom of a baking dish. Arrange lasagna rolls and then top with more sauce. Bake for 20 more minutes.
Also by Kathryn: Grilled Sweet Potatoes with Avocado Chimicurri Sauce
Related: Vegan and Gluten-Free Eggplant Lasagna
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Photos: Kathryn Farrugia
