Sweet Potato Lasagna Recipe

This is a great cold weather meal. One big batch will make for a number of healthy lunches to help with your New Year’s Resolutions. If you are cutting out the gluten you have lots of options. My favorite is to use zucchini and/or eggplant. Slice thin and place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Roast at 350F for 5 minutes; enough to get some liquid out. Then substitute the veggie slices for the noodles.  If you don’t want to use soy/tofu, use roasted rutabaga. Cook it just like the sweet potato.

Source: Chef Todd Marcus, Red Fox Culinary

Yield:  5 servings

Ingredients:

1 onion – chopped

1 small head garlic – all cloves chopped or pressed

8 ounces mushrooms – sliced

1 head  broccoli – chopped

2 carrots – chopped

2 red bell peppers – seeded and chopped

1 can corn – drained (unsalted or frozen)

1 package  Silken Lite tofu

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon basil

1 teaspoon rosemary

2 jars  vegan pasta sauce

2 boxes whole grain lasagna noodles

16 ounces frozen spinach – thawed and drained

2 sweet potatoes – cooked and mashed

6 Roma tomatoes – sliced thin

1 cup raw cashews, ground – (optional)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Sauté onions and garlic on high heat for 3 minutes in a wok or nonstick pan. Add mushrooms, and cook until onions are limp and mushrooms give up their liquid. Remove them to a large bowl with a slotted spoon. Reserve mushroom liquid in pan.

Sauté broccoli and carrots for 5 minutes, and add to mushroom bowl. Sauté peppers and corn until they begin to soften. Add to the vegetable bowl. Drain the tofu by wrapping in paper towels. Break it up directly in the towel and mix into the vegetable bowl. Add spices to vegetable bowl and combine.

Assembly:

Cover the bottom of a 9- by 13-inch casserole dish with a layer of sauce. Add a layer of noodles. Cover the noodles with sauce. This way the noodles cook in the oven, saving time and energy.

Spread the vegetable mixture over the sauced noodles. Cover with a layer of noodles and another dressing of sauce. Add the spinach to the second layer of sauced noodles. Cover the spinach with the mashed sweet potatoes. Add another layer of sauce, the final layer of noodles, and a last topping of sauce. Cover the lasagna with thinly sliced Roma tomatoes. Cover with foil and bake in the oven for 45 minutes.

Remove foil, sprinkle with cashews, and return to the oven for 15 minutes. Let sit for 15 minutes before serving.