Walnut Pesto Lasagna
Pesto made with walnuts is really, really good!
I layered my lasagna with pesto and crumbled tofu. The pesto adds a really nice body to the dish, so you don’t have to use as much tofu. I also used fresh minced garlic, finely chopped broccoli, and onions. Spinach is a good option too.
I don’t have measurements for this recipe, but I think that’s how lasagna works–just play it by ear…err, mouth?–depending on how much you want to make.
Walnut Pesto Lasagna
Heat oven to 375 degrees.
Pesto
Walnuts
Fresh basil leaves (I left the stems on them)
Salt to taste
Olive oil (extra virgin is best)
A food processor is best, but I managed to make an extra-chunky pesto using my blender. (I think the recipe actually tasted better that way!) Pulse walnuts into small bits, then add basil and process, adding a steady stream of olive oil (sparingly) until mixture is smooth.
Tofu Mixture
Tofu
Nutritional yeast flakes (approx. 2 tbs. per block of tofu)
Salt to taste
Spoonful of vegan cream cheese (optional)
Very small spoonful of miso (optional)
Drain and press excess moisture out of tofu. This step is really important–watery lasagna doesn’t hold together well. Mash tofu with a fork (or your clean hands), mix in cream cheese/miso/nutritional yeast, and add salt.
Assembly
Spread thin layer of tomato sauce* on the bottom of your baking dish. Layer ingredients in this order: no-boil lasagna noodles, pesto or tofu mixture, any vegetables you want to add (I didn’t sauteé them when I made it since the pesto already contains quite a bit of oil), and thin layer of sauce. You don’t want your lasagna too dry, but remember that there’s moisture in the tofu as well. Repeat.
You should end with one layer of lasagna noodles and a layer of sauce on top of that. Top with vegan cheese and/or sliced tomatoes.
Bake covered for 35 minutes, then uncover and bake for another 10-15 minutes.
*A note about salt–
This is the tomato sauce I use:
You might notice that there’s no salt added. Usually tomato sauces contain 18% of your daily salt intake per serving–way too much! For this recipe, I salted the pesto and tofu mixture, adding just a tiny bit more than I normally would, but didn’t add any more to the sauce…and it tasted great.
