Simple Vegan Lasagna with Beyond Burger & Miyoko's Mozzarella

The vegan lasagna to rule them all. It’s simple, it’s quick, it’s incredibly easy. Best of all this lasagna is rich with the tastiest vegan hamburger and the creamiest vegan mozzarella. It really is amazing. 

You know that dinner that you're always making, and everyone is always asking for the recipe but since you make it all the time you never write down what you throw into it? Well, this is one of those recipes... and it might just be the best one ever. 

Vegan lasagna and not a veggie in sight. If you want a veggie loaded lasagna, you can find one in my cookbook. This beauty, however, is classic lasagna at it's finest. The best vegan meat and cheese has to offer: The Beyond Burger and Miyoko's Fresh VeganMozz. Now, I know what you're thinking; those are both pretty expensive. Maybe, but we only use one burger patty and about one quarter to one half of the ball of mozzarella. You can't afford not to make this! 

I hope you enjoy this one as much as we do. Perhaps the greatest part is that you'll find minimal cleanup is needed and that this recipe is so incredibly simple. The perfect lasagna for those that who are new to cooking or new to veganism! 

Simple Vegan Lasagna with Beyond Burger & Miyoko's Mozzarella

By Katie Henry - Produce On Parade

The vegan lasagna to rule them all. It’s simple, it’s quick, it’s incredibly easy. Best of all this lasagna is rich with the tastiest vegan hamburger and the creamiest vegan mozzarella. It really is amazing. *Suggestions to make this even meatier, creamier, and more below.

Ingredients

• 14 oz firm tofu, drained
• ¾ cup unsweetened, plain soy milk or vegan milk of choice
• ¼ cup large-flake nutritional yeast
• ½ tbsp miso paste (I use red)
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• ½ tsp kosher salt
• ½ tsp dried basil
• ½ tsp dried oregano
• 1 Beyond Meat Beyond Burger patty, defrosted if frozen
• 1 15 oz can of tomato sauce (or additional pasta sauce)
• 12 pieces of no-boil lasagna noodles (make sure they don’t contain eggs!)
• 1 24 oz jar of pasta sauce
• ¼-½ of one 8 oz ball of Miyoko’s Creamery Fresh VeganMozz (or ½ cup vegan cheese of choice)
• Sprinkle of Italian seasoning and vegan parmesan, optional

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375° F. In a medium mixing bowl, mash together the tofu through the oregano until the tofu resembles a ricotta appearance. Crumble up or mash the raw burger patty and stir it (as well as it’s juices) into the tofu mixture until well combined. Set aside.
2. Evenly spread half the can of tomato sauce in a 9x13 inch baking pan. Arrange three of the noodles on top of the sauce ensuring they don’t overlap.
3. Evenly spread ⅓ of the cheese mixture over the noodles and cover with ⅓ of the pasta sauce. Continue this again, this time pinching off half of the cheese you’ll use and spreading it evenly over the tofu mixture.
4. Continue with another layer, but without the cheese. Finish with a layer of noodles covered with the remaining half of the tomato sauce. Top with remainder of cheese and sprinkle with Italian seasoning.
5. Spray a sheet of aluminum foil with a nonstick cooking spray and cover lasagna. Bake for 30 minutes, then uncover and bake an additional 10-15 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to rest 5 minutes before slicing. Serve hot and topped with vegan parmesan if you like.
6. * Beyond Meat and Miyoko’s can be prohibitively expensive, however, if that’s not an issue for you you can make it meatier, by using two burger patties! To make it creamier, use as much cheese as your heart desires. You can use boiled, regular lasagna noodles in place of the no-boil ones but decrease the milk to ½ cup.

Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 00:40
Total time: 01:00
Yield: 6 servings

Save Money!

I buy my nutritional yeast here. It’s only $9.55 per lb versus $13.99 per lb in the bulk bin (!) at our local grocery store!

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More “Lasagna-y” Recipes

Easy Mushroom Spaghetti

Vegan Lasagna Soup

Pizza Quinoa sith Summer Squash

Italian Summer Tomato Pasta

Looking for photos of Oliver or the pups? Head on over to my private Instagram account @katiecski to bask in the adorableness. Looking for book reviews? Go to my bookish Instagram account @dirtylittlebookworm to find out more. 

CSA Fennel, Zucchini, & Tomato Pasta

CSAs are wonderful, but if you’re not exactly sure what to do with fennel, armed with an abundance of zucchini and tomatoes, they can be overwhelming. This delicious pasta dish makes use of three CSA items (we had fresh mint in ours so that makes four!) in spectacular fashion. Sweet, roasted fennel and zucchini blend with umami miso and nutritional yeast and tart cherry tomatoes for a lovely summer pasta dish.

I'm cooking a lot these days but just don't have a much time for recipe development and photography. Most evenings I just throw together a meal and only after it's done and tasting how scrumptious it is wish I would have measured everything; then I could have shared it! Who wants to recipe develop when you can spend that time snuggling with an adorable seven month old?? I'm trying though. I actually have a few recipes on the way, photographs and everything! Hurray me!

Todd and I have been trying to get our lawn in order and generally spending as much time outside with Oliver as possible. Fall in Alaska is so fleeting and it's always a scramble to make the most of such an inspiring season. The air is crisp and refreshing, fluttering leaves dance in the breeze, as golden light filters through the birch trees; it's one of the most magical times up here but it never lasts.

Our CSA is in full swing and we are enjoying its bounty. With just the two of us consuming a large share, it can test my ingenuity on using up all those beauitful veggies! This recipe used up four of the CSA items, so it will definitely be placed on the rotation. I hope you love this meal as much as we both did. 

CSA Fennel, Zucchini, & Tomato Pasta

Recipe by Kathleen @ Produce On Parade

CSAs are wonderful, but if you’re not exactly sure what to do with fennel, armed with an abundance of zucchini and tomatoes, they can be overwhelming. This delicious pasta dish makes use of three CSA items (we had fresh mint in ours so that makes four!) in spectacular fashion. Sweet, roasted fennel and zucchini blend with umami miso and nutritional yeast and tart cherry tomatoes for a lovely summer pasta dish.

Yield: 6-8

Ingredients

• 1 large fennel bulb, trimmed sliced into ½ inch thick short wedges
• 1 extra-large zucchini, quartered and chopped
• dash of seasoning salt
• 8 oz dry penne pasta
• 3 tbsp vegan butter
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 15 oz can of chickpeas, drained but ½ cup of the liquid reserved
• 1 ½ tbsp red miso
• 1 ½ tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1 heaping cup chopped cherry tomatoes
• ¼ cup fresh mint leaves, chopped

Cooking Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F and arrange the fennel and zucchini in a single layer on two large baking trays coated with a nonstick cooking spray. Drizzle with olive oil if you like and sprinkle with seasoning salt. Roast for 20-30 minutes, until slightly browned and tender.
2. While the veggies roast, bring a medium pot of water to boil for the pasta. Cook al dente according to the package. Drain and set aside until ready to use.
3. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large pot over medium-low heat and saute the garlic for about 5 minutes, until fragrant.
4. Whisk in the chickpea liquid, miso, and nutritional yeast until the miso is clump-free. Stir in the roasted veggies, cooked pasta, chickpeas, and tomatoes; cook until the entire mixture is warm. Remove from heat and stir in the mint leaves; taste and salt as needed. Serve warm.

25 Simple Ways to Enrich Your Life

This post all started because one day I was sitting about (like I do) and pondering on how I need to eat more beans. Yes, beans. Like...legumes. Seriously. That is so weird. Who does that??

Anyways, as I sat disheartened by what a poor bean eater I must be, I began to think about more ways to lead a healthier life. A healthier life, to me anyways, equates to a happier life. And I'm not just talking about being healthy with regards to diet. Mental, social, and environmental health as well! I also thought about all the stuff I already do to enrich my life and what a cool blog post that would be.

Below are 25 things that I currently do and also things that I would like to do more of and/or start doing. Take a peek and if you're looking for new ways to lead a happier and healthier life (who isn't?), I hope you find some good ideas! Let me know what you do to enrich your life or what you'd like to start doing.

I've seen some of the different posts on ways to better your life. They're usually one in the same. Eat better, sleep more, exercise, yadda, yadda. But, I've never seen a post with specific things that that particular person has been doing. And it's always better to see real examples, in my opinion. Adapt them to your own! Nobody better start coming up to Alaska to visit my Nanners in her home...that would be really weird. Anyway, here you go!

Things I'm already doing:

Create less waste by purchasing eco-friendly, reusable alternatives.  -- This includes snack tins instead of plastic bags, cloth towels instead of paper towels, and eco-friendly trash bags. Purchasing cruelty-free products. -- Such as toilet paper, paper towels, toiletries, and beauty products. -- I like Dessert Essence, Seventh Generation, Paul Mitchell, and Mrs. Meyers Cleaning Products. Learn a new language. -- I am halfway through learning German on Duolingo. You should try it for yourself. Es ist viel Spaß! See my progress, here. Eat at least one servings of nuts per day. -- Cashews and walnuts are my favorite. I usually have a small handful when I get home after work, to tide me over until dinner.  Post at least four times a week to Produce On Parade. -- It's important to my readers (and to me!) to have regular posts and I love being able to express my creativity.  Exercise at least five times a week. -- During the workweek, I run for 50 minutes four days a week and do yoga one day. On the weekend, Todd and I usually have at least one Alaskan adventure outside.  Listen to NPR or other news once a day. -- I like to listen to NPR on my commute.  Walk Bailey at least twice per day. -- He gets a walk in the morning and one at night as well. It's a good way to start the morning and wind down after work. The fresh air doesn't hurt either! Donate to charity. -- Every year I donate a portion of my Alaska PFD to three meaningful charities. Sometimes they change. Last year I donated to Alaska Dog & Puppy Rescue, Arthritis Foundation Alaska, and Alzheimer's Resource of Alaska. One for me, one for Todd, and one for sweet Grandma Nancy. This year I donated to Alzheimer's Resource of Alaska, Meadow Gates Farm Sanctuary, and Valley Community for Recycling Solutions. Also, whenever the grocery store asks me to donate to (insert charity/foundation), I say yes. And so should you. Even if it's just rounding up to the nearest dollar. If I can afford to buy a latte (I don't actually buy lattes), then I can afford to donate at the grocery store.  Become more minimalist by not accepting freebies and reusing/repurposing items. -- I love having less. It sounds weird and counterintuitive, but once you start purging yourself of items that are rarely used it really shows you what you have and you end up valuing those items more! Becoming more minimalist is an ongoing journey for Todd and myself. I recommend reading The Joy of Less, which I have read and Zero Waste Home is next on my list.  Speaking of books, I always alternate a book for pleasure with a book for learning.  -- Right now I am reading A Feast for Crows: A Song of Ice and Fire (Game of Thrones) and when I'm done with that I will read Zero Waste Home. Making more of my own homemade kitchen basics. -- We make our own sandwich bread, non-dairy butter, and almond milk. I've also been sprouting recently, but I'd really like to try my hand at pasta! Listen to learning podcasts. -- My favorites are Stuff Mom Never Told You, Snap Judgement, Stuff You Should Know, The Hen House, and Nutrition Diva. Be less of a hermit. -- This is the very difficult for me. My goal has been to say hi to co-workers in the hall, wave at passing cars on our road, chit-chat more, etc. It's a small step, but at least it's in the right direction. 

Sidenote: If you live in Alaska, you BEST be pickin' and clickin' and givin'. Don't be that person that doesn't give back. Click the image below to search charities and find one that matters to you!

Things I would like to start doing more:

Eat at least one serving of protein rich foods per day. -- Such as tempeh, beans, tofu, lentils, and/or quinoa. Paint. -- This is difficult, as our rental house is so, sooo incredibly tiny. My easel is packed away below the house. Sad face.  Get more involved with animal charity work. -- I donate money and items to our rescue foundation, but I'd like to get involved with more campaigning (I use that word loosely) against factory farming. Drink one healthy smoothie a day. -- I used to do this regularly, but lately breakfast has been hard for me to swallow. Literally. I don't really do food in the morning. In fact, this morning I got everything out to make a green smoothie but then, I decided I just couldn't bear it and put it all back away.  Visit my grandparents more. -- I need to be better at this.  Make Bailey his own food. -- Bob still gets mostly dry dog food, but I've read about people cooking up rice, sweet potatoes, and beans for their dogs. The longest living dog was vegetarian! Compost! -- We don't have one because we rent, but I'd really love to start one. I might look into the worm composting that was recommended by a reader, until we build our own house. Grow more vegetables and fruits. -- I grow my own herbs and some easy stuff like rhubarb, but once we build our house (fingers crossed for starting this spring!) I'd like to have a large food garden. Forage. --I've bought myself a few books on foraging, and there couldn't be a better place than Alaska. I can't wait for spring and summer to arrive! Phone my BFF in the states more. -- You know who you are. I am the worst with conversing on that little electronic gadget. I'm so sorry! It doesn't mean I don't love you to absolute pieces! Teensy, tiny, itty bitty pieces I tell you! Be less of a perfectionist. -- A big one is letting a certain someone wash dishes...even if he doesn't do as good of a job as me? It's a work in progress.

Well, there you have it. Do you already do any of these, or did you find some that you'd like to start doing? Any that you'd like to share? I'd love to know!