Spinach and Mushroom Lasagna with Cashew Ricotta

This plant-based Spinach and Mushroom Lasagna with Cashew Ricotta is a plant-based dish full of high protein vegetables your whole family will love. Not only is is gluten-free, it is dairy-free and oh so delicious.

It had been years since I made lasagna.   Well actually it had been years since I made a store-bought lasagna.  I cannot remember the last time I made a homemade lasagna until I made this plant-based Spinach and Mushroom Lasagna with Cashew Ricotta that includes one of my favorite protein rich vegetables, spinach.  

You see, the last time we had lasagna, there was a major mishap in our kitchen that I can still remember to this day. About 8 years ago, before we started eating clean. I grabbed a frozen lasagna from the freezer and laid it down on our glass stove top.  I can let you guess what happened. Yep, it cracked the stove top. I am not kidding. It literally made a huge crack and hole in our glass stove top that we ended up having to buy a whole new stove.  A very expensive lesson learned.  I have never bought a frozen lasagna since, let alone another frozen dish.

So, when I decided to create this recipe, I knew it would be a big undertaking, not because the recipe was going to be difficult, but because I was counting on this dish to replace all the bad memories, I had of the night I “broke the stove.”

Creating this recipe was something that my boys had a help in making. If you remember some of my earlier blog posts, you will remember that before going plant-based we really watched our carb intake and pasta was something that was a “special occasion.”  Not anymore, whole grain pasta is now one of the staples in our plant-based lifestyle. Not only is it so good, it is full of plant-based protein and lots of great fiber. 

The great thing about making lasagna is that you can include some of your favorite protein rich vegetables. I have since made this dish with bell peppers, eggplant, mushroom, olives, spinach, and zucchini, but there are so many possibilities for getting creative with this plant-based dish.

If you are looking for some other protein rich vegetables to try in your next lasagna, check out our other blog post 9 Protein Rich Vegetables . We have a list of some great protein rich vegetables as well as some other protein rich vegetable recipes on that post. And if you are looking for some great plant-based protein dishes, check out our blog post on Plant-based Proteins .

You can make this protein rich vegetable plant-based dish using either whole wheat lasagna noodles or if you are needing a gluten-free option, then I would go with a brown rice lasagna noodle. 

Just with any of our plant-based dishes that include tomato sauce this is another opportunity to get in some of your favorite spices, adding in an extra flavor that helps make this dish all your own.  And if you also have picky eaters, it is a great way to sneak in some of your favorite vegetables with protein.

Ingredients needed for this recipe:

• 1 Box of Brown Rice Lasagna
• 2 Cups of Spinach
• 1 Cup of Portobello Mushrooms, diced
• 1-15 oz can of Muir Glenn Tomato Sauce or 1-15 oz can of Muir Glenn diced tomatoes
• 1 TBSP Dried Oregano
• 1 TBSP Dried Parsley
• 1 TBSP Garlic Powder
• 1 TBSP Onion Powder
• 1 TSP Salt
• 1 TSP Black Pepper

The equipment needed for this recipe:

• Knife
• Blender or Food Processor
• Medium Sauce Pan
• Large Sauce Pan
• Large Baking Pan

Begin by filling up the large sauce pan with water, bring to boil, then add in the lasagna noodles, and cook until done. Remove from heat and strain the excess water out using a colander. Set aside.

While the noodles are cooking in the medium sauce pan add the tomato sauce, spinach, mushrooms, Oregano, parsley, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper and cook on medium-low heat for about 5-10 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

While both the lasagna and sauce are cooking. In a blender or food processor add in the cashews (drain the water out), nutritional yeast, lemon juice, garlic cloves, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, black pepper, and water and blend until smooth. You can add in additional spices to get your desired taste.

In a large baking pan, add a small layer of the sauce mixture along the bottom of the pan. Then add a layer of lasagna noodles, then a layer of the cashew ricotta, then a layer of the sauce.

Repeat until all your ingredients are used up or you reach the top of the pan. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for about 20-25 minutes.  Remove from heat and serve.

The Ricotta Cashew Cheese can be made while the pasta and the sauce are cooking.

Ingredients needed for the Ricotta Cashew Cheese:

• 1 1/2 Cups of Cashews, rinsed and soaked.
• 1/2 Cup Nutritional Yeast
• 1 Lemon, squeezed
• 2 Garlic Cloves, peeled
• 1 TBSP Garlic Powder
• 1 TBSP Onion Powder
• 1 TSP Salt
• 1 TSP Black Pepper
• 1/2 Cup of Water

In a blender or food processor add in the cashews (drain the water out), nutritional yeast, lemon juice, garlic cloves, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, black pepper, and water and blend until smooth. You can add in additional spices to get your desired taste.

Honestly, the first time that we made this, I could not believe how much this plant-based cashew ricotta resembled the traditional ricotta you buy in the store. In fact, I think it has even more flavor and gives this protein rich vegetable dish just the right combination of flavor.   

This recipe will make about 4-6 servings. You can store the leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days. It makes a great lunch or dinner for the next day and a great protein rich vegetable dish that you can prep to have throughout the week and you will never want to buy store bought lasagna again. 

Happy Cooking!