The ultimate vegan lasagna

Ingredients for 8 servings:

• 250 g natural tofu
• 250 g smoked tofu
• 2 m.-sized onion(s)
• 300 g mushrooms
• 2 large carrots
• 5 stalk(s) Celery
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 Pepper
• 4 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp raw cane sugar
• 75 g tomato paste
• 1 tsp paprika powder, hot
• 200 ml dry white wine
• 2 liters of water
• 1 tbsp vegetable stock powder
• 2 tsp thyme, dried
• 2 bay leaves
• Nutmeg, freshly grated
• 1 tsp sea salt
• black pepper, freshly ground
• 2 pots of basil
• 5 tbsp rapeseed oil for frying, mild
• 500 g leaf spinach, optional
• 75 g margarine, vegan
• 75 g wheat flour
• 1 liter soy milk (soy drink) (soy drink calcium), cold
• 250 ml soy cream (Soy Cream Cuisine)
• ½ lemon(s), juice
• nutmeg
• 1 tsp sea salt
• black pepper, freshly ground
• 1 pack of lasagna sheets
• 300 g cheese substitute, vegan (Wilmersburger organic pizza melt strong)
• 1 tbsp margarine for the mold, vegan

Instructions

Working time approx. 45 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 5 hours; Total time approx. 5 hours 45 minutes

For the Bolognese, crumble the tofu into a minced, crumbly consistency. This can be done with a fork, but it’s best done with your hands. Wash and trim the vegetables. Peel the onions and garlic. Dice the onions and mushrooms. Finely grate the carrots and celery. Finely chop the garlic and chili peppers. Heat 4 tablespoons of rapeseed oil in a large roasting pan and first fry the tofu mince over high heat until it is evenly browned (not just “seared”). Compared to frying traditional mince, this requires significantly more patience and fat. Add more oil if necessary during frying, and don’t be shy about it; after all, the fat content of “normal” minced meat is around 30%, while tofu only has around 9%. When the tofu is browned, add the diced onions and let them brown. Remove the cooked tofu and onion mixture from the roasting pan and set aside. Sear the diced mushrooms in a tablespoon of rapeseed oil until browned, then add the carrots and celery and cook. Add the garlic, chili peppers, soy sauce, and tofu and onion mixture and let everything simmer for a few more minutes. Then, making some space in the center, pour raw cane sugar directly onto the bottom of the roasting pan and let it caramelize. Add the tomato paste and paprika, mix with the caramelized sugar, and sauté briefly. Mix the entire contents of the roasting pan thoroughly, season with salt and plenty of freshly ground pepper, and deglaze with white wine. Once the white wine has evaporated, add water and stir in the vegetable stock powder and thyme. Finally, add some freshly ground nutmeg and the two bay leaves. Simmer the Bolognese uncovered for at least 3 hours, stirring occasionally; it will be perfect after about 5 hours. The long cooking time is truly an important part of this recipe. Add a little more water occasionally during cooking, if necessary, but keep in mind that the finished sauce should have a fairly thick, ragu-like consistency. After the cooking time is up, remove the bay leaves. Finely chop the basil and stir it into the finished sauce. Finally, season the sauce with salt and pepper. For the béchamel sauce, melt the vegan margarine in a saucepan and heat until hot. Dust the fat with the flour and sauté briefly. Pour the cold (!) soy milk into the pan, stirring constantly with a whisk, then add the Soja Cuisine. Simmer the sauce for about 10 minutes to thicken it and allow the flour flavor to dissipate. Be sure to stir continuously, or the sauce will immediately stick! Add the lemon juice and season the béchamel sauce with salt, pepper, and freshly grated nutmeg. Grease a large lasagna dish with vegan margarine. First, cover the bottom of the dish with a thin layer of Bolognese. Place a layer of lasagna sheets on top. Pour a layer of Bolognese over the pasta, and then a layer of béchamel over the Bolognese. Repeat this process in the specified order (pasta, Bolognese, béchamel) until all the sauces are used up. Depending on how moist you want your lasagna to be, you can vary the ratio of pasta to sauce at this point. Before applying the top and final layer, mix the pizza cheese with the remaining béchamel sauce until it forms a thick paste. This is very important so that the vegan cheese melts authentically and evenly during baking. Spread this evenly with a tablespoon as the top layer of the lasagna. Bake the lasagna in an oven preheated to 200°C (top/bottom heat) for about 40-45 minutes, until the cheese has formed a golden brown crust. Variation: The lasagna is also very tasty, albeit a little less traditional, if you refine the Bolognese with spinach. To do this, add about 500g of leaf spinach to a pot with a little water and wait until the spinach has wilted. Then rinse with cold water, drain well, and chop finely. After deglazing the Bolognese, add the spinach. Enjoy this lasagna with a nice glass of dry red wine and a few guests. After several attempts, I finally succeeded: the recipe for what is, in my opinion and that of various taste testers, the perfect vegan lasagna!