Each Christmas Eve we partake in a family gathering at Mr MessyCook's parents' house, a meat-saturated event. To be honest my mother-in-law is very good about making sure I have absolutely tonnes to eat, and one year she even used soya mince in the main chili pot. Everyone ate it without complaint; the whining came only afterward when she announced it was veggie. Get your eyes rolling.
At any rate this is my first vegan Christmas and the MiL who's spent the past eight years learning how to cater to a vegetarian is now left with most of those recipes unavailable to me, her daughter-in-law. Consequently I've volunteered to bring my own food (plus I'm bringing a vegan friend along for the ride) and my partner's kindly requested lasagna. My cashew-based smoky spinach lasagne has gone down well in the past and, besides, who doesn't like lasagna?
If you've never tried a vegan lasagna, give it a try. It's a much healthier alternative and, despite it sounding like a difficult task to achieve if you're used to a dairy-filled diet, it's well worth giving it a go. And I don't care what anyone says about lasagna being hard to make. It's not. Here's a selection of vegan lasagne recipes from around the interwebs, some which I've made and others over which I'm still drooling prior to trying.
Spinach is king (plus other greens and veggies)
- Mushroom, Sausage and Spinach Lasagna
- Lasagne Love Potion
- Fat Free Vegan's favourite lasagna recipe (spinach and mushroom)
- Presto Manifesto Pesto Lasagna
- Method's Vegan Lasagna
Bean based lasagna recipes
- Lentil Lasagne (lots of yummy veggies in here)
- Dairy Free Chickpea Lasagne (uses chickpeas/garbanzo beans as a ricotta substitute)
- Lasagna Deliciousa
Mexican inspired alternative lasagnas
Tips on veganising lasagna
- Creamy vegan sauces abound, and many of them make a great replacement for traditional cheese in lasagna.
- Try replacing mince (ground beef) with vegan mince or TVP, mushrooms, and/or other chopped vegetables.
- Some crumbled tofu adds to a good consistency, too!
- Instead of using butter to pre-cook any ingredients, use olive oil or a good vegan margarine spread.