So the next recipe I decided to try from AFR was the Lasagna with Roasted Cauliflower Ricotta & Spinach. It’s not the hardest lasagna recipe, but it still takes some time and work, so keep that in mind. It is after all, lasagna.
First you need to cut a cauliflower up into florets.
And roast it for about 30 minutes.
Then you mash it into a tofu “ricotta” mixture.
In my attempt at not dirtying another bowl or pot, I just added the chopped thyme and garlic directly to the can of crushed tomatoes!
Isa tells you that you need about 8 ounces of noodles cut in half. That’s about 18 halves, and way too much. You really only need about 5 noodles cut in halves. This recipe is for an 8×8″ pan. I used this 8″ bottom casserole because it was a bit taller than my square glass one, and she warns that this recipe will fill an 8×8″ up to the top. She must be right, because mine was full to the top despite the slightly taller shape.
8×8″ glass pan versus my 3 quart casserole
Going in!
Results:
This was very hard to serve as it was kind of watery towards the bottom. It tasted pretty good though. Isa’s recipe says 6 servings. I cut it into 6 pieces and ate 1 1/2 pieces. I would have eaten two had it not been for the upcoming yummy sundaes! I hate to go through all the trouble of making lasagna, and not have more leftovers, but that’s just me. : ) It was tasty and surprisingly light without the cheese, fake or otherwise. The black olives on top give a salty reminder of parmesan and even a little more chopped and mixed into the ricotta would probably be a nice touch. I honestly probably wouldn’t make this again, as I think lasagna should be a denser, guiltier food. (especially since it’s so time consuming!) I still favor my labor intensive but more serving yielding, albeit more fattening version.
It was probably watery was because you didn’t press the tofu to release its water prior to crumbling it. I made this dish earlier this week and it wasn’t watery at all.
The changes I made to your illustrations were that I chopped my cauliflower to the size of your tofu prior to mashing and also cooked the entire lasagna noodle box. I made the lasagna in an 8×12 Pyrex dish which, after assembled, filled the dish to the top.
This was a delicious dish. Not only would I make it again but I would happily serve it to guests. I would probably add roasted red bell peppers and/or mushrooms to this dish next time. I’m a serious cheese lover but I didn’t miss the cheese at all.
For the record, I did press the tofu. (I mean, you always have to press tofu!)
And yes, the flavors were nice. A roasted red bell pepper would make a great addition.