Dairy-Free Vegan Beef Lasagna Rolls
These vegan lasagna rolls are my latest pasta obsession. I am not sure why, but I have been craving pasta like crazy this past month. It is probably my ultimate comfort food, (next to chips and salsa), but I eat it sparingly because of the carbs. I finally said enough of depriving myself and indulged in a homemade, simple spaghetti dinner last weekend while hosting a friend. I doctored up some store-bought sauce (see recipe below), baked some Gardein meatless meatballs, and boiled some spaghetti. My friend and family enthusiastically raved about how delicious the food tasted. It’s the simple meals that always get the best reviews!
So, I am sticking with pasta a little while longer and bringing you my recipe for lasagna rolls. I grew up with my mother’s lasagna, a version of what my Italian grandmother ate as a child. I love the flavors of that classic lasagna, but I have replaced my mom’s ground beef with Beyond Meat’s Beefy Crumbles and ricotta with Kite Hill’s incredible almond-based product.
The recipe for these lasagna rolls takes your basic lasagna ingredients and presents them in a new way. If you’ve never rolled your lasagna, you are going to love this meal! It makes a beautiful presentation, and if you want to get your kids in the kitchen, lasagna rolls are fun for little hands. Serve these with a homemade Caesar salad and some crusty garlic bread. “Manja!” my Italian grandmother would say!
Dairy-Free Vegan Beef Lasagna Rolls
Ingredients
- 1 box lasagna noodles
- 1 cup basil , sliced in chiffonade
For the sauce
- 2 32- ounce cartons/cans marinara sauce (such as San Marzano)
- 1 cup of red wine
- 3 cloves of garlic , minced or grated
- 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 3 tablespoons of your favorite Italian season blend (or 1 tablespoon oregano, 1 tablespoon thyme, 1 tablespoon basil)
For the filling
- ½ a large onion or 1 small , chopped
- 3 cloves garlic , minced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil , divided
- 1 package meatless “ground beef” , such as Beyond Meat
- 1 tablespoon dried basil
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 package Kite Hill ricotta
For the “cheese” sauce
- 1 cup cashews , raw and unsalted (soaked overnight if not using a Vitamix)
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 cup vegetable broth (such as Imagine No-Chicken Broth)
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- ½ teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
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Place the lasagna noodles in a shallow dish (or two) and cover with boiling water. Allow to sit 15-20 minutes.
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Prepare the marinara sauce. Saute the garlic in 1 tablespoon of olive oil. When golden brown, stir in the sauce, wine, balsamic vinegar, and herbs. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer for 30 minutes.
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Pour ½- ¼ cup of marinara sauce in the bottom of a 9x9 casserole dish to coat the bottom.
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Heat the olive oil in a pan and add the garlic and onion. Cook until the onion is translucent.
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Stir in the vegan ground beef, basil, and oregano. Cook 8-10 minutes until heated through. Remove from the heat and crumble in the ricotta cheese. Stir just to combine.
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When the noodles are soft, remove them one by one as you layer and place each roll into the casserole dish. Spoon 1-2 tablespoons of the filling along one end of the noodle. Roll and arrange in the casserole dish. Continue until all of the noodles are rolled.
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Pour the remaining marinara sauce over the noodles.
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In a high speed blender, combine the cashews, vegetable broth, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, and salt. Blend until smooth.
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Pour the cashew cheese sauce over the marinara and spread out across the lasagna rolls with a rubber spatula.
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Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and top with the fresh basil.