Vegetarian Lasagna with Spinach, Mushrooms & Soy Crumbles

Did you know it is National Soyfoods Month?  Well, it is and I have a couple of recipes for you to celebrate!  As you know, I usually cook with lots of veggies and whole foods, so I sometimes end up skimping on the protein.  Well, lucky for me there are wonderful swaps with soy foods that bring on the protein, flavor, and nutrition!

I love a beautiful slice of veggie lasagna, but if I'm ever in the mood for a meatier version, I have this recipe to share with you today.  The trick is, there is absolutely no meat at all!  Don't tell your carnivore friends and family until after they have tasted it, and they'll be totally surprised.  Seriously!

In this recipe, I swapped out the typical ground beef for the MorningStar Farms grillers crumbles and it makes the entire recipe even easier and quicker.  You don't have to cook it nearly as long as beef requires and it's super convenient to have this on hand in the freezer!

Now, let's get to the recipe!

Vegetarian Lasagna with Spinach, Mushrooms & Soy Crumbles
Adapted from here

Ingredients

• MorningStar Farms Grillers Crumbles
• 12 ounces whole-wheat lasagna noodles (15 noodles)
• 2 tsp. olive oil
• 16 oz. portobello mushrooms, diced (about 5 large mushroom caps)
• 4 cups marinara sauce
• 15 oz. part-skim or low fat ricotta cheese
• 20 oz. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• Pinch ground nutmeg
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
• 3 ounces (about 2/3 cup) grated part-skim mozzarella cheese

Directions

1.  Preheat the oven to 375º F.

2.  Cook the noodles al dente according to the package directions, drain well, and lay out on waxed paper to prevent sticking.

3.  Add the oil to a large nonstick skillet over a medium-high heat.

4.  Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally until all the liquid has evaporated and they begin to brown, about 5 minutes.

5.  Add the soy crumbles and cook until no longer frozen.

6.  Stir in 2 cups of the tomato sauce and simmer for 2 minutes.

7.  In a medium bowl combine the ricotta, spinach, egg, salt, pepper and nutmeg.

8.  Assemble the lasagna: In the bottom of a 9 by 13 inch baking dish, spread 1 cup of tomato sauce.  Place a layer of lasagna noodles on top, followed by half of the ricotta mixture, half the beef-mushroom mixture, a layer of noodles, the remaining cheese mixture, the remaining beef mixture, a layer of noodles, the remaining sauce, then the grated cheeses.

9.  Cover loosely with foil.  Bake for 45 minutes.

10.  Uncover and bake for 15 minutes more.

And that's it!


I really hope you try this recipe out because it is one of my favorite things to serve both vegetarians and meat eaters alike.  Also, if you have any vegans in the house, you can always swap out the ricotta for soft tofu plus the egg and remaining cheeses for vegan substitutes.  It's amazing!

Next week, I'll have another soy swap recipe for you, but this time it will be for breakfast.  Yum!  In the meantime, enjoy this lasagna and check out the Soyfoods Association of North America's Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest pages for more recipes and info.

Happy eating!

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post on behalf of the Soyfoods Association of North America.