Sometimes I run across a recipe that is so mmmm mmmmm good I literally want to force everyone I know to try it—either at my table or in their own kitchens.

This is one such recipe, and sharing it here on elephant is the next best thing.

I first had it when my sister made it for my mother and me on our annual Valentines dinner extravaganza—which is really just three women getting together and showering each other with the kind of attention we can only dream of getting from a man.

This indulgent little piece of vegan heaven comes to you from Chloe Coscarelli’s excellent cookbook Chloe’s Vegan Italian Kitchen. I highly recommend buying the whole book—I’ve dog eared my copy from stem to stern.

I have made a few minor alterations to her recipe, but I found it nearly perfect in it’s original form. It does take some time to prepare, but can be assembled up to a day in advance, so if you’re having guests you can just pop it in the oven while you warm up with a few cocktails.

White Lasagna with Sweet Potatoes and Spinach

You will need:

Mashed sweet potato

• 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
• 2 t/l olive oil
• 1 quart water or veggie broth
• salt and fresh cracked pepper

Bring water or veggie broth to a boil, toss in potatoes and cook until fork tender, around 15 minutes. Drain, mash and season to taste with salt, pepper and 2 t/l olive oil. Set aside.

Spinach

• 1 t/l olive oil
• 5-6 oz baby spinach, chopped

Heat oil in a pan and sauté spinach until wilted, around 2 minutes. Set aside.

White Sauce (vegan Alfredo sauce)

• 1 t/l olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, chopped
• 1 1/2 cup raw cashews
• 3 cups water
• 1 t/l lemon juice
• 2 tsp salt
• 1/2 t/l fresh cracked pepper

In a large skillet, heat oil and sauté onion until soft. Combine onion with all other ingredients in a high powered blender (such as a Vitamix. If you have a regular blender, soak cashews in water for at least two hours and then drain prior to blending). Mix until a nice creamy consistency is achieved. You can add more cashews or water to thicken or thin the sauce, respectively. Set aside.

Vegan Ricotta

• 1 t/l olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 14 oz package of extra firm tofu, drained
• 2 t/l lemon juice
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 tsp fresh cracked pepper
• 3 cups fresh basil

In large skillet, heat oil and sauté onion until soft. Combine onions with all other ingredients in a food processor and pulse until it has the consistency of ricotta. Set aside.

* No-boil lasagna noodles (1 lb.)

* 1/2 cup fresh Italian parsley

To assemble and bake:

Preheat oven to 375 and lightly grease a 9X13 inch pan.

Spread a thin layer of sauce over the bottom of the pan.

Arrange 4 lasagna noodles across the pan, it’s okay if they overlap a little. Layer half the ricotta, 4 noodles, sauce, sweet potatoes, spinach, sauce, 4 noodles, sauce, remaining half of ricotta, and 4 noodles.

Top lasagna with remaining sauce (reserving about 1 cup or more for topping—I make a little extra, because I like it saucy!) Make sure noodles are evenly coated and top with 1/2 cup fresh snipped parsley.

Cover baking pan with foil and bake for 50 minutes or until noodles are cooked through. (I cooked mine for an hour).

Let rest for at least 5 minutes before serving and top with heated white sauce and extra parsley if desired.

Relephant:

Garlic & Spinach Pasta. {Gluten Free, Vegan Recipe}

Author: Erica Leibrandt

Editor: Renée Picard 

Image: via the author