About the Recipe
Homemade lasagna is a classic, delicious dinner that every family should have in their recipe rotation. So delicious, no one even knows it is actually DAIRY FREE!
Ingredients
CASHEW ‘RICOTTA’ CHEESE
1 1/2 cups raw cashews, soaked
1/2 cup water
juice of 1 large lemon or 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 small garlic clove
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
himalayan sea salt & cracked pepper, to taste
LASAGNA
1 (9 ounce) box barilla no-boil lasagna noodles
Cashew ricotta cheese (made above)
8-Ounce Bag, Violife Just Like Mozzarella Shreds
1lb ground beef
1 lb sweet italian sausage
1 large sweet onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 (24 ounce) jars spaghetti sauce. My favorite is Bertolli Tomato and Basil
Preparation
CASHEW ROCOTTA CHEESE:
Soak Cashews: It’s best to soak your cashews in water before starting. There are 2 ways to soak:
Soak cashew in cool water for at least 2 hours in a bowl of water, covering the cashews about 2 – 3 inches of water as they will swell up.
For a quick method of soaking, let cashews sit in very hot water for 5-30 minutes.
Then drain, rinse, and set aside.
Add soaked, drained cashews to a food processor along with lemon juice, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, sea salt, and water. Mix/blend, scraping down sides as needed. I find I get the best texture results with a food processor, but in a pinch, a blender can work too. It just generally requires more scraping and more liquid.
Taste and adjust flavor as needed, adding more nutritional yeast for cheesy flavor, salt to taste, lemon juice for acidity, or garlic powder for garlic flavor. Blend again to combine.
At this point, the "cheese" is ready to enjoy! The flavors continue to develop and thicken when chilled.
LASAGNA
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
In a large skillet or dutch oven, brown beef, sausage, onion, and garlic over medium-high heat until no pink remains. Drain any fat.
Stir in the spagetti sauce, salt and pepper to taste. Simmer uncovered over medium heat for 5 minutes or until thickened.
In a separate bowl, combine homemade cashew ricotta cheese and 3/4 bag of violife mozarella shreds. You'll use the rest of the mozarella later.
Spread 1 cup of the meat sauce in a 9×13 pan or casserole dish. Top it with 3 lasagna noodles. Layer with ⅓ of the ricotta cheese mixture and 1 cup of meat sauce. Repeat twice more. Finish with 3 noodles topped with remaining sauce and spinkle the remaining mozzarella cheese on top.
Cover and bake for 30 minutes.Â
Remove the cover and bake for an additional 10 minutes
Rest for 15 minutes before serving, and enjoy!