TEMPEH SPINACH LASAGNA
Whenever I place this Tempeh Spinach Lasagna on the table, my boys will nearly finish the entire dish, they love it so much. In fact, Lasagna is so popular with them, they don’t even the notice the spinach hidden in between the layers. So in my eyes, it’s the perfect family friendly vegan dish.
This vegan Lasagna is such a great vegan family meal because it allows you to incorporate large amounts of tempeh, a protein-high ingredient that will easily soak up all the falvours from dry spices, tamari and miso paste.
What is tempeh made of?
Tempeh is a very nutrient-dense soy product, made from fermented soy beans and originally coming from Java (Indonesia). Packed with lots of minerals and nutrients, it is also very high in protein. In fact, every portion of this Tempeh Lasagne delivers a whopping 31g of protein. So, you know, if you’re vegan and you’re still wondering where to get your protein from … ;) Because of it’s high protein content, Tempeh is a very popular product in the vegan diet.
Tempeh has no cholesterol and is rich in Vitmin B and fibre, iron, calciums and plenty of other minerals.
Lasagna can have a bad reputation as being on the heavy side, but this tempeh version makes it super healthy. And for those who are not fans of the taste of tempeh (which is quite nutty) - you don’t actually taste it here, the tempeh nearly melts into the sauce when it is grated, so it lends itself perfectly for this Tempeh Spinach Vegan Lasagna.
Where can I buy Tempeh?
Tempeh is widely sold in health food shops and now supermarkets too. It’s sell by date is not too long, but luckily tempeh can also be frozen and defrosts very quickly.
Think you don’t have time for Lasagna?
Well here’s another great thing with this vegan lasagna dish - it’s on the table in just under one hour. Meaning you can consider this as a weekday family meal. Or if you have more time at the weekend, just work at a little more leisurely pace. Either way, this Spinach Tempeh Lasagna is a really easy dish to prepare, which can also be reheated or frozen (just make sure you reheat it properly after defrosting).
5 reasons why you should make this Vegan Tempeh Lasagna:
High in potein from the tempeh
High in calcium and iron from the spinach
Easy to prepare and on the table in 30 minutes
Can be made ahead, frozen and served on another day
Because Lasagna. No further reasons needed. The perfect family friendly vegan meal.
A few more notes:
Use whichever lasagna sheets you prefer. But do check if they need to be pre-soaked.
This tempeh lasagna is great served with a green salad on the side.
I’d love to know how you get on with this Tempeh Lasagna, leave a comment below or tag me on Instagram if you’re making it.
Tempeh & Spinach Lasagna
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves,chopped
- 400 g tempeh
- 1 tbsp ground cumin
- 1 tbsp ground coriander
- 1 tbsp sweet smoked paprika
- 250g chestnut mushrooms
- 1/4 cup tamari
- 1 tbsp brown rice miso paste
- 1 can chopped tomatoes
- 2 tbsp tomato puree
- 100g fresh spinach
- Lasagne sheets
- Vegan cheese for the top (optional)
- 200g cashews
- 380ml soya or oat milk
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp salt
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180C/350F.
- Place the cashews into a bowl and cover with boiling water.
- If you are using wholemeal lasagne sheets and they need to be pre-soaked, fill a large baking sheet with boiling water. Lay your pasta sheets flat out on the baking sheet, making sure they are covered by the hot water and not sticking to each other.
- Heat a pan. When hot, add a tablespoon of oil. Fry the onion and garlic at medium heat.
- During this time, grate the tempeh with a box grater. The texture should be similar to grated cheese (like the type you would put on pizza).
- Roughly chop the mushrooms.
- When the onion and garlic are softened, add the tempeh and fry for 2-3 minutes.
- Put the tamari into a small bowl with the miso paste and stir so that the miso paste is well dissolved.
- Add the dry spices and the tamari miso liquid to the pan, fry for another 2 minutes.
- Add the chopped mushrooms and the tin of tomatoes. Refill the tin with water 3/4 way to the top and add to the pan too (this allows you to also get all the tomato out of the tin). Also add a tablespoon of maple syurp.
- Stir everything well and let it bubble away for a few minutes while you are making the white sauce.
- Add all the ingredients for the white sauce to a blender and turn it on. Blend everything well so that there are no cashew pieces left.
- Start layering the lasagne - I would recommend a 23x30cm rectangular dish. Separate the ragu inside the pan into 3 portions as this is how many layers you will have.
- Start with one layer of ragu. Add a layer of lasagne sheets, then a layer of white sauce. Cover the white sauce with a layer of spinach. This will act as a barrier to the next layer.
- Continue: ragu, pasta sheets, white sauce, spinach, then one more time. Finish with the last layer of white sauce, and sprinkle with some vegan cheese.
- Bake in the oven for 25 minutes. Place under the grill for a few minutes to turn the top golden brown.
- Sprinkle with a few chopped herbs if you have, to add a bit of colour.
Notes:
The dish can be frozen before or after cooking. Ensure it is fully reheated after defrosting.
Great served with a green salad on the side.
Calories
544.03Fat (grams)
32.55Sat. Fat (grams)
8.36Carbs (grams)
40.57Fiber (grams)
4.47Net carbs
36.10Sugar (grams)
12.84Protein (grams)
31.05Sodium (milligrams)
1705.66Cholesterol (grams)
27.64