Vegan Recipe: Vegan Pesto Lasagna Rollups

Vegan Coach...

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Vegan Pesto Lasagna Rollups
February 15, 2008

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Do you LOVE lasagna? I do, too. It makes me drool. So since we're both lovers of this delectable dish, I thought you might be interested in my latest creation Vegan Pesto Lasagna Rollups. Believe it or not, these vegan lasagna cuties contain absolutely no cheese, vegan or otherwise. And you won't miss it either because these rollups are TASTY!

And they're extremely simple to make too. Of course, you'll have to take a little prep time to get the ingredients ready to go. But once that's done, they take just a couple minutes to roll up -- and devour!

What I love about these Vegan Pesto Lasagna Rollups is that they contain tempeh, which is a fabulous source of vegan protein. They also contain steamed broccoli, which adds such a beautiful bright color to this dish and, of course, gets some veggies inside of you! And of course, THE PESTO! (yum)

The quality of the marinara is important, so if you can't make your own then try to opt for organic marinara. I like anything by Seeds of Change, although they CAN BE expensive. A more affordable marinara that has a great taste is created by Muir Glen.

It should take you about 20-30 minutes to make this dish.

Ready to begin?



Here are the major ingredients you'll need to have ready, in the order you'll need to prepare them:

1/2 cup basil pesto
8 curly lasagna noodles, cooked al dente and drained
1 (8-oz) package tempeh
2 cups organic marinara sauce
2-3 cups broccoli

1. Make the pesto:

SASSY'S VEGAN PESTO

1/3 cup pine nuts
1/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup water
2-3 cloves garlic
1/3 cup nutritional yeast
1 bunch basil
salt and pepper, to taste

Combine in a food processor or blender until desired consistency is reached. Tweak the ingredients to your liking, if desired. Set aside. (You may or may not use this entire pesto recipe. If not, refrigerate leftovers.)



2. Cook the noodles: Boil a large pot of water. Cook noodles according to directions on package. Drain in a collander, and place the collander over the empty pot (helps to keep them slightly warmed).

3. Cook the tempeh: While waiting for the water and noodles, place boil 1 cup of veggie broth in a small saucepan. Cut tempeh in half and place both fat halves in the saucepan (it's okay if they overlap). Cover, turn heat to low, and let steam for 15 minutes. Cool slightly and grate.

4. Warm the marinara in a saucepan and keep warm until serving.

5. Cook the broccoli: Cut the broccoli into bite-sized pieces. Lightly steam until tender. I always do this step last so the broccoli doesn't overcook -- or get cold -- while waiting.

5. Make the Lasagna Rollups: Lay a cooked lasagna noodle out on a large plate. (I usually work with 2 at once.) Spread 2 Tablespoons of pesto across the noodle. Sprinkle grated tempeh over the pesto. Lay warm and tender broccoli across the pesto in a single line. Roll up. Cover with warm marinara and serve immediately. Sprinkle with nutritional yeast or vegan parmesan, if desired.

These make a wonderful Sunday-type dinner because as with most Sunday-type dinners they're a teensy bit time consuming to make, but believe me when I tell you they're SO worth it and really make for a special meal.

Serve with a tender spinach salad and some crusty garlic bread. Makes great leftovers too. :O)

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