Lasagna Soup With Vegan Ricotta

Amarante

Sun, Oct 25 2020, 11:38 am

I wanted to make this so I could make the vegan ricotta cheese - handy since it is pareve.

The ricotta cheese was a good substitute for dairy ricotta and would work for regular lasagna as well. I modified the recipe by using frozen chopped spinach. I just thaw and squeeze out all the water. Since I wasn't cooking the garlic with the spinach, I nuked some garlic cloves in a bit of water so they wouldn't be raw. If I were using the ricotta in a baked dish, this would not be necessary since the garlic would cook.

The soup was a nice version of a tomato soup. I cheated by using Fusilli rather than sheets of broken lasagna. Up to you if you make but any small pasta would work although one might adjust when you add since cooking times vary.

Like any soup, it is better made ahead so flavors marry. Very Happy

And the ricotta also would be made ahead and refrigerated

I do add spinach to the bowls when serving as it cooks immediately in the hot soup but becomes slimey when left in a soup and reheated.

LASAGNA SOUP WITH VEGAN RICOTTA

Excerpt From: Jeanine Donofrio - Love and Lemons Every Day

When you feel like lasagna, but you don’t feel like making lasagna, what do you do? Make lasagna soup, of course! This has a delicious, saucy tomato base; broken-up lasagna noodles; and dollops of rich vegan ricotta. To make this easier to eat, you can break up the noodles even more, but I think it’s fun to eat through the big, curly, sloppy noodles!

SERVES 4 TO 6

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1 medium yellow onion, diced
2 medium carrots, chopped
1 fennel bulb, diced
½ teaspoon sea salt, plus more to taste
Freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
3½ cups water
12 fresh thyme sprigs, bundled, or 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
¼ to ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
8 lasagna noodles, broken into halves or thirds
8 cups fresh spinach
1 cup Vegan Ricotta
½ cup chopped fresh parsley or basil
Microgreens (optional)

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, fennel, salt, and a few grinds of black pepper and cook, stirring, until the vegetables begin to soften, about 8 minutes. Add the balsamic vinegar, garlic, tomatoes, water, thyme, and red pepper flakes. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.

Meanwhile, cook the lasagna noodles in a pot of salted boiling water according to the package directions until al dente. Drain and toss with a tiny bit of olive oil to keep the noodles from sticking together.

Add the spinach and the lasagna noodles to the soup and stir until the spinach is wilted. Remove the thyme bundle and season to taste with more salt and pepper, if desired.

Serve in bowls with scoops of the ricotta and sprinkle with fresh parsley. Garnish with microgreens, if desired.

VEGAN RICOTTA

Excerpt From: Jeanine Donofrio - Love and Lemons Every Day

This is my go-to “ricotta.” The crumbled tofu gives it a ricotta-like texture, and the cashew cream makes it rich and creamy. Stuff this into shells, layer it into lasagna, or make the lasagna soup (my personal favorite) on this page.

MAKES 1½ CUPS

4 cups medium-packed fresh spinach
2 small garlic cloves
¾ cup raw cashews
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons water
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
½ teaspoon sea salt, plus more to taste
Freshly ground black pepper
1 cup crumbled extra-firm tofu
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon lemon zest
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

Fill a large pot with 1 inch of water and insert a steamer basket. Place the spinach and the garlic in the basket and bring to a boil. Cover and steam for 2 minutes, or until the spinach is wilted but still bright green. Remove the garlic and set aside. Scoop the spinach onto a kitchen towel or paper towels and squeeze out the excess water. Roughly chop.

In a blender, place the garlic, cashews, water, lemon juice, salt, and a few grinds of black pepper. Process until creamy.

In a medium bowl, mix together the tofu, steamed spinach, oregano, lemon zest, red pepper flakes, and a few grinds of black pepper. Stir in the cashew cream. Taste and add more salt, if desired.