Vegan Lasagna Recipe -- The Kitchen as Architecture, Layer by Layer

Peter did not call. I called him. He picked up on the third try. He sounded thin — the way he has sounded for months now, the way Pappa used to sound. I told him about the meatballs I was making. He said he wished he was here. I said come for Christmas. He said he would try. I did not push. I did not lecture. I said I loved him. I hung up the phone and I stood at the kitchen sink for a long minute looking at the lake. Sophie texted a photo of Mira eating cereal. Mira's face was covered in milk. The photo was lit from the side by morning light and the smile in it was uninhibited and full and I could not stop looking at it. I printed the photo. I taped it to the fridge. I have a system on the fridge now: a column for each grandchild, a column for each great-grandchild, photos rotated weekly. The fridge is the gallery. The gallery is the proof. Peter called from Chicago. He sounded thinner than last week. He said work was fine. I do not believe him. He said his apartment was fine. I do not believe him either. He asked about the dog. He asked about the lake. He told me he loved me. I told him I loved him too. I told him about the bread I was baking. He said he could almost smell it through the phone. We hung up. I stood at the sink for a long minute. I did not know what else to do. I cooked Asparagus risotto this week. Arborio rice toasted in butter, white wine, then ladles of warm chicken stock added one at a time, the rice stirred until creamy. Asparagus blanched and added at the end. Parmesan. Lemon zest. The taste of spring's first vegetable. The Damiano Center: the regular Thursday. The soup is the soup. The conversations are the conversations. The week is held by the Thursday. I do not know what I would do without the Thursday. The Thursday is the structural element of the week. The structural element does not collapse if the rest of the week goes sideways. The Thursday holds. The lake was iron gray. The kind of gray Paul loved. He used to say: "That is the gray that means weather is coming." He was always right. I miss being told. I miss being told what the lake means by a man who knew what the lake meant. I have learned to read the lake on my own. I am, at this point, an adequate reader. I am not as good as Paul was. I am better than I would have been if I had not had to learn. It is enough. It has to be. And on a morning like this, with the lake doing what the lake does and the dog at my feet and the bread on the counter and the kitchen warm enough to live in, it is. The phone rings less than it used to. Not because fewer people are calling, but because the people who call are mostly the family, and the family has settled into a rhythm — Peter daily, Anna twice a week, Sophie weekly, Elsa biweekly, Karin Sundays, Astrid Sundays. The phone rings predictably. I pick up predictably. The predictability is the love at this stage of life. It is enough.

The asparagus risotto had already done its quiet work midweek — that slow, attentive stirring that asks nothing of you except to stay present — but by the weekend I wanted something I could build in layers, something that held its shape. Lasagna has always felt architectural to me, the way the story of a week can be: each layer distinct, each one necessary, none of them collapsing the one beneath. I made it vegan this time, the way I have been making more things lately, lighter but no less substantial, and it was exactly right for a kitchen that needed to feel like a place worth coming back to.

Vegan Lasagna

Prep Time: 25 minutes | Cook Time: 55 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes | Servings: 8

Ingredients

• 12 lasagna noodles (regular or oven-ready)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 medium zucchini, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 8 oz cremini mushrooms, sliced
• 2 cups baby spinach, roughly chopped
• 1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
• 1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• 2 (15 oz) cans white cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 cup raw cashews, soaked 4 hours and drained
• 3/4 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• Chopped fresh basil or parsley, for serving

Instructions

1. Cook the noodles. If using regular lasagna noodles, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook noodles according to package directions until just al dente. Drain, drizzle lightly with olive oil to prevent sticking, and set aside.
2. Build the tomato vegetable sauce. Heat olive oil in a large skillet or saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook for 4 to 5 minutes until softened. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more. Add zucchini, bell pepper, and mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, for 6 to 8 minutes until the vegetables are tender and any liquid has evaporated. Stir in tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, oregano, basil, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Simmer uncovered for 15 minutes, then fold in the spinach and remove from heat.
3. Make the white bean layer. In a food processor, combine the drained cannellini beans, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, garlic powder, salt, and a few tablespoons of water. Process until smooth and creamy, adding water as needed. Taste and adjust seasoning.
4. Make the cashew cream. Blend the soaked cashews with 3/4 cup water, onion powder, a pinch of salt, and 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast until completely smooth. Set aside.
5. Assemble the lasagna. Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Lightly oil a 9×13-inch baking dish. Spread 1 cup of the tomato sauce on the bottom. Layer 3 to 4 noodles over the sauce. Spread half the white bean mixture, then a layer of tomato sauce. Repeat with another layer of noodles, the remaining white bean mixture, and more sauce. Add a final layer of noodles and pour the cashew cream evenly over the top. Spoon the remaining tomato sauce over the cashew cream.
6. Bake. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 35 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 15 to 20 minutes until the top is set and lightly golden at the edges.
7. Rest and serve. Let the lasagna rest for at least 15 minutes before slicing. This helps the layers hold. Scatter fresh basil or parsley over the top before serving.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 380 | Protein: 16g | Fat: 11g | Carbs: 55g | Fiber: 9g | Sodium: 490mg