| SAUCE | | 2 tbl olive oil | | 1 12 cup chopped onions | | 3 tbl minced garlic | | 2 x 28 oz cans peeled plum tomatoes, (7 cups) | | 1/3 cup tomato paste | | 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil | | 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley | | 1 tsp salt, (or to taste) | | 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper | | 1 lb dry lasagna noodles | | TOFU FILLING | | 2 x 16 oz pkgs firm tofu | | 2 tbl minced garlic | | 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil | | 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, (preferably Italian) | | 1 tbl chopped fresh oregano, (or 1 tsp dried) | | 1/2 tsp salt, (or to taste) | | freshly ground black pepper to taste | | 2 lb fresh spinach, (optional) OR, large stems removed | | 3 x 10 oz pkgs. frozen spinach, (optional), thawed & drained |
| | Make the sauce : In a large, heavy saucepan over medium heat, heat the olive oil. Add the onions , and saute them until they are soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 5 minutes more. Then add the tomatoes , juice and all, along with the tomato paste, basil , and parsley . Stir well, turn the heat to low, and let the sauce simmer for 1 hour. Add the salt & pepper . | | While the sauce is cooking, bring a large kettle of salted water to a boil. | | Boil the lasagna noodles for 9 minutes, then drain and rinse them well. | | Preheat the oven to 400 F. Place the tofu blocks in a large bowl. Add the garlic, basil, parsley, and oregano . Add the salt & pepper, and mash all the ingredients together by squeezing pieces of tofu through your fingers. | | Continue until the ingredients are well-mixed. | | If you are using fresh spinach , bring 1/2 cup water to a boil in a large stockpot. Add the spinach, cover the pot, and boil the spinach for 3 minutes. | | Invert the pot over a colander and let the spinach drain for 1-2 minutes. | | Assemble the lasagna: Spread 1 cup of the tomato sauce in the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish. Add a single layer of lasagna noodles, and sprinkle one-third of the tofu mixture over the noodles. If you are using fresh or frozen spinach, distribute it over the tofu. Next, ladle on about 1 1/2 cups of tomato sauce, and top it with another layer of the noodles. Then sprinkle another one-third of the tofu mixture over the noodles, top the tofu with 1 1/2 cups tomato sauce, and place a final layer of noodles over the tomato sauce. Finally, top the noodles with the final one-third of tofu, and spread the remaining tomato sauce over all. | | Cover the pan with foil, and bake the lasagna for 30 minutes. Serve hot. |
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