Vegan lasagna without eggs? And without a milky, buttery béchamel sauce and no meat? Actually, vegan lasagna made with white sauce (made with artichokes and almonds, in our case) is unbelievably delicious! The delicate and delectable taste of this vegan lasagna is sure to win over even the most convinced carnivores. The secret? A super tasty cashew-cheese-that’s- not-really-cheese-at-all!
Vegan white lasagna: let's start with the pasta
Vegan lasagna dough does not include eggs, but the result will not disappoint. Place 14 oz of flour on a pastry board and create a well. Pour a tablespoon of oil, salt and a little water into the hollow and start kneading, starting with your fingertips and gradually adding more water (it will take about one glass). Continue kneading the dough until you have a smooth and silky consistency. Put the dough in a bowl and cover with transparent film. Let it rest for half an hour outside the fridge. After this time, lightly flour the work surface, roll the dough out thinly and cut it into rectangles.
Vegan béchamel for lasagna
The principle is the same as for a traditional béchamel: flour plus a fat and liquid, only in this case oil is used instead of butter and a vegetable milk instead of cow's milk. Toast 1 ½ tablespoons of flour with 3 tbsp of extra-virgin olive oil. Then pour in oat milk and, continuing to stir to avoid lumps, add more milk (up to a total of 2 cups). Bring to a boil and lower the heat to cook until the desired density is reached. Turn off the heat, add salt and pepper and let cool until the vegan white lasagna is ready for assembly.
Vegan cashew nut cheese: the secret ingredient
The texture is that of a soft cheese, such as goat's cheese or ricotta, while the taste is delicate and intense at the same time. None of the diners will ask you how it is made; everyone will simply be delighted by your vegan white lasagna with artichokes and far too busy enjoying it. To make this cheese, soak 5 oz of cashews (or almonds) for at least an hour. Drain the cashews of excess liquid and blend them with ⅓ glass of oat milk, one tablespoon of yeast, one tablespoon lemon juice, one clove of garlic with the inner bud removed, one tablespoon of white wine or apple vinegar and one tablespoon of mustard. Adjust salt and pepper to taste and the cheese-that’s-not-cheese is ready.
The last step for vegan lasagna: artichokes and almonds
Almost everything is ready for your white vegan lasagna. Only two more ingredients are missing. For the artichokes, follow our recipe for the sautéed version with taggiasca olives. It's up to you whether or not to omit these. For the almonds, instead, chop them and toast them briefly in a pan without any other seasoning. Proceed as you would for any other lasagna recipe: cover the bottom of a baking dish with a little oil and some béchamel sauce then make a first layer of pasta and cover with artichokes, cashew nut cheese, almonds and béchamel sauce. Continue making these layers until you run out of ingredients. Bake in the oven for about 30 minutes at 350 ° F.