Stovetop Summer Skillet Lasagna

Lasagna is intuitively a 'Sunday Supper': layered pasta with rich tomato sauce, veggies, herbs, and ricotta topped with luscious creamy cheese. Turning on the oven in the summer can be a sweaty annoyance, so when I came upon Sarah Copeland's Skillet Lasagna whose recipe calls for the casserole to be cooked on the stovetop - I was intrigued. The result was the lasagna I always crave but rarely make: super saucy, tangy, and satisfying - perfect with red wine, crusty bread, and a light green salad.

The quality of the tomatoes in the red sauce - preferably San Marzano - is crucial for achieving that perfecly-ripe-tomato-taste that will have you wanting to lick your plate. You can also prepare all of the lasagna components beforehand (red sauce, cashew mozzarella cream, tofu ricotta, almond parmesan, cooked veggies) and refrigerate them until you're ready to prepare your meal. As for wine - I'm not terribly educated on the subject, but I bought a bottle of Grifone Sangiovese 2017 and it paired beautifully. Note how on the label it reads, "The wine is especially suitable for pairing with vegetarian and vegan dishes." Perfect cheap table wine ($4.99 at Trader Joe's).

The vegan cheeses in this recipe are largely inspired by Isa Chandra Moskowitz, Terry Hope Romero, and every vegan lasagna recipe I've ever come into contact with. Enjoy!

Stovetop Summer Skillet Lasagna

Yield :: 8 servings

For Cashew Mozzarella Cream:

• 1 cup raw cashews, soaked in water for at least an hour and drained
• ¾ cup vegetable broth
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast flakes
• ¼ teaspoon lemon zest
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch or potato starch
• ½ teaspoon salt

1. Soak cashews in water. Drain and add to the bowl of a blender.
2. Blend all ingredients until smooth and not at all grainy. This may take a few minutes. 
3. Taste & adjust for salt. Set aside until ready to use.

 For Almond Parmesan (Almesan from Veganomicon):

• ⅓ cup slivered or sliced almonds
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
• ⅛ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon lemon zest

1. Add all ingredients to a food processor, spice grinder, or blender of some kind.
2. Pulse/blend until everything is combined and almonds have become little crumbs. I like using a spice grinder for a finer texture.
3. Set aside until ready to use.

For Tofu Ricotta:

• 7-8 ounces (½ a block) of extra firm tofu, drained
• fresh juice of 1 lemon
• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ½ teaspoon salt
• fresh cracked black pepper

1. Add all ingredients to a small mixing bowl and mash with a strong fork until desired ricotta consistency is reached.
2. Taste and adjust for salt and pepper. Set aside until ready to use.

For the Vegetables:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium yellow or white onion, halved & thinly sliced
• salt, to taste
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 medium zucchini, chopped
• 1 medium yellow squash, chopped
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• ½ teaspoon dried thyme
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 packed cups baby spinach

1. Pre-heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-low heat. Add olive oil.
2. Cook onions with a pinch of salt until transluscent, 5-7 minutes.
3. Add garlic, zucchini, yellow squash, herbs, and another pinch of salt. Increase heat to medium. Cook, stirring every so often, until squash softens - 5-10 minutes.
4. Add spinach and cook just to wilt. Turn off heat and taste for salt.
5. Transfer vegetables to a plate to cool. No need to clean the skillet as that's what we'll be assembling our lasagna in. Set vegetables aside until ready to use.

For Red Sauce:

• ⅓ cup sun-dried tomatoes, not packed in oil (dry)
• ¼ cup red wine (whatever you'd like to drink with dinner) or vegetable broth
• 28 ounce can of whole peeled San Marzano tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon salt
• fresh cracked black pepper, to taste
• ¼-½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional, to taste)

1. Set sun-dried tomatoes into a small cup or bowl. Add red wine or broth and allow to soak, at least 5 minutes, while you prepare other ingredients.
2. Add canned tomatoes, salt, and pepper to the bowl of a blender. Add soaked sun-dried tomatoes with their wine or broth.
3. Blend until relatively smooth (a few chunks of tomato are fine). Set aside until ready to use.

Assembly:

• ~9 sheets (roughly half a box) lasagna noodles
• 1 batch cashew mozzarella cream
• 1 batch almond parmesan
• 1 batch tofu ricotta
• 1 batch vegetables
• 1 batch red sauce
• fresh basil, parsley and/or julienned spinach leaves for garnish (optional)

1. Have ready a large seasoned cast-iron skillet. Skillet and noodle sizes may vary, so use your judgement when assembling the casserole. 
2. Spread a thin layer of red sauce on the bottom of the skillet. Arrange 3-4 noodles on top of the sauce. I was able to fit 2 full noodle sheets and 1 broken up noodle sheet to fit along the sides.
3. Top noodles with a reasonable amount of vegetables (I ended up having some leftover at the end) and half of the ricotta.
4. Add another layer of noodles, a good amount of red sauce (remember the noodles will soak up much of the liquid), more vegetables, and the other half of the ricotta. 
5. Top with a third layer of noodles, more red sauce, all of the almond parmesan, and a layer of cashew cream. Try to allow at least ½ an inch from the top of the cashew cream to the top of the sides of the skillet. I had a bit of red sauce and cashew cream leftover, so just serve that alongside the lasagna in case anyone wants more sauce (or dip some crusty bread into it, or save the leftover sauces for another meal). 
6. Cook the lasagna, covered with a lid or tin foil, over medium-low heat. Wait until it comes to a simmer, then cook for 10 minutes. Watch and adjust heat for any boil-over.
7. Remove lid or foil, increase heat to medium, and continue to cook 5 minutes more.
8. If you'd like some browning on top, feel free to set the skillet under a broiler for a few minutes (optional). Allow lasagna to sit for 10 minutes off the heat.
9. Garnish with fresh herbs or julienned spinach (optional). Serve hot or warm.