muffin cup lasagna

Muffin Cup Vegan Lasagna

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If you have been looking for the perfect, cheesy, gooey, saucy, vegan lasagna, look no further! Layers of noodles, tofu ricotta, homemade marinara, and the perfect vegan mozzarella sauce make this lasagna the best vegan lasagna I have had, hands down!

It’s my go to dish to bake up for all of our non vegan friends and family, because no one ever even knows its vegan! We are house divided where lasagna is concerned, some preferring veggie lasagna, and others a classic “meaty” lasagna. So I have given instruction on making this lasagna 2 ways! Because two kinds of lasagna are always better than one!! Right?!?!?

You can always bake a lasagna in a 9x13 pan BUT how much cuter is it to make it in am muffin pan?! Everyone gets a little individual lasagna of their own. I love it! These also work great for pot lucks and parties since they are single serving. AND they freeze well for meal prep! Hooray for meal prep!!

I am telling you, you will never want to use store bought shredded mozzarella again after using this perfect cheese sauce. It’s super easy to whip up, and gets ooey gooey, bubbly, and browns. Its magic and it is staple in our house for so many recipes! Sometimes, like right now with this vegan lasagna, the secret is in the sauce!

So bake up a muffin tin for yourself, and one for a neighbor or friend. They will be so thankful for a night off from cooking and so impressed that this lasagna is actually vegan! I always say the way to convince someone that vegan food is just a delicious, if not more, than the non vegan version is by sharing it!! 

INGREDIENTS:

CHEESE SAUCE:

  • 1 cup of cashews (soaked in hot water a few hours, or microwaved in water for 3 mintues)

  • 2 cups of water

  • 2 teaspoons minced garlic

  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

  • 1 teaspoon salt

  • 5 tablespoons arrowroot or tapioca starch

  • 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS:

  1. Drain cashews.

  2. Put all ingredients into a high speed blender, or food processor, and blend for several minutes until completely liquified. Totally Smooooooth!

  3. Heat on stove in a medium sauce pan, on medium heat, stirring with a whisk until it begins to thicken. It will thicken quickly so do not stop stirring! Once it thickens, remove from the heat!

 

SAUCE:

  • 1 large can crushed tomatoes

  • 1 small can diced tomatoes drained

  • 1 carrot diced

  • 1 onion diced

  • 1 cup diced mushrooms (optional)

  • 1-2 teaspoons crushed garlic

  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme

  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano

  • 1 teaspoon salt

  • pepper to taste

  • splash of red wine (optional)

“Meaty” option:

If you would rather have a "meaty” sauce, you could omit the carrot, pepper, and mushroom, and add a bag of meatless crumbles, or even use 2 Beyond Beef brand burgers. Simply thaw them, and cook as you would ground meat before adding to the sauce.

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS:

  1. In a large sauce pan, saute all of the veggies and garlic in a few teaspoons of oil until tender. If using meatless crumbles or Beyond Burgers, heat the faux meat, garlic, and diced onion together in a pan until cooked through.

  2. Add wine and let cook for a minute.

  3. Add both cans of tomatoes, and spices, and let the sauce simmer for 15 - 20 minutes.

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Lasagna

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 box lasagna noodles, regular or gluten free

  • 1 batch tofu ricotta

  • White cheese sauce

  • Homemade veggie marinara, or you can use a jar of store bought to save time

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

  1. Boil lasagna noodles according to package instructions.

  2. Once noodles are drained, and cooled, cut each noodle into 4 pieces.

  3. Once marinara, ricotta, white cheese sauce, and noodles are ready, you can begin building your lasagna cups.

  4. Prepare muffin tin by spraying with some oil.

  5. Start building the lasagna cups by first placing a piece of noodle into the bottom of the tins.

  6. Next add a tablespoon or so of ricotta, then marinara, then white cheese sauce. Repeat until cups are full. You should be able to fit 3 layers, ending with white cheese sauce.

  7. I like to place my muffin tin on a large cookie sheet while baking just in case any sauce bubbles over.

  8. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 - 30 minutes.

  9. Allow to cool some then sprinkle with fresh chopped basil and serve.

This recipes will yield around 12 lasagna cups. We typically serve 2 per adult, and 1 per child. They will freeze and reheat really well, so we normally just make a full batch and pop the leftovers into the freezer in an air tight container for up to one month. 

You can optionally cut this recipe in half pretty easily and make 6 - 8 cups. When halving the recipe I still make a full batch of marinara, and ricotta, then freeze half for next time. You can easily cut the cheese sauce recipes in half. I do not suggest making a full batch as the cheese does not freeze well.