Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 pound baby bella or cremini mushrooms, sliced
• 2 (10-oz) bags of frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed of excess moisture in clean towel or cheesecloth
• 1 cup diced onions
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 36 oz tomato sauce (homemade would be great but I typically just use a good jarred marinara)
• 1 pound lasagna noodles (about 16-18 noodles)
• 1 (15-oz) container of ricotta cheese
• 1 (14-oz) package of firm or extra firm tofu, pressed to release excess moisture
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil (plus a few extra leaves for garnish)
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 4 cloves garlic, finely minced or grated
• Salt
• Black pepper
• 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan or pecorino cheese
• 1 pound shredded mozzarella cheese (about 4 cups)

Instructions:

• Set a large pot of water to boil. Once boiling, add salt and lasagna noodles. Stir gently to ensure that the noodles do not stick together. Cook until noodles are not quite al dente, but still tender and pliable (about 8 minutes). They will absorb moisture from the sauce and filling and finish cooking in the oven.
• While the noodles are cooking, sauté mushrooms and onions over medium heat in a large skillet with a tablespoon of olive oil until tender. Lightly salt so that mushrooms start to release water. Turn the heat down to low and cook until the mushrooms are no longer releasing moisture and any excess water has boiled away. Set aside.
• In a separate pan, heat your tomato sauce and season to your liking if needed. Set aside.
• Drain the cooked noodles in a colander and rinse them with with cold water. Coat them with about a tablespoon of olive oil so they don’t stick to each other and lay them flat on a plate or sheet pan.
• Preheat the oven to 375°F.
• Add pressed & drained tofu to a food processor and grind until smooth (you can also use your hands to squish the tofu but a food processor will get it a bit closer to a ricotta-like texture).
• In a mixing bowl, combine the ground tofu, ricotta, thawed-drained spinach, mushroom and onion mixture, basil, parsley, red pepper flakes (more or less depending on your heat tolerance), minced garlic, the shredded parmesan or pecorino, and half of the shredded mozzarella. Fold together with a rubber spatula until thoroughly combined. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
• Brush a baking dish (I use a 13x9x3) with a tablespoon of olive oil and spread about 1/2 – 3/4 cup of tomato sauce evenly on the bottom of the dish.
• Place a layer of lasagna noodles over the tomato sauce, slightly overlapping (for my baking dish, I usually fit 4 noodles length wise and end up with a 3 layer lasagna).
• Spoon 1/3 of the tofu-ricotta filling over the noodles and spread it gently into an even layer.
• Then, spread about 1/4 of the remaining tomato sauce evenly over the filling.
• Follow with another layer of noodles and repeat the assembly steps. Ultimately, from the bottom up you’ll have: sauce, noodles, filling, sauce, noodles, filling, sauce, noodles, filling, sauce, noodles, sauce & cheese!
• Lay the final layer of noodles and cover with the remaining sauce.
• Top with the remaining shredded mozzarella cheese.
• Brush the top, inside corners of the baking dish with olive oil to prevent sticking.
• Cover with a sheet of aluminum foil and bake for 30-35 minutes.
• Remove the aluminum foil (carefully!) and finish baking uncovered (about 15-20 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly and slightly browned).
• Let the lasagna rest and cool slightly before cutting into it (about 10-15 minutes).
• Garnish with some more fresh basil, serve, and enjoy!