As much as we love our local restaurants here at the East Nashville Blog, we also love to cook at home and will be bringing you more recipes from our own kitchens this spring and summer. Since we’re omnivores we know that some of you won’t be able to enjoy a large number of the recipes we prepare ourselves,  so we asked our good friend Ginger Burden to help us out on the vegan front. Please help us welcome her to our little stable of writers. – Ed.

The weather is getting warmer and for many people, that means lighter meals. But sometimes I just need some cheesy, warm comfort food.  Lasagna is something that I loved in my pre-vegan/gluten-free life – the layers, the sauce, the salty cheese – so I came up with a vegan and gluten-free version that I really like. I guess it’s not the most lasagna-y lasagna I’ve ever eaten, and you could certainly use regular lasagna noodles in place of the polenta and vegetables. But I love the way the polenta and veggie layers soak in the sauce and blend with the vegan cheese.

I tried to be as accurate in my measurements as possible here.

Polenta (for layering)

2 cups water or rice/soy milk

1 cup cornmeal

1 zucchini sliced into long, wide strips

1 yellow squash sliced into long, wide strips

About 2.5 cups vegan cheese

Tomato sauce (see recipe below or use one from a jar)

Salt and pepper

Tofu cream cheese (optional)

Crispy cheesy topping (optional, see recipe below)

Polenta spread out to cool

Bring water to a boil in a medium sauce pan. Once the water starts boiling, salt the water and slowly whisk in the cornmeal. Stir constantly to avoid lumps. Turn off the heat but leave the pan on the burner as you keep stirring until the polenta forms a large, thick ball around your whisk/spoon.  Before the polenta cools, spread into an even, ¼ – ½ inch thick layer on a baking sheet. Using waxed paper to press and spread helps to keep the hot polenta from sticking to your hands. Place in fridge to cool for at least one hour, or maybe overnight. When ready to use, cut into strips to mimic lasagna noodles. If you end up with leftover polenta strips, try drizzling them with olive oil, salt and pepper and baking at 400 degrees until golden brown.

Lasagna

Preheat oven to 350. In a 9 x 9 or 9 x 12 deep-sided glass baking dish, place one layer of polenta strips on the bottom, seasoning with salt and pepper. Spoon a layer of sauce over the polenta and sprinkle with a layer of cheese. Alternate polenta layers with the veggie layers, topping with sauce and cheese in each layer. End with a layer of cheese, drizzled with olive oil or the crispy, cheesy topping. Bake at 350 degrees for 20–30 minutes, uncovered. If the topping is getting too brown, cover loosely with foil. For an extra-rich and creamy sauce, mix in a couple of spoonfuls of the tofu cream cheese to your tomato sauce.

This lasagna looks delicious!

Optional Things

Easy Tomato Sauce:

Olive oil

1 medium onion, diced

2 medium carrots, finely shredded

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 32-ounce can of diced or crushed tomatoes (for something different, try fire-roasted)

Salt and pepper

Dried or fresh basil, oregano, thyme

In a medium to large sauce pan, heat up enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Sauté onions and carrots together over medium heat until soft, about 5-7 minutes. Add garlic, salt and pepper, and herbs to the carrot and onion mixture and stir for 1 minute. Add tomatoes and simmer for about 15 minutes.

Crispy Cheesy Topping (sounds weird, but it’s tasty):

Mix ½ cup or so crushed plain potato chips, ½ cup or so crumbled or shredded vegan cheese, and 1 tablespoon olive oil or melted Earth Balance. Spread evenly over lasagna. This mimics the toasted, browned lasagna topping that I personally find delicious.

Cheesy topping

If you try Ginger’s recipe at home, let us know what you think in the comments!