Amber & Alex are the amazing California-based couple behind the blog Fettle Vegan. We’ve gotten to know them and their delicious recipes through our weekly #VeganFoodChat. It’s such an honor to have them kick off our 12 Days, 8 Nights fun by bringing a holiday meal of their Spinach & Wild Mushroom Lasagna!
A LITTLE SUMTHIN’ ABOUT OUR FRIENDS: Amber & Alex blog over at FettleVegan.com, a site dedicated to delicious, accessible meals that are always vegan, usually gluten-free, and sometimes raw. They’re a little obsessed with their (adorable) pitbull pup Maddie, and love spending their holidays in warm, sunny Southern California.
AMBER & ALEX’S HOLIDAY WISH: To convince their dog to allow them to adopt 10 more so they can officially qualify as crazy…and for World Peace, naturally.
A CHARITY AMBER & ALEX SUPPORT: Orange County Pit Bull Rescue
“In Southern California, there are far too many of these sweet pups that need a home, and this organization works to provide breed awareness, family support, and find happy new homes for some lovely, lonely dogs.”
Support Orange County Pit Bull Rescue at https://www.facebook.com/ocpbr & http://www.ocpbr.org/
Now, it’s time to drool over Fettle Vegan’s Spinach & Wild Mushroom Lasagna with Basil Almond Cream
- 1 cup soaked almonds
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
- 3 tablespoons dried basil OR a heaping 1/2 cup fresh basil
- 1 cup water
- 1 box (about 9 ounces) gluten-free no-boil lasagna noodles*
- 25-30 ounces of pasta sauce (about 3+ cups)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1.5 ounces of dried, wild mushrooms OR 8 ounces fresh wild mushrooms, roughly chopped**
- 4 packed cups fresh spinach
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- salt & pepper to taste
- 1/2 recipe vegan parmesan cheeze OR about 1/2 cup of your favorite parmesan substitute
- Soak 1 cup almonds in warm water for at least an hour. Drain the almonds, set aside, and save 1 cup of the soaking water for blending.
- Combine all ingredients in a high-speed blender or food processor until a creamy consistency is reached, about 30 seconds to a minute. Scoop into a bowl and set aside to use later in the lasagna.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees and lightly grease a 9 x 13 in. baking dish.
- Heat olive oil in a large, deep skillet and toss in onions and garlic, and cook until onions are softened and turning slightly translucent. Add mushrooms, water, and spinach by the handful, stirring to wilt spinach and help mushrooms absorb the water. Cover with a lid and let simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 5-8 minutes or until spinach is wilted and mushrooms have absorbed all the liquid and onions are beginning to caramelize. Add in spices and simmer one more minute. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Now, pull out that lightly greased casserole dish and spread about 1 cup of pasta sauce across the bottom. Top with noodles, about 4 per layer, spread evenly across and covering the sauce. Next spread about 1/2 of the Basil Almond Cream across the noodles, top with half of the spinach & mushroom mixture, sauce, and more noodles. Do another round of Basil Almond Cream, cooked veggies, and noodles, saving the last of the sauce to cover the top layer of noodles and prevent them from burning. Finally, sprinkle the top with your parmesan cheese, cover with a lid or aluminum foil, and bake for 45-50 minutes, until sauce is bubbling and cheese is slightly browned. Let cool, slice, and enjoy! Saves well in the fridge for about a week.
- *If using noodles that require boiling, cook to instructions on package, drain, and use in place of the noodles in our recipe. Also, remove about 10-15 minutes earlier than the total cook time of about 45 minutes that ours requires.
- **You can use your favorite mushrooms from the grocery store, too. Button, cremini, and chanterelles would all be great here.
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