Vegan Southwestern Sweet Potato Lasagna with Macadamia Nut Cheese
This vegan Southwest Sweet Potato Lasagna is everything you want it to be: smoky, sweet, and incredibly comforting. With hearty beans and plant-based Macadamia Nut Ricotta “Geez!”. A satisfying, healthy casserole!
115-ounce can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
3clovesgarlicminced
salt and pepperto taste
For the Lasagna:
2medium Sweet Potatoes
For the Macadamia Nut Ricotta “Geez!”:
1cupmacadamia nuts4 ounces
1yellow bell pepperseeded
1teaspoonlemon juice
2tablespoonsnutritional yeast
1teaspoondried thyme
1/2teaspoonsalt
2tablespoonsfresh chopped parsley
1/4cupwateras needed
For the Fire-Roasted Cashew Chili Sauce:
1/2cuproasted cashewssoaked at least 8 hours
128-ounce can fire-roasted tomatoes
2tablespoonsnutritional yeast
1cupwater
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 375F.
To Make the Oil-Free Kidney Bean Filling:
Pre-heat a medium sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and bell pepper. Cook until the onion starts to brown, about 7-8 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté 1-2 minutes, until aromatic. Add the red kidney beans. Stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat and set aside until ready to assemble.
To make the Sweet Potato Noodles:
Use a mandolin to thinly slice the sweet potatoes into “sheets”. I use a Japanese-style mandolin and set it on thickness “3”. Submerge the noodles in water and keep them covered in water until ready to assemble. This will prevent the sweet potato from oxidizing and turning brown.
To make the 5-Minute Vegan Macadamia Nut Ricotta “Geez!”:
Place all ingredients except the water in a food processor. Pulse 15-20 times, until you get a light, fluffy consistency. You don’t want to totally puree the mixture as you want to have a texture similar to traditional Ricotta cheese. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add water, as needed, to reach this consistency. Set aside until ready to assemble.
To make the Fire-Roasted Cashew Chili Sauce:
In a food processor or blender, puree all of the ingredients. Taste to adjust seasoning. Set aside until ready to assemble.
To assemble and bake the Vegan Southwest Sweet Potato Lasagna:
Pour a layer of the Fire-Roasted Cashew Chili Sauce in the bottom of a 9×9″ baking dish (about 1/2 cup). Spread one layer of the sweet potato noodles. Try to keep the sweet potatoes in a single layer as much as possible. Spread 1/4 of the Oil-Free Red Kidney Bean Filling on top of the noodles. Spread 1/4 of the Vegan Macadamia Nut Ricotta “Geez!” on top of that. Add another layer of sweet potato noodles. Pour on 1/2 cup of the Fire-Roasted Sauce.
Repeat: filling, cheese, noodles, sauce…three more times. End with a top layer of sweet potato noodles.
Pour any remaining sauce over top. Cover the lasagna and bake at 375F for 75 minutes, until the sweet potato is tender. A knife should easily glide in and out.
Remove from the oven and let cool 10 minutes before slicing and serving. Sprinkle with 5-Minute Vegan Cashew “Parm” if you like.
Notes
ADVANCED | SERVINGS: 8 | READY IN: 90 MINUTES | YIELD: ONE 9×9 SQUARE PAN