It’s basil season! And spinach season! And, well, let’s just say it’s lasagna roll season, too.
These make a great appetizer if you’re doing a little summer entertaining, or a filling entree if you prefer. Tofu ricotta is elevated with the addition of some Pumpkin Seed Pesto. The mellow flavor of pumpkin seeds really lets the basil shine. The sautéed spinach is really really garlicky, as is the pesto, so this makes the perfect date night meal.
What I really love, besides how flavorful these are, is the texture. Baking the rolls makes the noodles soft but still toothsome, with little crunchy bits on the edges. Smothered in cashew cream and pesto and finished off with a scattering of additional pumpkin seeds, these lasagna rolls will fulfill even the most wild fantasies: creamy, crunchy, velvety, chewy, and hearty all at once. Yes, there are a few components here, but none are too difficult to pull off and also LASAGNA ROLLS.
Serve with Caesar Salad to round out the meal!
PS This is my first blogpost using only iPhone photos, so take a deep breath with me. Sorry $2000 camera, this is just easier. Since I’m not an aspiring photographer, I’m not ashamed to admit that adjusting lighting and apertures and editing in Photoshop is just too labor intensive for me these days. A few adjustments in VSCO cam, a button to upload to Flickr, and my work is done here. You get the picture. Har har.
Notes
~You don’t need all of the lasagna noodles called for, but go ahead and boil the whole package to account for some breakage. Saute the leftovers and broken ones for dinner the next night.
~The amount of ricotta made is just enough to fill the rolls, so go easy with the taste testing and don’t overfill the rolls, or you might not get ten out of the deal.
~I put the pesto in a little plastic bag with a hole cut out of the corner to pipe it nicely over the rolls. Then just spread it a bit with a spoon and it’s real pretty like.
~I make the white sauce before the pesto to cut down on cleaning a little bit. You can pour the white sauce out and then just rinse the blender without having to do a major cleaning, since who cares if a little bit of cashew cream ends up in your pesto.
Ingredients
12 oz lasagna noodles
For the white sauce:
1 cup cashews, soaked for at least 2 hours
1/2 cup water
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
For the pesto:
2 cloves garlic
3 cups fresh basil, loosely packed
1/2 cup pepitas (shelled pumpkin seeds), plus extra for garnish
1/3 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
Several dashes fresh black pepper
For the ricotta:
1 14 oz extra firm tofu, crumbled
1/4 cup pesto
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
For the spinach:
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 cloves garlic, minced
10 oz baby spinach
Directions
Make the noodles:
Bring a big pot of salted water to boil and cook the noodles al dente, stirring occasionally to make sure they don’t stick together. If they seem to be, use metal tongs to gently peel them apart. Once cooked, drain them in a colander and run them under plenty of cold water to make sure they stop cooking and don’t stick together.
Make the white sauce:
Drain cashews. In a blender, combine all ingredients and blend until completely smooth. This could take 1 to 5 minutes depending on your blender. Scrape down the sides of the blender with a rubber spatula every minute or so to make sure you get everything. Set aside.
Make the pesto:
Place garlic cloves in a blender and pulse a bit to chop. Add basil, pumpkin seeds, olive oil, nutritional yeast, lemon juice salt and pepper and blend. It should still have some texure and not be completely smooth. Thin with a few tablespoons of water to get it into a spreadable consistency.
Make the ricotta:
In a medium mixing bowl, mash tofu with your hands or an avocado masher, until it resembles ricotta cheese. Mix in pesto, nutritional yeast, olive oil, lemon juice and salt until well combined. Set aside.
Make the spinach:
Preheat a large heavy bottomed skillet (preferably cast iron) over medium low heat. Add the olive oil and garlic and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add spinach and cook, stirring often, until wilted, about 3 minutes. Set aside.
Assemble and bake:
Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly grease a 9×13 inch casserole dish with olive oil.
Spread 3 tablespoons of ricotta mixture evenly over each lasagna noodle, leaving a little room around the side edges and 1/2 inch at each end.
Scatter about 3 tablespoons of spinach mixture over the ricotta. Starting at the bottom end, roll noodle up and place, seam side down, in the casserole dish. Continue with all remaining noodles. Pour the white sauce over the rolls in thick ribbons.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until edges are lightly browned and white sauce is thickened. If after 25 minutes the rolls are not browning but the edges are crispy, place under a broiler on low heat for a minute or two, keeping a very close eye so that they don’t burn.
Remove from oven and smother on remaining pesto. Garnish with additional pumpkin seeds and serve!
OMG I just love this sooo much! I make a lot of things like this, but I haven’t made this so far, will definitely have to come up with something similar and give it a go! Bella Vitalia!
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This tasted AMAZING. I added a little extra lemon juice to the tofu ricotta (personal preference) and it was all so delicious. I love how much TLC you put into each step of the process–you can definitely taste it! This was gone in no time. Thanks for the great recipe, Isa! PPK never disappoints. 🙂
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Great idea to use nutritional yeast! Will use it this way for sure 🙂 thanks for the tip
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That pumpkin seed pesto is a great idea. Glad I read this before processing all my fresh basil I to end-of-season pesto!
These were so very delicious, I have already made them twice. But the second time I made it, I laid it out like old-fashioned lasagna. It seemed drier, and maybe that is why Isa rolled them. I plan to try adding a little bit of tomato sauce next time to make it a little goopier. Everyone I have made this for has loved it!
How would kale work instead of spinach.. any ideas?
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So delicious! The lasagna looks so grat! Thanks for recipe!
Wow these look insanely good! I will definitely be making these, what a fun alternative to a regular lasagna!
Made this last weekend… AWESOME!!!
Isa Does It again! (next cookbook?) Made this tonight. I already had a batch of vegan pesto in the fridge, and I had kale on hand instead of spinach. Used whole grain noodles, which broke up in an almost comical way while boiling, so I layered the ingredients like a traditional lasagna. My goodness, this was amazing. Taking leftovers to lunch at work tomorrow. Make. This. Dish.
If i don’t want the ricotta, what Foodstuff can i replace?
I’m lazy. Can I use the no-boil lasagna and turn this into a layered lasagna?
Hi Isa,
I made these rolls last week and they were absolutely delish. Do you think it would be possible to add red sauce inside the rolls? I was adding it on the side before. I’m hoping to make these as the vegan option for Christmas dinner! But I’d love to incorporate the tomato somehow. Would on top be better? I love your website and have made so many of your recipes. Thanks so much!
these looks so nice and amazing. I’m busy with Christmas celebrations, I will try this after Christmas, may be for my New year dinner.
Amazing. I used pine nuts in the place of the pumpkin seeds.
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This looks so super delicious – I love your “ricotta” so inventive!
Mary
This looks so super delicious – I love your “ricotta” so inventive!
Mary
These look soooooo good! I must try
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This looks so good! I’ve been looking for non-meat recipes to feed the kids that they’ll like. They’re like their dad, meat eaters, and I’m trying to change that. BTW, the images look good.
This lool so delicous…have to try this I love lasagna 🙂
These little gems are TO DIE FOR! And they are even better the next day re-heated. They are definitely worth the effort and are going in my meal planner rotation!
My husband and I made this last night and it was AMAZING!!! We haven’t tried cashew sauce before and we are now addicted. Thank you for this recipe – we love it! Oh! We added portobello mushrooms to the spinach mixture – very, very good!
I passionately love this recipe! This evening we had it for dinner. Yum!! Here’s a photo:
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10206283251828662&set=a.1218397788549.33305.1487016229&type=1&theater
Wow! I am soon going to try this! Lasagne is something I really, really miss!
http://www.veganbrussels.com