The World's Absolute Biggest Vegan Lasagna...Maybe

freedomtowrite (65)modFounderin Inner Blocks • 6 years ago (edited)

There was me, my niece, four boxes of lasagna noodles, four jars of marinara sauce, two packages of Tofurky Italian sausages, broccoli, carrots, onion, and two different kinds of vegan cheese.

And, not to be forgotten, one giant, aluminum catering pan.

I had originally been craving the classic vegetable lasagna I make about once a year on Christmas Eve. The thick layers of noodles, dripping in sauce with loads of roasted veggies crowding the layers and crevices. My mouth is literally watering.

But then I had an idea.

We had some relatives that wanted to come see us who regularly have access to a plethora of healthy, vegan resources and the drive to try them all out. So, mixing that with a craving for ooey gooey lasagna, and we definitely have a winner!

On hand though, I don't currently have my 9 x 13 baking dishes. They are safely packed up while we are traveling. So, I needed to go to the store and get something disposable. While perusing the kitchenware aisle that housed all thirty-seven different varieties, the only size close to 9x13's were shallow...and this is not something you cook in a shallow pan. The best bet was to go with an 18x10 giantess.

We started with boiling the noodles. It's important to cook them a little al dente because they'll cook more in the pan with the sauce. Then we cut up all the vegetables, put them on a pan with a little olive oil and garlic salt, then baked them for 15 minute on 425*F.

Once that was all ready, we started layering. Sauce always goes first so that the noodles won't stick to the pan, then another layer of sauce followed by veg and sausages cut into fourths and chunked, then both types of cheeses. Repeat.

I should disclose that we choose a plant based lifestyle for the amazing health benefits, and we consider all types of vegan alternatives, like sausages and packaged cheese, to be a treat that we eat sparingly. We would encourage anyone going plant based to not incorporate these into a regular diet.

Once we hit the top layer, we only added sauce and the cheeses for a crispu top. Then we threw it in the oven...well threw it may not be as accurate as I would like. In reality, picture me fanagling a 10 pound lasagna in a flimsy aluminum pan while squatting with my mad yoga skills to get it in the oven...while my niece was laughing.

We did it though! She had to give it a good shove in the middle.

However, normally in two pans it would have only taken 15 minutes to back. Just long enough to combine all the flavors and get the sauce boiling a bit. The trouble was the size. We ended up cooking it for 30 minutes, but it would probably have been at it's best at 45.

But when we all dug into it, the flavors really pulled together. It hit my craving right on it's head! I would definitely give a gold star to those vegan cheeses as well.

Overall, it was a really fun experience, and on the bright side...those giant pans came in a stack of 5! Another giant lasagna may very well be in our future again.

Thanks for sharing this with me!
Much love,
Stacie D