Vegetarian lasagna with textured soy

How to make lasagna with textured soy.

The first time I tried vegetarian lasagna with textured soy it was not made by me but by my friend Carmen. She invited me to eat at her house and served me this lasagna stuffed with false bolognese , as she says, which is made with textured soy and tomato as the main ingredients.

I was surprised by its flavor and texture, very similar to minced meat, something that for a meat lover like me is saying a lot.

You don’t have to be a vegetarian to prepare this lasagna, nor to enjoy it. Maybe you want to try them one day out of curiosity or because you have set out to reduce meat consumption .

Be that as it may, I recommend you try this recipe because vegetarian lasagna with textured soy is tremendously juicy . It is a delicious option for your weekly menu, prepare it in the weekend cooking batch or just because.

Many like it more than the traditional meat. Will you also be one of those? Well there is only one way to find out and that is preparing your next lasagna with this recipe that could not be easier. This is a proposal, but you also have the cannelloni version , delicious too.

Not only because the filling sauce takes less time to prepare than the traditional Bolognese sauce , but also because with the precooked lasagna pasta sheets the time saving is considerable.

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Preparation of the filling. Bolognese sauce

1. We hydrate the soybean by soaking it in the vegetable broth for a minimum of 10 minutes, stirring occasionally so that it hydrates equally. Nothing happens if it is longer.
2. Meanwhile we peel and chop the garlic cloves and the onion.
3. Heat a little extra virgin olive oil in a saucepan and cook over low heat.
4. When the onion is transparent add the chopped tomato, the tomato concentrate, the Provencal herbs, the garlic powder, salt and ground black pepper to taste.
5. We cook over medium heat for 15 minutes, enough for all the ingredients and flavors to amalgamate, and crush in the same saucepan with a hand mixer.
6. Next we add the hydrated textured soy and cook again over medium heat until the sauce has taken shape. Approximately 15 minutes.

Preparation of the bechamel sauce

1. While the textured soy bolognese sauce is cooking, prepare a bechamel sauce to mix with the filling and cover the lasagna.
2. To do this, heat the butter in a frying pan and, when it is melted, add the flour.
3. Stir for one or two minutes to form a roux and lightly brown the flour. With this, the raw flavor is lost.
4. We add the milk little by little, stirring constantly so that lumps do not form or dissolve those that we can not avoid.
5. We can use rods and make sure that the bechamel is very fine.
6. Season to taste and cook for 15-20 minutes over low heat. We remove from the fire and reserve.

Lasagna assembly. Baking and final presentation

1. We cover with a little bechamel sauce the base of a rectangular or square baking dish, about 22 x 22 cm approximately.
2. We place sheets of pasta for lasagna on it and start to assemble layers: textured soy filling, a couple of tablespoons of bechamel sauce, pasta, textured soy filling, etc. In total four layers of pasta and three of filling, ending with pasta.
3. We cover with the rest of the bechamel sauce and grated cheese in abundance.
4. We introduce in the oven, preheated to 200º C (with heat above and below), and cook for the time indicated by the manufacturer of the pasta. About 20-30 minutes approximately.
5. If necessary, we change the oven to the gratin function and brown the surface for 5 more minutes.
6. Remove from the oven and allow to warm for a couple of minutes before serving.

You can see all the step by step photos of the vegetarian lasagna recipe   in this album. Do not miss any detail and they will be perfect, as in Italy itself.

Tips for a Perfect Vegetarian Soy Lasagna

• Since we are using lasagna sheets that are cooked in the oven, it is important that the bechamel sauce has a light consistency and throws it to liquid . It will serve to hydrate the pasta, as well as the textured soy sauce and tomato filling.
• Textured soy is bland and gets its flavor from the broth in which it is hydrated and the seasonings that are added. You have to be generous with the quantity and variety of herbs and spices that we use.
• If the lasagna is not browned enough, we can give it a five-minute grill stroke before removing it from the oven.