How do you make a Spinach & Ricotta Lasagne  suitable for a vegan….. Okay who was the wise guy who said “leave out the ricotta”… Yea I can hear the wise crack answers all the way in the back end of West Waterford , Ireland

No you don’t leave out the ricotta, rather you make a ricotta substitute. And in doing so I have actually found another use for the stuff called tofu. Using  tofu makes  a cholesterol-free lower-fat ricotta cheese substitute that is 100% vegan and dairy-free!

My simple yet convincing ricotta cheese substitute is made with fresh garlic and shallots for plenty of savoury flavour, with a bit of nutritional yeast and lemon for a cheese-like taste. This ricotta cheese replacement is dairy-free, egg-free and cholesterol-free, and it is also gluten-free.

What You Need:

• 200g tofu (firm)
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic (minced)
• 1/2 teaspoon shallot (minced)
• 1/2 teaspoon vinegar
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon nutritional yeast
• 1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh basil
• 1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley
• Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper

Let’s Get Cooking:

1. Press the tofu through a potato ricer into a large bowl. If you don’t have a potato ricer, mash the tofu with your hands until crumbly.
2. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well. It should be the consistency of ricotta cheese.
3. Makes about 1 1/2 cups tofu ricotta “cheese”.

I use this recipe in my own Spinach & Ricotta Lasagna