Tofu Lasagna Rolls
I am going to be a bit controversial. Some of you will stay and continue to visit and some of you will leave, never to return again. Ever…never. Tofu! There, I wrote it and you read it. That wasn’t so bad, was it? I am going to pause a moment for anyone offended to quietly exit the site.
For those of you still with me, thank you for not giving up on me so quickly. Tofu. I have read that it works numbers on the hormones of little boys and then I have also read that it has healed bodies with Cancer. I’m not professing one or the other as truth. I do continue to cook with it and eat it too, but am conscious of the amount I serve to my family.
Tofu (toufu or bean curd) originated in China and is “low in calories, contains iron, and is cholesterol free.” It is a versatile ingredient that can be added into most any recipe (from delectable desserts to a spicy sauce) because of its minimal flavor. It doesn’t dominate any dish in which it’s used.
If you have dared to eat it as a stand alone food with no seasonings, then more power to you because I have to be honest, it’s not too appetizing and as far as looks go, has absolutely no “gotta have it” appeal. It just sits there and is pretty boring. Hmm. I guess I’m not doing to well with selling the appeal. Let’s try something different.
This recipe goes way, way back. It is from one of my old editions of Vegetarian Times. I use to make it because it was quick and easy and I could afford to feed myself for a minimal amount of money and have a delicious meal. Times haven’t changed much except with the addition of a family. I guess times have changed a bit, but I still like this recipe because it is affordable and the time it saves me in the kitchen is great. I usually make this a couple of times a month because it is so easy and everyone, even my children, like it.
If you have had tofu before and just didn’t like it at all, then I ask as you “gave me another chance” at the beginning of this post to also give tofu another chance. I really think you’ll enjoy these rolls.
How You Put it Together
When I Know I’m going to make this dish, I start boiling my water at least one half hour before I begin putting everything together because I like to knock it out; boil noodles, fill, roll, and bake or at least something like that. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. So get your water boiling in a large pot. Boil the noodles for six (6) minutes and while you are waiting for them to boil, start preparing the tofu mixture. Get going because you only have six minutes.
While the water is boiling, grab a fork or a potato masher. Put the tofu in a bowl and mash away until it is crumbled and has a scrambled egg look.
Measure the olive oil and evenly pour over the mashed tofu.
Measure the salt, garlic powder, onion powder, dry basil, and dry oregano and add each to the tofu mixture.
Okay, so I used a whisk. Not a good idea because, unless you mash the tofu up really well, which is not necessary, it gets caught inside the whisk. I suggest you use the same fork or masher from before and mix ingredients together well.
Your noodles should be ready by now. Remove them from the pot and lay on your working surface. Pat them dry if too wet.
Newman plug…I like Newman’s Own Marinara sauce because it is tasty as well as thicker than most sauces on the market. I also like that some portion of my purchase goes to charity. That’s it.
Lube your cooking dish. Now. Don’t let the parchment paper freak you out. One of my children has a dairy allergy. Because this dish calls for cheese, which I absolutely love, I use the paper to separate the dairy from the non-dairy side and prevent the cheese from oozing over to the other side. Pour a little bit (approx. 1/4 -1/2 cup) of sauce on the bottom of the baking dish and set aside.
Shred the cheese and set aside.
Evenly distribute the tofu mixture over the noodles. Using about two cups of the cheese, add the cheese evenly between the noodles. I’m very anal and sometimes methodical, so I don’t roll until I load each noodle to be sure one noodle doesn’t have more tofu mixture and cheese on it than another. I just want to be fair. Roll the noodles and try to keep the filling from falling out on the sides.
Place the rolls in the baking dish. You can lay them on their sides or with the noodle opening facing up like a pinwheel. Pour the remaining marinara sauce over the noodles and cover with foil for baking. Place baking dish in the oven and bake the noodles covered for 55 minutes. Once baked through, sprinkle on 1/2 cup of cheese, and return the uncovered dish to the oven for another 3-5 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Remove from the oven and serve.
| Tofu Ricotta Filling Ingredients 1 lb. hard or extra-firm tofu 1/3 cup olive oil 1 tsp. salt 1 tsp. garlic powder 1 tsp. onion powder 1 tsp. basil 1 tsp. oregano |
Rolled Tofu Lasagna Ingredients 8 lasagna noodles 1 recipe Tofu Ricotta Filling 2 1/2 cups mozarella cheese 1 jar spagehtti sauce |
Quick Tips
1. I boil the lasagna noodles for six (6) minutes. This makes them perfect to roll and they are not hard after baking.
2. Add fresh spinach to the noodle before rolling for variety.
3. If you don’t use all of the tofu, then fill an air-tight container with water and store the tofu in the container for only a few days. Put it in the refrigerator. Don’t freeze.
