Dairy Free Lasagna Recipe With Meat Recipe For Meatloaf

MEATLOAF LASAGNA

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the lasagna noodles and cook until al dente. Drain and toss with olive oil, to keep them from sticking, and let cool.
• Meanwhile, make the tomato sauce. Heat the oil, sliced garlic, red pepper flakes and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir as the oil heats up; once it shimmers, add the crushed tomatoes, 3/4 cup water and the basil. Bring to a high simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens slightly and the water has evaporated, 15 to 20 minutes (will be about 1 cup). Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature.
• Arrange the bacon in a large skillet and cook over medium heat until brown and crispy, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Remove and finely chop when cool enough to handle.
• Combine the bacon, beef, pork, breadcrumbs, onion, parsley, grated garlic, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, eggs, 1 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper in a large bowl. Use your hands to thoroughly combine.
• Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and preheat to 350 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and brush with oil. Combine the mozzarella and Parmesan.
• Shape half of the meatloaf mixture into a 9- by 5-inch rectangle in the center of the prepared baking sheet. Make a slight indentation down the center and fill with 1/2 cup of the cheese mixture. Top with the remaining meatloaf mixture and pat to form a loaf with a slightly rounded top, making sure to pinch and seal the sides.
• Top the meatloaf with one-third of the sauce and sprinkle with one-third of the remaining cheese mixture. Lay 4 lasagna noodles, crosswise and slightly overlapping, over the meatloaf, completely covering. Top with another one-third each of sauce and cheese mixture. Repeat with the remaining noodles, sauce and cheese.
• Bake until the meatloaf reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F, 40 to 45 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley and let cool slightly. Slice and serve with dollops of ricotta.

NON DAIRY LASAGNA

Steps:

• 1. Cook lasagna noodles in salted water until they are almost cooked fully. Stir occasionally while cooking as it avoids having them stick together. Drain but do not pour water over it as I've found the water prevents the sauce from sticking to the pasta.
• 2. While lasagna noodles are being cooked, brown lean ground beef with oil in a frying pan.
• 3. Finely chop onion, mushrooms, and peppers, and add to beef when it is cooked.
• 4. Add spices and prepared spaghetti sauce, stir and simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. I prefer using the Primo sauce as I find it isn't too watery but most any brand will do.
• 5. To make the filling, in a bowl combine the non-dairy sour cream and non-dairy cream cheese (I use the "tofutti" brand), egg, 1/4 cup daiya cheese (or whatever non-dairy cheese you prefer), and the oregano, garlic powder and parsley. Set aside. (The daiya cheese is available in cheddar or mozzerella flavour, although I find both pretty much taste the same).
• 6. In a seperate bowl combine the fresh non-dairy bread crumbs (I ended up making my own from 3 slices of white bread that was made without dairy). Add 1/4 tsp of oregano, garlic powder and onion powder. Set aside, this will be the topping.
• 7. In a Lasagna pan add a small amount of the meat sauce in the bottom of the pan. Lay three lasagna noodles on top, Then spread 1/3 of the filling on top of the noodles, and add meat sauce. Repeat this layer two more times, ending again with the meat sauce. You'll have one extra un-used noodle, this is just a bonus for the cook to eat after it goes in the oven with a tiny bit of the sauce on it - you've earned it.
• 8. Melt 1 Tbsp of the non-dairy margarine (I prefer using "Vegan Becel" although I don't know if this is available outside of Canada).
• 9. Sprinkle the bread crumb mixture on top of the lasagna, and drizzle the melted non-dairy margarine on top. Then sprinkle the non-dairy shredded cheese on top. If you prefer, you can always add more non-dairy cheese than what I've stated.
• 10. In a preheated oven set at 350 degrees, bake for about 45 minutes. It works best to cover the lasagna with aluminum foil for the first 30 minuts and then bake it uncovered for the last 15 minutes.
• 11. Another baking option is to bake it at 225 degrees, covered, for about 4 hours. This will allow you to roast extra peppers, tomatos, and garlic for the last two hours of baking time (cut the peppers into large pieces, and the tomatos in half, and peel off some of the skin off the head of garlic and cut the top off. Lay these out in a shallow pan, then sprinkle all three with oil, salt & pepper, onion powder and oregano. Just make sure to cover the garlic with aluminum foil, and bake all three for about 2 hours). It makes an excellent addition to serve with the lasagna.
• 12. When lasagna is ready, let it sit on the counter for about 5 minutes before cutting. Enjoy.