Vegan Lasagne With Eggplant and Mushrooms

Instructions

For the eggplant:

1. Pre--Heat the oven to 350°F and place a rack in the middle of the oven.
2. Cut the eggplant lengthwise into 1/8-inch-thick slices. Place in a single layer on 2 baking sheets, and sprinkle evenly with 1 tsp salt.
3. Turn the eggplant over and sprinkle evenly with the remaining 1 tsp salt; let sit until water beads form on the surface, at least 30 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the sauce.

For the sauce:

1. Using a food processor, pulse the tomatoes and their juices, until coarsely chopped (about 10 pulses). Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.
2. Add the onion and mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent and the mushrooms are tender, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds more.
3. Place the onions and garlic on one side of the pan and add the tomato paste to the empty part of the pan. Cook the paste slightly, stirring occasionally, about 1 to 2 minutes. Stir the onions and garlic into the paste to mix well.
4. Add the chopped tomatoes, bay leaf, and a few pinches of salt. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 45 minutes to incorporate the flavors well.
5. Add additional salt and pepper to taste; set aside.

To finish the eggplant:

1. Using paper towels, pat the eggplant slices dry on both sides. In a large nonstick frying pan, heat 2 teaspoons of the oil over medium-high heat.
2. Add just enough eggplant to sit in a single layer in the pan and cook on both sides, about 4 minutes total. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed. Transfer to a plate and repeat, in batches, with another 2 tsp of the oil and the remaining uncooked eggplant.
3. While the eggplant cooks, place the parsley, vinegar, and a pinch of salt in a large bowl and stir to combine.
4. Transfer the seared eggplant to the oil-vinegar mixture and toss. Taste and season with additional salt as needed.

For the noodles:

1. Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the noodles and cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente, about 7 minutes. Drain.
2. When cool enough to handle, lay the pieces flat on a lightly oiled baking sheet.

For the filling:

1. Place the tofu, parsley, nutritional yeast (if using), lemon zest, lemon juice, and measured salt and pepper in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a blade attachment and process until smooth, about 30 seconds.
2. Taste and season with more lemon juice, salt, and pepper as needed; set aside.

To assemble the lasagna:

1. Spread a thin layer of tomato sauce in the bottom of a 13-by-9-inch baking dish. Place a single layer of noodles on top of the sauce, about 3 regular-sized noodles.
2. Top the noodles with a quarter of the tofu filling (about 1 cup) and spread evenly.
3. Lay a quarter of the eggplant slices over the filling. Spread about 1 cup of sauce over the eggplant and sprinkle with about 1/4 cup of the basil leaves and a few walnuts.
4. Make three more layers of noodles, filling, eggplant, sauce, walnuts and basil, leaving the basil out of the top layer.
5. Cover with foil and bake for 50 minutes. Uncover and bake until bubbling, about 10 minutes more. Let cool at least 10 minutes before cutting.
6. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup basil. Serve with any remaining tomato sauce.